Mulching plants. Mulching with green plant residues

Proper mulching helps conserve water, protect plant roots from high temperatures, provide soil with nutrients and inhibit weed growth. Decorative mulch adds color and texture to the surface between plants. Mulching is enough simple process, but you need to know a few details in order to reap all its benefits.

Steps

Choose a suitable mulching material. Here are some factors to consider:

Prepare the surface. If there is anything you want to do before mulching, do it.

Purchase mulch.

Move the mulch to your property. Many nurseries and garden centers will be happy to help you load the mulch into your machine. If you plan to deliver the mulch by bike or on foot, take a small trailer or cart to carry the mulch. On site, use a wheelbarrow to move the mulch to where it will be applied. If you don't have a wheelbarrow, try transporting your mulch using a wheeled bin or cart. For a small amount, a bucket or empty flower pot will work.

Add a thick layer of mulch. Mulch thickness is really important if you want to retain moisture and prevent weed growth. In this case, the thickness of the mulch layer should be at least 5-10 cm.

• Avoid mulching around tree stems and trunks. Leave at least a small distance (10-15 cm) to allow the plant to breathe and to prevent a lack of moisture or waterlogging.
• Depending on your garden, you can use mulch to create water recesses.

1. Spread the mulch evenly with a rake.

   Move the mulch where you want to plant something new.

   Renew organic mulch once every few years as it decomposes and turns into soil. You can bury the old mulch in the soil so that it decomposes completely, or you can simply sprinkle new mulch on top of the old one.

2. Prune some plants for the winter and cover them completely with mulch. Mulch provides thermal insulation. Remember to remove the mulch in the spring.

   • Instead of cutting off the end of the bag and sprinkling the mulch like a grain, lay the bag out on a flat surface, cut it along the long side in the middle, then flip and lift the bag. This is a quick and easy way to extract mulch from large, heavy bags.
   • Mulch left in bags or piles can decompose or sour without air, especially if it is wet. If this happens, open the bag, sprinkle the mulch and let it air dry for a few days or weeks before adding it to the soil. Its color may vary slightly, but it will not harm your plants. To avoid this problem, apply the mulch immediately rather than leaving it in bags.
   • If you put a layer of plastic under the mulch, be sure to apply a layer of mulch thick enough to keep out light. Most plastics are destroyed by ultraviolet radiation. Plastic is waterproof, so it can change the drainage in the areas where you applied it.

   Warnings

   • Be careful when using plants that spread easily as mulch. Dry them thoroughly before use. Mint and ivy are some of these plants that quickly take up space. Weeds and other plants that can produce seeds are also best removed.
   • Plants with thorns become thorny when they dry out. If you do not have the task of protecting the planting from animals (and everyone else), do not use stems of roses or berry bushes as mulch.
   • Lift and move cargo in a safe way... Use a cart or wheelbarrow and ask for help if you need it.
   • Discard diseased plants and do not use them as mulch or compost. You can create new problem or aggravate an existing one.

Material prepared by: Nadezhda Zimina, gardener with 24 years of experience, process engineer

Applying various agricultural techniques, you can achieve better results when cultivating your own personal plot while applying less effort. For example, once applying the mulching technique for processing the soil surface, you can for a long time forget about watering, loosening and weeding. Plants will feel comfortable without additional maintenance. And decorative mulch, which is available in a huge assortment, will allow you to decorate the garden, place accents and fill the empty spaces of the beds.

Mulching technology

Before you cover the ground protective layer from a covering material, it must be prepared.

You need to do the following:

• Remove weeds from the entire area of ​​the treated surface;
• Water the garden so that moisture remains in it, which we will preserve;
• Loosen the ground to a depth of at least 5 cm;
• Ventilate by slightly drying the top layer of the soil so that it does not sag and compact when mulching.

When to mulch?

Covering measures that promote long-term retention of moisture around flowers constantly growing in one place should be carried out in the spring, after the soil thaws and warms up well... If done earlier, when the soil is cold, the layer of mulch will prevent thawing by keeping the cold close to the roots. This can lead to the death of plants.

In the fall, they also cover the soil. Indeed, under the protective layer, the vital processes of soil organisms will continue much longer than in the environment, which will lead to additional production of organic matter from the covering substrate. In autumn, it is possible to plant under mulch of various cultivated plants, For example, . He winters well under a shelter of pine sawdust, which, among other things, also protect him from diseases and pests.

Many garden vines also need autumn shelter, otherwise they do not survive the winter, freezing at the root. For successful protection from cold over, climbing roses, actinidia, clematis do it yourself dry shelter... It is simply impossible to cover them with sawdust - during thaws, the water will wet the covering substrate, and with a significant decrease in temperature, it will turn into an ice shell, under which plants can die.

For the construction of a reliable shelter, use wooden frames or boxes under which whips and vines are placed, they will be in a dry air environment. Then the protective structures are covered with a “blanket” of sawdust. But this is not enough, since wood shavings does not protect plants from excessive moisture ingress. On top, you need to make another layer to prevent it from entering. To do this, use a mulching film.

winter shelters for grapes

The quality of covering measures largely depends on the material used. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which can help or harm specific plants. For the correct choice, it is necessary to have information on the properties of protective materials.

Mulching with green plant residues

Siderata

For spring soil mulching, there is an original, and very economical method that allows you to grow healthy seedlings right in the soil. Of course, we are not talking about tomatoes and peppers (although you can try in the southern regions). First of all, in this way you can plant zucchini, eggplants, and pumpkins.

In the spring, as soon as the ground thaws, they dig it up, and sow green manure, rye is best suited. When the soil warms up well and constant positive temperatures are established, you can start planting seeds of cultivated plants. Rye will serve as a natural defense, shading young shoots at the initial stage, creating comfortable conditions for them to develop. When the cucumbers and zucchini grow up, the cereals around are removed and the ground is covered with straw. She serves good stuff for mulching, while feeding the soil with nitrogenous compounds.

It must be remembered that green manure cannot be used immediately after removal from the soil. They must be dried within 24 hours, otherwise the straw will smell bad and rot, as a result of which pathogenic microflora and fungi may appear on it.

Cut grass

Weeding or mowing the lawn leaves a lot of grass. Throwing it away is irrational, therefore, this type of plant waste has two ways of implementation. The first is to put them in compost. The second is to organize mulching of beds, flower beds and tree trunks of fruit trees with grass.

You can also throw the weeded potatoes with the mown grass instead of hilling. The tubers will thrive in a loose layer of semi-rotten substrate, and in autumn the potatoes can be easily removed by pulling out the bushes by the tops.

But melons, cucumbers and cabbage cannot be mulched with grass, as they can become infected with rot or fungus. For the winter, fresh grass mulch does not need to be left, as pests can grow in it. It is best to use crop residues a second time by composting them. Well-dried hay is used as a covering material before winter, which is used to cover tree trunks just before frost.

Video: an example of mulching tomatoes with plant residues

Sawdust mulching

The main function of mulching is the ability to create comfortable conditions for plants. Using materials from organic matter, you can significantly increase soil fertility, reduce the number of watering and loosening, and get rid of weeds.

Mulching is one of the most common types of shelter. They are especially often used for. Under a warm blanket of coarse shavings strawberries and garden strawberries winter well and do not get sick different types rot. Pathogenic flora is the very negative factor that significantly affects the harvest. But when using sawdust, which acts as a sorbent, a significant part of the berries calmly sings on the bushes, and does not rot, since it does not come into contact with damp ground.

Strawberry mulching technology is simple and effective:

Before adding sawdust, the bed is weeded, loosened and watered. After the formation of a light crust on the upper layer of the earth, they begin the main work. To do this, take cardboard (it is better not to use a newspaper, since the ink for printing contains lead), and cover the space between the rows with them. Sawdust is poured on top of the cardboard. That's it, the work is over. By the way, this method protects not only from the appearance of weeds, but also from excessive growth of the strawberries themselves.

Mulching with hay and straw

These natural materials, which are easy to find in any village, summer residents began to use for planting on new technology, for the use of which you need to stock up on cardboard (you can ask for boxes in the nearest store), planting material and dry grass.

The process itself can be broken down into several stages:

• Covering the ground with cardboard. It can be laid directly on overwintered grass as soon as the snow melts. The point of this action is to prevent light from reaching the weeds, which will die along with the roots within a few weeks.
• Germination and disinfection of potatoes. You can disinfect with a solution of any ready-made biostimulant, and germinate in the sun, greening the tuber. These preparatory procedures have a healing effect so that later potatoes under mulch do not get sick with late blight.
• The next stage is planting planting material. To do this, holes are made in cardboard sheets, whose radius should be twice as large as the radius of the tubers. After that, the seed potatoes are placed directly on the ground, sprouts up, so that they rush into the sunlight.
• The final stage of planting is to mulch the entire row with straw. To do this, dry residues of cereal crops are poured directly on top of the cardboard, with a layer of at least 15-20 cm. Some people use hay for shelter, but it has a significant drawback - it is a carrier and accumulator of weed seeds.

This method, which is revolutionary for the consciousness of many gardeners, has many advantages. First, it is minimal in terms of labor costs. Imagine, you do not have to plow, weed and huddle plantings. Potatoes under mulch grow well without unnecessary interference. An exception is drought, when you have to water your plantings a couple of times. And all the same, the amount of physical labor used is incomparable with the traditional way landing.

Harvesting potatoes that have grown under thatch shelter is also an easy walk compared to traditional digging. This is a pretty clean job, since getting to the tubers is very easy - you just need to move the straw apart and harvest.

After harvesting, the beds are left without digging. They are already natural compost, which will calmly decay in the time remaining before the onset of winter cold weather, and next year these beds can be used for planting without additional processing... Using the straw mulching method, you can achieve a significant improvement in soil fertility on the site in 2-3 years.

Video: comparison of the crop of potatoes when mulching different types

Mulching with textiles and foil

This type of protective procedure is used in two cases:

1. The first is when constructing "dry blankets" for the winter for various ornamental plants and lianas, which has already been described above.
2. The second type of use is to protect the beds from weeds and moisture evaporation.

A prerequisite for using roll covering materials is compliance with all preparatory procedures (weeding, moistening, loosening), before covering the beds with polyethylene. When using this method in the summer, only transparent film and agrotextile are used. But the black film is used before planting. It has too much depressing effect on any plant flora, therefore, even with partial perforation, it is not suitable for summer use.

mulching with agrotextile (left) and film (right)

The film is spread on the beds at the end of March, when it is already warm enough and weeds begin to grow. Within 3-4 weeks they all die under a black film, and their roots, which die off naturally, easy to remove with a rake.

Agrotextile is very often used for mulching strawberries. Usually they take non-woven densely, which allows moisture to pass through. It is spread over all surfaces of the garden, cutting out circles at an equal distance for berry bushes. When using this method, strawberries bear fruit perfectly throughout the season, and practically does not require additional maintenance.

Peat mulching

This fertilizer from the swamp is very often used as a mulch layer for the soil, when planting various plants. serves as an excellent protection against weathering and leaching of fertile components from the soil, and does not allow the growth and development of pathogenic flora. After the end of the season, this substrate is left in the beds, and it gradually passes into the soil, improving its composition.

decorative use of peat

The homogeneous structure of peat allows it to be used as decorative filling... Also, peat is used in the garden, for mulching various crops that require increased care, for example, tomatoes. Under nightshades, this substrate is applied when they are well rooted, a couple of weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground.

Peat is ideal for mulching. It creates optimal conditions for the growth and development of this moisture-loving shrub. The soil constantly retains moisture and becomes loose, which allows the raspberry root system to develop well.

Mulching with bark and wood chips

Every year this way of caring for the garden gains new fans. Bark mulch is commonly used for walkways and large open areas. In our climatic zone, pine bark is the most widespread. This material for landscape design possesses a number of useful properties.

decorative mulch from bark and wood chips

Decorative bark mulch stays in one place for a long time unchanged, perfectly protects the soil from weeds, and saves from the sun on hot days. Also, it does not compact for a long time due to its porous structure and relief surface.

Pine bark

This type of covering material is very popular throughout the country. The advantages of pine bark are its lightness, thickness and high content of fungicides, which suppress harmful microflora and prevent the appearance of pests.

Features of mulching with bark / chips of tree trunk circles

Mulching bark has been used for centuries. This type of protection has become especially popular for those who constantly need comfortable conditions... The bark retains moisture for the root system, and perfectly decorates the trunk circle, which saves time when caring for these capricious flowers. It also serves as a winter shelter from freezing.

Wood chips

When buying this material, you should pay attention to the number that is indicated on the package. It corresponds to the size of the chips, and indicates the dimensional indicators of the product. Chips are small (5-8 cm), medium (8-15 cm), and large (more than 15 cm). It is advisable to purchase this covering material from manufacturers who guarantee the minimum inclusion of chip dust in the composition. This property helps to protect the beds from oxidation.

Mulching chips serve the same function as other materials. It keeps the soil moist and loose, stimulates the development of beneficial microflora, naturally forms humus. In addition to all of the above advantages, this material is perfect for decorating a site.

decorative mulch options - based on wood chips and bark

Decorative mulch can be of any color and size. It is used in young flower beds, or in beddings, made in a minimalist style. She is resistant to external influences, therefore, it can fall asleep in flower beds and garden paths.

Precautionary measures

The choice of wood chips must be approached more carefully than the purchase of other materials. When buying it, it is desirable ... to smell it! If the substrate emits an acidic vinegar smell, then it is better to postpone the purchase. Most likely, the wet chips were stored without oxygen, and decay products, very harmful to plants, began to be produced in it.

But, if the acquisition has already been made, the situation can be corrected. Chips need to be dried well. Once the sour smell is gone, you can use it to mulch the soil.

Unusual types of mulch

Leaves

They are used everywhere, this is the most affordable covering material that serves to protect plantings with perennial flowers and overwintering bulbs.

Pine needles

Needles are mulched on plants that are susceptible to massive attacks of pests, for example, garlic.

Eggshell

This species is used as an obstacle in the path of slugs, scattering the shell in a thin layer around the rose bushes.

Using various materials at hand for mulching the beds, you can greatly simplify your life. Protected plant roots make full use of all the moisture introduced into the soil, which provides them with excellent nutrition. The need for constant watering disappears, as well as for constant loosening. Mulching the soil will help put the garden and vegetable garden in order, and free up time to finally straighten up and admire the beauty and order created by your own hands.

Video comparison of various mulching materials

In the process of growing garden and garden crops it is extremely important to protect plants from possible natural troubles. In particular, mulch helps in this - a material layer that covers the surface of the earth near growing vegetables and melons, berry bushes, fruit trees or flowers. Those wishing to learn more about what mulch is and how to prepare it should familiarize yourself with the proposed text.

Soil mulching: what is it?

Figuratively speaking, mulching the soil is the path to a rich harvest. In agronomic language, mulching means a simple and effective soil conservation technology that promotes successful cultivation plants. But first, one should more precisely define the concept of "mulch": what is it? Mulch is understood as a homogeneous material or a mixture of substances of various origins, which, in their totality, quality characteristics suitable for the protection of the soil used for the cultivation of cultivated plants. Now it is possible, moving on to the term "soil mulching", to better understand what it is. Not really knowing what it means to mulch the soil, or, if it is simpler, what it is to mulch, you cannot proceed to practical actions, since there is a danger of causing irreparable harm to already growing or only future plants.

What are the benefits of mulching the soil at their summer cottage

If we neglect the fact that sometimes mulch is used as decorative decoration, then the rest of its properties are reduced mainly to protective functions:

- protection of the root system of plants by maintaining the required moisture level in the soil (mulching the soil is to keep moisture in it) and acidity, temperature regime and a nutrient medium (including for earthworms that loosen the soil);

- protection of cultivated plants from hypothermia at low temperatures and against weeds (by inhibiting their growth).

In addition, the soil covered with mulch does not harden into a hard-to-break crust, and the growing berry or vegetable crop is protected from contamination.

Types of soil mulching, what materials to use for the procedure (organic and inorganic)

Classical is the classification of mulch by its composition into organic and inorganic. Although compost is also organic, it is sometimes categorized as mulch. Being extremely nutritious for vegetation, compost also helps to loosen the soil and prevents its surface from turning into a crust. A number of experts, not without reason, believe that sodding of the soil can also be called mulching.

Did you know? Even shells can be used for mulching. walnuts and the husk of sunflower seeds.

Organic mulching is almost always considered as the main option, since it results, in particular, an increase in soil fertility.

Important! Before mulching with sawdust, shavings and bark, the soil must be treated with manure, feces or urea to avoid a lack of nitrogen in it.

A few words about turf, which in this context means regular grass lawn. Possessing no less usefulness than specially prepared mulch, lawn plants, saving nutrients, at the same time are a barrier to soil erosion.

Use of sawdust

Sawdust perfectly protects plants from attacks of slug pests, making it difficult for them to move. From undoubted merits of this material, we note its versatility for use on any soils, excellent air permeability, allowing the soil to "breathe" freely, the density of the coverage, as a result of which microorganisms intensively developing in the upper soil layer gradually turn sawdust into a fertile earth mass. Tomatoes and potatoes, always suffering from overheating of the soil, cannot do without sawdust in dry summer.

Important! Damping off of plants during sawdust mulching of the soil is prevented by ensuring that the sawdust does not cake.

Hay and straw

They do not like slugs and straw, which is very good as mulch in garden beds. The original 15 cm thickness of the straw mulch then naturally shrinks by two-thirds. Straw is a fertile material for mulching garden rows, as well as for covering the ground where trees grow. For those with a large enough farm, there is no particular problem in where to get straw or hay for mulching. The rest will have to purchase - good, large agricultural production is able to realize the surplus.

You can use mulching with hay and green mass in the form of mowed grass and weeds weeded out (preferably rid of seeds). The peculiarities of mulching the soil around the trees suggest that the protective layer will leave open the root collar that requires dryness. In general, the surface microflora will not damage tree roots deeply embedded in the ground. In this regard, plants that cover the ground (mulching by turf), planted in the form of a lawn and can easily tolerate the natural darkening created by tree crowns, will be very appropriate here.

Did you know? By mulching with a white clover turf, you can simultaneously get rid of weeds and beetle larvae.

The use of peat for mulching

The main function of peat as a mulching layer is to protect the soil from wind erosion, from the deterioration of its fertile qualities through the washing out of the elements that determine these qualities, from unfavorable pathogenic flora. Peat mulch does not require artificial harvesting, passing into the ground, it improves its composition. It is considered optimal to use peat mulch for good development raspberry shrubs, constantly requiring moisture, which is so perfectly retained by peat. About half a month after rooting in open ground the tomato seedlings planted there, the soil is also mulched with peat. Finally, the decorative qualities of a homogeneous peat structure are used, which makes it possible to make a very attractive dumping.

Mulching technology with green manure and cut grass

Garden grass, including specially grown green manures, due to its location in the open air warmed by the sun, quickly gets rid of most of the moisture it contains. This greatly inhibits the decomposition process. Under the onslaught of autumn rains, it intensifies already in the vegetable garden empty from the harvest. As a result of winter-autumn decay, the owner of the plot receives new natural organic fertilizer for the beds by the spring.

Having figured out how easy it is to prepare mulch from grass in the summer-autumn period, it must be said that the so-called early spring (immediately after the disappearance of the snow cover) green manure with plants capable of very rapid growth is also used. Mulching even before the May planting of cucumbers, zucchini or other warm-loving garden crops in the open field is done using, for example, mustard (or other siderata), which has time to collect large volume greens, which are mown and used as mulch (can also be added to compost). Leaving the roots in the soil and allowing the soil microorganisms to "work" with them, in a couple of weeks after mowing the green manure, you can start planting the intended culture. Mulching cucumbers, late cabbage and other vegetables with siderates will be successful if:

The soil for planting seeds will be wet and loose, and the seeds themselves will touch it with most of the surface (you need to roll a little);

It will be possible to protect the planted seed material from birds (garden scarecrows are still effective);

Mowing will be done before the green manure blooms and poorly decaying hard stems are formed;

In the process of mulching, the soil with beneficial microflora will not be damaged.

Important! Failure to use green manures from the same plant family with the main crop will protect the latter from related diseases.

Features of mulching with film and textiles

Inorganic mulching copes well with protective functions if they are not related to plant nutrition. The inorganic used could be roughly classified as follows:

Black (sometimes colored) film and textile materials, as well as paper and cardboard;

Stones (crushed stone, gravel, pebbles, etc.);

Expanded clay.

The last two types are of decorative and applied value, since they are able to perfectly decorate a garden or landscape composition, but they are also able to interfere with periodically necessary earthworks associated with soil cultivation for the cultivation of horticultural and vegetable garden crops. Expanded clay, moreover, has a weak structure and over time is prone to disintegration into smaller and smaller particles.

Black film is often used due to the lack of a mulch preparation process. Attracted by its ability to perfectly retain moisture and prevent the development of weeds. It should be remembered that it, in fact, is a disposable material, coming under the sun's rays to unusability in just a season. When deciding on the use of film mulching, it is necessary to provide for:- the scheme according to which the growing vegetation will be irrigated (drip or through holes in the covering);

Measures to combat slugs that collect under the film;

The ability of plants to withstand the inevitably increased overheating of film mulch in particularly hot weather.

Important! Covering the film from the sun with a thin layer of straw (or hay), you can extend its use for several seasons.

Covered with stones, so as not to distort the aesthetic perception, the soil in rock gardens is still mulched with a film, where it interferes with the development of weeds.

Textile materials made on the basis of polypropylene fibers are becoming more and more common among land users using mulching. Due to its relative cheapness and excellent quality, including such as absorption of sunlight, it has become widely known geotextile, giving no chance to survive the weeds that have fallen under its cover.

Mulching with bark and wood chips

Chips and bark, especially from birch or oak, have certain limitations in mulching applications due to their chemical composition. The transfer of tannins to the soil by them can slow down the growth of plants. Therefore, other materials are needed on garden beds, but conifers(spruce, cypress, etc.), not afraid of the tanning influence, noticeably increase in development due to acidification by the bark of the soil on which they grow. For conifers, in order to improve their nutrition, it is quite possible to mulch the soil with compost every year.

A serious argument in favor of mulching with bark is the combination of good thickness in it in comparison with almost weightless lightness and an increased content of phytoncides that cleanse environment from unwanted microorganisms and insects. Bark mulch for a natural look trunk circle near the tree.

When choosing wood chips you need to take a closer look at the proposed sizes. Like sawdust, wood waste in the form of chips naturally passes into the state of humus, having previously successfully coped with the functions of maintaining the necessary looseness and moisture of the soil and stimulating an increase in the microflora necessary for the plant.

Mulching with leaf humus

Fallen leaves, even without additional treatment, can be used to protect the soil. But a prerequisite for this is the absence of diseases provoked by the fungus in the trees from which it fell, otherwise the entire area can be affected by spores. To avoid this possibility, foliage is preferred to be used as a compost component, especially since its nutritional value is beyond doubt. An additional fuse will be antifungal treatment leaves just before they are composted. Leaf humus, slightly acidic and not a fertilizer, perfectly conditions the soil, contributing to the improvement of its structure. In addition to ripe leaf humus, both dry and half-rotted foliage are used for mulching.

Using needles for mulching

Flower beds are well protected pine needles. In general, they tend to use pine needles as mulch to protect crops, which from time to time are attacked en masse by pests (a well-known representative of such plants is garlic). The free and natural nature of pine needles (together with it, cones, twigs, and pieces of bark are added to the mulch), its ability to make the earth saturated with moisture, breathe well, moderately loose attracts increased attention to it. This attention should be combined with some caution, since such mulch can also lead to agronomic disaster, beyond any measure acidifying the soil in the garden or depressing the development of some crops.

Excellent results are obtained when strawberries are mulched with a covering material such as needles. In this case, they are saved from acidification by annual feeding of the strawberry plot. wood ash... By the way, during fruiting, strawberries are mulched with clean straw so that the berries do not come into contact with the ground. Producers are very concerned about always having something to mulch strawberries, since they are not only tasty, but also increasing their yield leads to a good income.

Features of soil mulching, what you need to know about the agrotechnical procedure

Agrotechnology of mulching is based on the obligation of sufficient warming up of the soil. An artificial cover over cold ground (organic or inorganic) will lead to a negative result - a delay in plant development. This rule does not apply to potatoes, mulch over which (only organic) is made immediately after planting in the ground. Two seasons are considered optimal for mulching the soil:

1) the main purpose of the spring mulching of the warmed soil is to protect the plant from overheating and drying out, that is, after the end of the cold pore, you need to wait a little;

2) in the middle or in the final stage of autumn, mulching of the soil that did not have time to supercool is done, mainly to avoid damage or death of the plant from the winter cold. Creation protective coating must be preceded by cleaning the soil from weeds (perennial and large) and enriching it with ash, bone meal or other slowly decomposing fertilizers.

The mulching layer does not fit forever - it is replaced as it exhausts its functions, which, in turn, is associated with the characteristics of the materials used. Mulch-covered soil requires more watering, aimed at ensuring that the completely soaked protective layer is on the moistened soil. Of some of the individualized features of mulching, it can be noted that:

The area covered by mulch of the ground under bushes and trees is limited by the diameter of their crown (not counting the gap between the shelter and the trunk);

Garden beds with vegetables and flower beds are mulched entirely with a 10-centimeter (3 cm less) layer;

Vegetable seedlings are planted in the ground when it is already covered with foil or textiles.

Did you know? Mulching application is not limited open space- it is also used indoors and even for plants grown in pots.

Having found out what mulch is and where to get it, having learned in practice how to prepare mulch, having carried out the whole process of preparing mulch with your own hands, spending time on mulching the soil, the land user can significantly save it on irrigation and weeding. And the result in the form good harvest remind him of a well-spent effort.

Was this helpful?

Thank you for your opinion!

Write in the comments which questions you have not received an answer to, we will definitely respond!

You can recommend the article to your friends!

You can recommend the article to your friends!

781 once already
helped

Very poorly respected gardeners, if you tied the stems of your apple trees, cherries and other fruit trees for the winter, and left the trunk circles naked, not covered. And if there is little snow and frosty? How will the roots of your pets survive the frost? Did you have to walk barefoot in the cold? Not? Try it! This will strengthen your immunity, and at the same time you will understand what discomfort unprotected root system fruit trees. To protect it from freezing, a simple but effective agricultural technique is used - mulching. That is, covering the soil surface with mulch. Mulch is any material used by a gardener or gardener to protect the soil.

It should be noted that mulching is especially in demand in cases of frosty and snowless winters to preserve the root system, but not only. It performs many other useful functions, including in the summer.

• Protects plant roots from freezing in winter.
• In summer, it prevents overheating of the soil by retaining moisture.
• Reduces the number of weeds, slowing down their growth several times.
• Protects soil from erosion and rain erosion.
• Keeps the soil loose.
• Stimulates the activity of earthworms, which improve the quality of the soil.
• Mulching promotes root development.
• Rotting mulch improves the quality and structure of the soil.
• Gives the garden an attractive look.

Mulch can be organic (preferred) and inorganic. As organic mulch, mowed grass, needles, straw, hay, sawdust, shavings, bark, cut cardboard and paper are used. Very useful for mulching peat, humus, etc. In the case of compost, it must be completely decomposed and free of weed seeds. The disadvantage of organic mulch is that it attracts small rodents, insects, and slugs. Over time, this mulch needs to be replaced.

For inorganic mulching, sand, gravel, pebbles, stone, plastic, cut rubber are used. Black polyethylene is widely used for planting strawberries and garden strawberries. Inorganic mulch is durable and does not degrade or attract pests. Its disadvantage is that it does not feed the soil.
When to mulch?
It all depends on the goal that the gardener and the gardener set for himself. The best time for mulching - autumn. Mulch will retain heat in the soil in winter, helping plants to winter, and in spring it will protect the soil from erosion and weathering. In the spring, it is sometimes useful to move the mulch, for better heating of the soil. But planted trees and shrubs must be mulched right away to prevent moisture loss.

How to mulch the soil?
The easiest mulching method, when for some reason there is no mulch at hand, is to take a hoe and manually loosen the soil around the tree. Not deep. To a depth of 5-7 centimeters, so as not to damage the roots. The radius is the size of the crown of the tree. Thus, a layer of mulch is created from small lumps of earth, which protects the underlying layer from drying out in summer, and to some extent in winter from freezing of the roots. But this is not the best way.

The easiest way is to buy mulch from a specialized store and use it according to the instructions. On sale there is pine and larch bark mulch and some others. But if the garden is large, then this method is costly from a financial point of view.
Experienced farmers will prefer to use fallen leaves, humus, compost. In the fall, you can put semi-ripe manure. Before mulching, you need to free the soil from weeds. Fertilize if necessary. It is desirable that the soil is moist.
Renew the mulch layer annually or every few years, depending on the material being mulched. Vegetable beds and flower beds are mulched 7-10 centimeters thick. Fruit trees and shrubs along the radius of the crown. From 5 cm at the edges of the trunk circle to 10-15 cm at the trunk of a tree.

Soil mulching is carried out not only in the garden and vegetable garden, but also in the greenhouse, greenhouse, as well as for potted plants, including indoor plants.

I am always glad to guests and regular visitors of my site. Subscribe to the newsletter and you will always be in the know

Mulching Is the covering of the soil under fruit trees, or vegetable plants protective layer. You can also mulch the soil between the beds or rows of vegetables. Various materials are used as mulch.

In nature, under trees and shrubs, there is always a layer of fallen leaves, needles, dead plant remains. This organic layer protects the soil from erosion, drying out, weathering. Mulching has similar effects. At the same time it enriches the soil organic matter and promotes the development of the root system of plants.

Mulching prevents crust formation on the soil surface and reduces weed growth. Accordingly, the number of waterings is reduced and there is no need to engage in regular weeding. Under a layer of mulch, the earth breathes easier. This is especially true for clay soils, since the mulch does not allow the sun's rays to pass through and does not allow the earth to harden.

Soil bacteria actively reproduce under the mulch layer. Mulch is for many of them additional source nutrients. Under the mulch, earthworms and small animals reproduce well, which help to improve the structure of the soil. In summer, a layer of green mulch is easily and quickly processed by microorganisms. In this regard, mulch must be periodically poured.

Under the mulch layer, the optimum temperature and soil moisture are maintained. Changes in soil temperature occur less dramatically. This has a positive effect on plant metabolism. The greatest effect of mulching is observed in areas with dry weather, as mulch prevents moisture from evaporating from the soil. Weeds die under the mulch, as they experience a lack of sunlight.

Mulching methods

There are three ways to mulch:

✓ covering the beds with black film or special covering material;

✓ sprinkling the soil organic materials(peat, sawdust, etc.);

✓ sprinkling the soil with compost.

The choice of mulching method is influenced by the type of soil, the climate, the goal pursued (control of weeds, reducing the frequency of watering, fertilizing the soil).

Mulching with black film or covering material is used when growing vegetables and strawberries.

In many plants, under such mulch, nutrient requirements are reduced by a third. It should be noted that it is necessary to fertilize the soil before mulching with these materials. This is best done when planting plants. If possible, immediately after this, the beds are covered with mulching material. At correct use black film and other covering materials can be used for several years.

Transparencies and white materials are not suitable for mulching as they do not stop weeds from growing.

❧ Some plants prefer colored mulch. For example, cabbage is different best growth on white mulch, and tomatoes on red. However, mulch of such colors is almost never used in practice.

Under the black film, the soil temperature is 2 degrees higher. In early spring it covers the beds at night. During the day, the film is removed so that the soil warms up better under the sun. In warm soil in plants, all processes are more active.

The same applies to the vital activity of soil insects and microorganisms. However, it should be borne in mind that under the film and other covering materials, the soil quickly depletes, since organic plant residues do not enter it.

Moisture is well maintained under the black film in the soil. Water that evaporates from the soil surface accumulates in the form of drops on the film and gets back again. Therefore, the soil moisture is maintained at the same level under the film. Mulching row spacings with black film when growing zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, corn leads to an increase in yield by 30%, besides, the fruits always remain clean, good quality and it is much easier to collect them.

If you cover young trees and shrubs with black film, then they will grow faster, it is better to take root in a new place.

Mulching with black film is often done in greenhouses. This prevents evaporation of moisture from the soil and reduces air humidity in closed room... As a result, the number of fungal diseases among plants decreases. This is of particular importance in the cold season, when the air already has high humidity, for example in the fall.

Mulching films are also insect pest control agents. Some types of films have reflective aluminum inserts for this purpose. Film, unlike organic mulch, protects plants from mice.

Mulching with organic materials is more beneficial for plants than mulching with black film and covering materials. It promotes the growth of both vegetable and Ornamental crops. It brings special benefits to white cabbage, celery, tomatoes, radishes, garlic asparagus.

As a mulch for the garden and vegetable garden you can use green fertilizers (crushed green parts of plants), plant residues, weeds that have not reached the flowering stage, straw, hay, manure, fallen leaves, crushed wood bark, sawdust.

Good mulch is compost, including unripe, and a mixture of unripe manure and green mass. It is especially good to use this mulching in areas where plants are planted to obtain green mass, such as clover. They increase the maturation rate of the compost and subsequently enrich it.

The beds with berry plants should be under a layer of mulch at all times. In the summer, dry and green mulch is used, and for the winter, the beds are mulched with manure. With this approach, mulching does not lead to an increased content of nitrates in berries.

It must be remembered that the more fertile the soil, the sooner the mulch will decompose and turn into humus.

You should not make the mulch layer thick, as its lower part will damp and rot, especially after rains. That is why it is not recommended to make a layer of mulch more than 2 cm on clay soils. As necessary (about 1 time in 2 weeks), mulching should be repeated.

Improvement in the structure of heavy soils during mulching is manifested only after 2-3 years.

Perform it in summer period, immediately after planting and watering the plants. In summer, it is recommended to use only well-chopped mulch. The emerging seedlings are sprinkled with sand, matured compost, chopped grass. You can also sprinkle with mulch and aisles.

For winter mulching, plant residues are used - the ground part of plants, chaff, unripe manure. You can make a mixture from this and sprinkle it on the whole garden, and not just the beds. Such mulch is poured with a layer of 10 cm for light soil, and 5-8 cm for heavy soil. You can also add mineral flour to it. It will reduce education bad smell and will increase the intensity of formation of humus complexes in the soil. Also add a little more bone meal.

Mulching the beds in the winter also has some adverse consequences. If the plants have hibernated under a layer of mulch, then there is a high probability that they will suffer from late spring frosts. In spring, under the mulch layer, air cushions form, which make it difficult to warm the soil and contribute to the freezing of plants. Therefore, after winter mulching, it is necessary to mulch again in the spring.

In winter, under the mulch in the soil, the activity of earthworms increases. Therefore, in spring, the soil in this area is looser compared to non-mulched areas. Such soil is much easier to cultivate.

In the spring, the old mulch is removed and stacked in compost heap... When growing vegetables in garden beds and tall beds, mulching will be beneficial. The soil in such beds warms up and dries faster, and the mulch will retain moisture.

Mulch works very well on fruit trees, as well as berry and ornamental shrubs... The soil around them and the paths are mulched. Long-lasting mulch can be used (gravel, pine needles, crushed bark).

Trunk circles under trees are mulched with cut grass, crushed with green mass, bark, and also with fresh compost. The layers of mulch are made with an average thickness of 5 cm. Mulching the garden for several years significantly increases the permeability of the soil to air.

In gardens, it is imperative to mow the grass when it grows to 15-20 cm. After drying, it is used for mulching.

Some gardeners question the benefits of mulching with organic materials. Inhabited by worms and insects, organic mulch attracts birds and provides shelter for mice and moles. The latter are very harmful to young plants, gnawing them. Therefore, when using organic mulch, it is necessary to control rodents.

Mulching is performed when growing not only vegetables and berries, but also mushrooms, medicinal, ornamental and aromatic plants. Some believe that the presence of mulch makes the plants more flavorful and valuable as medicines. When growing some mushrooms, such as ringworms, mulch is poured in a layer of 10 cm. Mulching will help make flower beds and other flower beds more decorative and attractive.

Known Swiss recipe for mulch. Mix the chopped straw with soil and compost for several weeks. After the formation of a homogeneous dark mass, the mulch is ready for use. After downloading, you can leave the grass on the lawns. A thin layer of mulch is formed from it. However, during the Rainy period, he is able to rot, then fungal diseases will appear in the grass. Therefore, with regular mowing of grass on lawns, the formation of a dense layer that is impervious to air must not be allowed. Therefore, it is recommended to clean the lawns with a rake at least three times a year.

Wood chips and shredded bark are not only good mulch, but also decorative element in the garden and lawns. These materials can also be sprinkled on paths. The thickness of the layer of mulch should be 8-10 cm. This mulch protects against weeds and erosion of paths. Under wood mulch it is possible to lay the covering material, but not the film.

It must be borne in mind that each mulching material has its own characteristics. For example, the remains of garden plants are crushed and mixed with green fertilizers before being used as mulch. This type of mulch is suitable for any area in the garden.

Fallen leaves are used for mulching without grinding. You can mix it with other types of mulch.

Hay, especially meadow, is a valuable type of mulch.

Mulching straw is used both unchanged and mixed with organic materials.

Manure is a type of mulch that is recommended to be used regularly, but in small quantities. Do not use it for mulching in the winter. This is due to the fact that nutrients are easily washed out from it. Pig manure and bird droppings are not suitable for mulching.

You can use sawdust to sprinkle the paths in the garden. If you mix in them nitrogen fertilizer then they will decompose faster.

Food waste is used for mulching only after it has formed compost.

The needles are an excellent mulch for those plants that prefer acidic soil.

Mulch made from the ground part of tomatoes scares off the cabbage whites.