What is mulch and mulching
Mulch serves to protect the soil and add nutrients to it. The plants that are grown also benefit from this. Mulching is the term used to describe the covering of the soil with organic materials. Gardeners have copied the principle from nature, after all, there is practically no bare earth there: leaves , broken branches , plants or a layer of humus usually naturally cover the ground. This layer protects him and also supplies him with nutrients.
If the production of your own mulch is too time-consuming or if your own garden waste is not enough, you can use products from Landscaping supplies. Bark mulch is particularly popular because it is good for shrubs and hedges and suppresses weeds. The shredded tree bark also acts as a road surface, but has one disadvantage: it removes nitrogen from the soil. However, you can counteract this by mixing the mulch with horn shavings. The plants on the mulched area must be fertilized regularly according to their specific requirements .
Wind, weather, drought: the soil of your bed is exposed to many external influences. It can therefore make sense to apply a protective layer the so-called mulch. When you mulch properly, the soil stays moist, the wind can’t dry out the soil, and water doesn’t evaporate easily. Rain is in turn absorbed by the earth and does not wash it away. The mulch layer also acts like a warming blanket and can accelerate the growth of your plants and prevent weeds. With fruit and vegetable plants, which are particularly warmth-loving, mulch even increases the yield.
Useful helpers such as worms, bacteria and microorganisms loosen the soil under the mulch and break down the organic cover, so that nutrients are added to the soil and the humus layer grows. Watering or laborious loosening of the soil is less common in a well-mulched bed than in a bed without mulch.
Mulch is mostly made up of organic materials – which means you can easily make the useful bed cover yourself. Garden waste such as hedge or lawn clippings are suitable mulch material, in autumn you can also use leaves and straw. Lawn clippings should only be used in small quantities as a mulch layer, as this can negatively affect the aeration of the soil and attract voles. As mulch, compost also acts as a fertilizer. Shredded wood scraps or chopped straw are also suitable, because fruit trees and berry bushes in particular like to be warmed by these materials.
