Ready to get your hands dirty? It’s time for you to start thinking about mulch. If you want a successful growing season, it’s time to think about mulch. You can thank us later when all of your plants are thriving and your garden is the envy of the neighborhood.
If you want an easy way to make sure your yard looks good this year, continue reading. Our guide will show you how easy it can be to get started with mulching today—and how much better things will look tomorrow! Just follow our simple steps and watch as your plants thrive in no time at all. You won’t regret it!
This is why you should mulch
Did you know that mulching your garden can help conserve water, improve soil quality, and prevent weeds? Mulch is a layer of organic materials such as leaves, straw, or grass clippings that are laid on top of the ground to keep in moisture and make it easier for plants to grow. The best time to add mulch is just before winter so it has time to decompose and enrich the soil. It’s also important not to use wood chips because they can introduce pests into your soil.
Wood has natural oils that will break down over time, attracting more bugs as it goes along – not what you want!
You should avoid using environmentally-sensitive materials in favor of 100% organic matter or paper for optimal results
Things you need to know before buying mulch
Recently, I went to a local garden center and was surprised at the number of mulches they had. After looking around for a bit, I decided on one with red color in it because it would look nice in my flowerbeds. Now that I am home and working in the flower beds though, I realized that this wasn’t exactly what I needed or wanted. The reason is simple: there are things you need to know before buying mulch! To help you out with your own decision-making process, here are some tips for picking the right kind of mulch for your needs:
- Know why you want mulch
- Are you trying to prevent erosion?
- Keep weeds away?
- Prevent water evaporation?
- Add nutrients into the soil
Should I use mulch or bark?
I’m sure you’ve seen bark mulch and wonder if it’s really worth the extra money to buy. It’s such a good question, so I thought I would give my take on this. If you’re just starting out with your garden or have an existing one that needs some TLC then the bark is perfect for you! Bark has lots of benefits: it does not blow away in windy weather as leaves do, and it doesn’t need to be watered as often as leaf mulch does because there are no open spaces for water to evaporate. Plus, when using bark, you won’t have to worry about the color bleeding into your plants’ soil due to its dark coloring. This will help keep your plants looking clean and new even
Is mulch bad for lawns?
Mulch is great for gardens, but it could be bad for your lawn. If you use mulch on your lawn, make sure to keep the blades of grass trimmed so they don’t grow around the mulch and create dead patches in your yard. Mulching can also prevent weeds from growing which will save you time and money in weed killer costs!
The best time of year to mulch
You might be wondering when it’s best to mulch your garden. Well, winter is a good time because there are fewer weeds and the soil is dryer which makes it easier to work with. You can also add in some compost before you add the mulch for extra nutrients in the soil! In warmer months of the year, we recommend waiting until after a rainstorm so that you don’t have wet leaves all over your yard and garden beds. Also, if you’re adding new plants or seeds into your garden bed during this time, make sure they’ve had enough time to get established before adding mulch on top of them!
How do I figure out how much mulch to buy?
It can be frustrating to buy too much or too little mulch for your garden. Here’s a quick and easy guide to determining how much mulch you’ll need to order:
1) Measure the length and width of your area (in feet), and multiply them together;
2) Divide that number by 27 (the amount in cubic yards);
3) Multiply that number by the depth of the mulch you want (four inches is standard).
If you’re buying composted materials, like mushroom soil, then divide that answer by three. This will give you an estimate on how many cubic yards of material it will take!
Can I just put mulch over weeds?
One of the most common questions I get is “Can I just put mulch over weeds?” The answer to this question depends on what kind of weed you are talking about. You can’t cover up perennial weeds like quackgrass or crabgrass with mulch because they will come back quickly, but for annual weeds like chickweed, you can smother it with some organic material.
Should you wet mulch after you put it down?
Wet mulch is a great way to keep your garden moist and nourished. You may have heard that you should not wet down your fresh mulch, but I’m here to tell you why it’s actually the best thing for your garden. It keeps weeds away, prevents soil compaction, reduces evaporation of water from the ground, and even helps prevent fungal diseases like powdery mildew (which can be a problem in such hot summers). Wetting down fresh mulches also gives them time to settle properly around plants before they dry out – which means less chance of insect or animal damage too! So go ahead and give those new beds a good soak after creating them: it will make all the difference to your garden.
Conclusion: Mulch and bark both have their benefits, but you need to be careful of what kind of mulch or bark product you buy. Bark is typically more expensive than the cheaper variety, so make sure that it’s worth your money before making a purchase. If you’re not sure if mulch will work for your lawn, talk with some professionals at Home Depot about which type they would recommend for your yard. Let me know in the comments below whether you’ve had success using either one on your own property!