What is mulch?
Mulch is organic or inorganic material, which is laid or spread over the soil and used for covering. We never put it deep down in the soil, we simply place it on top. It is a gardener's best friend and a total time-saver, no matter if you will be growing vegetables, flowers, or herbs. When done properly it has many advantages such as retaining moisture, preventing the growth of weeds, etc. We divide it into three main groups: compost, mulch from fresh organic material, and foil. On our ecological properties, we use straw and wool.
Benefits of using mulch
As we said before, mulching has many benefits if it is done correctly. The following advantages are:
- discouraging growth of weeds
- Retaining soil moisture
- Adjusting soil temperature by keeping it warm at night and cooler on warmer days
- Evasion of erosion and keeping soil compaction
- Protecting plants from harsh weather conditions such as freezing and thawing
- Adding organic matter and increasing soil fertility
- Keeping soil of the leaves which prevents getting fungal or bacterial diseases
- Improving plant health and growth
Mistakes you can make while using mulch
- Don’t over mulch
Putting 5 to 7 cm of mulch is more than enough. In another case, you can block the air and water supply resulting in suffocating the plants.
- Don’t use mulch mixed with soil
It can cause difficulties in digging and weeding.
- Get rid of weeds before mulching
If you do not remove weeds before putting mulch down, they will just pop up through it sooner or later.
- Prevent mulch from touching your house
It can create patches on the walls of the house and is a great way for termites and other pests to get into your home.
- Avoid using dyed mulch
Colorants in artificial mulches can carry some toxins that are harmful to kids and pets. They can also destroy the soil structure and kill beneficial organisms in the soil.
When to apply mulch?
MULCHING IN SPRING
When the weather is getting warmer and the birds start chirping it is time to start with garden preparations. If you want to read tips on how to prepare your garden for the upcoming harvest, you can read our blog, linked here.
So one of the tips also includes the use of mulch. When the harsh temperatures and frost bites pass us it is time to remove the remaining mulch, we placed down in autumn. Then we remove all stubborn weeds that survived winter.
After we removed all weeds it is time to give our soil some air. You can use any garden forks from our line of innovative garden forks. Here is a video about their usage in combination with garden cultivators.
When our garden is all prepped and the soil is aerated it is time to start adding mulch.
MULCHING IN LATE AUTUMN
The harvest is complete, the grounds are getting colder and winter is coming. This all indicates it is time to start prepping the garden for freezing cold temperatures. It is best if you apply a thick layer of soil-conditioning compost and rotted organic material on top of the soil. This needs to be worked up to 10 cm deep. Some gardeners put mulch in autumn and winter, but it is up to you and the quality of your soil.
How to apply mulch?
You should follow two main rules when deciding to mulch your garden:
- Lay the mulch on soil that is already been weeded
- Lay a thick enough layer to discourage new weeds from popping up
Most importantly, mulch should be only put on top of the soil. In spots with not a lot of sun, 5 cm of mulch will be enough. In other spots you can put up to 7 cm, just be careful to not over-mulch.
Warning: Mulches can slow soil warming because they are retaining moisture. If you pile it up directly near the stem it may cause it to rot.
Mulch on our ecological properties
We are strictly against artificial fertilizers and pesticides, so we were in search of natural fertilizers. As mulch, we use wool from sheep from the local environment in Bela Krajina. Sheep are free-range bred and a local symbol of this region. And besides that, we make use of ecological straw from wheat and rye to retain moisture, till the soil, and it works as a fertilizer.
A novelty we introduced this year is the bio stimulator NAUTA, with a Demeter certificate.
Mulching with straw
To begin with, straw is inexpensive, easy to work with, and a good source of mulch. In some aspects, it can also make your garden look more neat and tidy.
What actually is straw? Straw is the dried stems left after wheat or other grains have been harvested.
Benefits of using straw:
- Suppressed weed growth
- Moderates soil temperature
- Reduces evaporation
- Prevents diseases
- Minimizes the soil splashing
Straw is best for melons, pumpkins, and squash as well as strawberries, just watch out you don’t use hay instead of straw.
In our ecological properties we apply ecological wheat or rye straw.
Mulching with wool
In the past couple of years, mulching with wool has become extremely popular, especially for those who have easy access to wool. For us, it is very important, as we said before, that we use only natural fertilizers. We get wool from a friend in the local environment in Bela Krajina. Despite the unpleasant smell to some people, wool has many pluses:
- Long-lasting weed control
- Retains moisture
- Slug control
- Great source od nitrogen
- Natural deer repellent
- Moderates soil temperature
So this is something brief about using organic mulch in your garden. We can conclude it has more advantages than disadvantages. On our website, you can buy all the tools necessary for your garden such as forks for aerating the soil, small cultivators for removing weeds, small tool sets, shovels, etc. And if you are struggling with finding the perfect organic mulch in your local environment, you can purchase bio-stimulator NAUTA on our website.
If you have any further questions about mulching or our ecological properties you are more than welcome to contact us.
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