About 3 inches of mulch is recommended for beds, and Becker recommends mulching twice a year. Mulching with the right amount each time will help fend off weeds and conserve moisture, which will reduce your need to irrigate. One exception is if you use pea gravel mulch or inorganic mulch.
So, should you remove old mulch? Expert green thumbs contend that getting rid of last year's mulch is completely unnecessary. Mulch gradually breaks down, adding beneficial nutrients and other organic matter to the soil. Removing pre-existing mulch every year only ends up to be extra work and a needless expense.
Mulch should be replenished or replaced as you start to see signs of decomposition, soil erosion and discoloration. And you'll mostly likely need to remove and replace all mulch after 5-6 years.
In general, mid- to late-spring is mulching season; this is when the soil is warming up from the freezing temperatures it experienced all winter. Mulching too early will slow down the warming process, which the soil needs to do its job.
Most of the time, mulching your clippings is the best option. You should bag your clippings if the grass is tall, leaves are covering the lawn, or you need to prevent disease and weeds from spreading.
Excessive mulch reduces soil oxygen for roots, suffocating them and causing them to die. Roots in search of oxygen and water sometimes grow into excess mulch. During dry periods the mulch dries out and the roots in the mulch die.
As you can see, the advantages of mulching far outweigh the disadvantages. Mulch is attractive and benefits the garden by reducing the loss of soil moisture, moderating soil temperatures and inhibiting weed growth. And, if organic mulch is used, it will improve the soil structure and add nutrients as it decomposes.
HOW LONG WILL MULCH LAST? Mulches vary in lifespan from approximately 12 months in the case of leaf mulch, to approximately 3 years in the case of woodchip.
With any type of organic mulch, it can decompose and will need to be replaced. There are two ways to determine the lifespan of your mulch. The practical life of mulch can be between four to seven years. This time is how long it takes for a layer of mulch to break down.
All organic mulch breaks down and eventually turns into soil. Mulch will become ineffective at suppressing weeds as it becomes compost. Below the compost layer, is what used to be composted mulch, but is now soil. As mulch is topped up every year, the layers of mulch, to compost, to soil will keep building.
Stone is the longest-lasting mulch, followed by landscape fabric. Black plastic and rubber mulch last a long time, and help with both heat and water retention in the soil, though they're also more expensive than stone or landscape fabric.
You can add soil on top of the mulch without any problems to your garden, but you must create an equal consistency between the soil and mulching materials.
Dig the mulch into the soil to allow it to complete its decomposition, then apply a new layer over the old one. For added weed control, putting down two to three layers of newspaper under the mulch will control and eliminate weeds. Make sure to punch holes on the newspaper and wet it before covering with mulch.
Plastic mulches offer a variety of benefits: they can extend the growing season by warming garden soil, they can improve weed and insect management, they can help retain soil moisture, and they can increase crop yields and quality.
We recommend aged hardwood mulch, applied in a light layer, around your flower beds. Well-aged wood mulch is an ideal choice for flower beds, as it adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. Softwood mulch, usually made from pine, can add a bit too much acidity, and doesn't decompose quickly.
To calculate mulch in yards, it is essential to note that one cubic yard of material will cover an area of 324 square feet at a depth of an inch. To determine the total amount of mulch needed, the formula is: Square footage x desired depth (in inches)/ 324.
Grass clippings are a good mulch option with a few conditions: Do not apply more than 1 or 2 inches of grass clippings at one time. Use dry clippings. Wet grass clippings can mat down, reducing reduce oxygen and moisture from getting down into the soil.
Grass clippings can be used in garden beds and as a mulch for vegetable gardens. Like many other biodegradable mulch materials, grass clippings help your garden to retain moisture, block out weeds and add nutrient to the soil.
Over time, mulch colors fade due to frequent exposure to sunlight. Regular non-dyed mulch may become a grayish color in one to two months, while dyed brown or black mulches may keep their color for a year or longer.
The main difference between wood chips and mulch is that wood chips are always made from the interior of trees, while mulch can be made from different materials including wood bark. The texture of wood chips is also softer than that of mulch.
Spread mulch under trees, shrubs, and throughout planting beds to a recommended depth of 3 to 4 inches for medium- to coarse-textured materials. Pull mulch away from the bases of tree and shrub trunks, creating a donut-hole (image on left). Do not pile it up against the trunk (“volcano mulching”).
For gray and contemporary homes, use black mulch.
A really good all-round mulch is the coarse wood mulches such as pine bark or eucalypt chips. They really do a good job of insulating the soil by trapping plenty of air around the particles as well as allowing moisture down into the soil.
There are several products that should never be used as mulch: sawdust, wood shavings and un-aged wood chips. As these materials begin to break down, they consume large amounts of nitrogen, depriving surrounding plants of this vital nutrient.