If you are a gardener or farmer, mulching might be one of the most common words you hear. Do you know what it is & why is mulching important for your garden or vegetation?
What is Mulching?
Mulching is just creating a layer of organic materials on the soil. In general, we spread leaves, barks, coals, or stones over the soil top layer covering the root area and surrounding the plants.
But the question is, why do we do that? What’s the benefit??
Purpose of Mulching in farming and landscaping
The main purpose of mulching is to enhance soil quality and moisture and hinder the growth of weeds. It is one of the easiest, most efficient, and low-cost ways to improve soil health, as well as plant health respectively!
Mulching in your vegetable or flower garden, or in natural farming will fulfill a lot of purposes all at once. The importance of mulching is as follows.
6 Importance of mulching in gardening and landscaping
1. To keep the soil moist
Mulches reduce water losses from the soil (through vaporing), and thus conserve the moisture of soil for a long time.
2. Prevent weeds
As the mulch layer totally covers the soil, sunlight hardly reaches the topsoil. As a result, the weed does not get the habitat to grow in that soil, which helps to prevent weed growth.
3. Regulate soil temperature
Mulch helps to keep the soil cool in summer and warm in winter. Retention of an average temperature in the soil is greatly beneficial for the growth and development of plant roots.
4. Protect soil and plants
Mulches help plants and soil to stick in their position in bad weather like heavy rainfall or extreme wind.
5. Improve the soil quality
Organic mulches are a great source of nutrients for plants. When they are decomposed in the soil, a huge amount of organic fertilizer gets readily available for the plants!
6. Aesthetic view
This is not a “profit” claiming thing. But applying mulch properly in the garden bed or around plant roots enhances the beauty of farming. It looks really calm and complete!
Different types of popular mulches to apply in your garden
- Black mulch
- It comes from recycled wood. The addition of black dye made the name Black mulch actually.
- It helps to retain soil moisture and regulate soil temperature.
- Cedar mulch
- This type of mulch is from cedar trees.
- It is so popular for its natural resistance to insects and decay.
- It also has a fresh, woodsy aroma.
- The original color cedar mulch is reddish-brown. Farmers may also add suitable dye according to their choice for a better view of the landscape.
- Ohio mulch
- This mulch is made from recycled wood and other organic materials.
- It is available in a variety of colors, including black, brown, and red.
- High Desert mulch
- Gardeners use it in arid or desert regions.
- It is made from recycled materials, including yard waste and wood chips.
- It is popular for its water and moisture retaining capacity (that’s why hugely used in desert regions)
Additional
Here are some renowned links to research papers on the importance of mulching for soil and plants-
