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Hello kawi

Here is my article "Mulching For The Garden"-

I hope you enjoy it and learn from it. if you have any questions, just let me know.

What is mulching?
Mulching enriches andprotects soil, helping provide abetter growing environment.
In your garden
Mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden. Mulch is simply a protective layer of a material that is spread on top of the soil. Mulches can either be organic--such as grass clippings, straw, bark chips, and similar materials--or inorganic-- such as stones, brick chips, and plastic.

Both organic and inorganic mulches have numerous benefits.

Mulch:
o protects the soil from erosion
o reduces compaction from the impact of heavy rains
o conserves moisture, reducing the need for frequent waterings
o maintains a more even soil temperature
o prevents weed growtho keeps fruits and vegetables clean
o keeps feet clean, allowing access to garden even when damp
o provides a "finished" look to the garden

Organic mulches also improve the condition of the soil. As these mulches slowly decompose, they provide organic matter which helps keep the soil loose. This improves root growth, increases the infiltration of water, and also improves the water-holding capacity of the soil.
Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients and provides an ideal environment for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.
While inorganic mulches have their place in certain landscapes, they lack the soil improving properties of organic mulches.
Inorganic mulches, because of their permanence, may be difficult to remove if you decide to change your garden plans at a later date.
Therefore, this tip sheet is limited to the use of organic mulches.

Mulch materials

You can find mulch materials in your own yard! Lawn clippings make excellent mulch. While not particularly attractive for a flower bed, they work wonderfully in the vegetable garden.
The fine texture allows them to be spread easily even around small plants.

However, grass clippings are becoming scarce because of the increased popularity of mulching lawnmowers that provide many of the same benefits of mulching to lawns. Newspaper, as a mulch,works especially well to control weeds.

Leaves are another readily available material to use as mulch. Leaf mold, or the decomposed remains of leaves, gives the forest floor its absorbent spongy structure. Compost makes a wonderful mulch if you have a large supply.

Compost not only improves the soil structure but provides an excellent source of plant nutrients. Bark chips and composted bark mulch are available at garden centers. These make a neat finish to the garden bed and will eventually improve the condition of the soil.

These may last for one to three years or more depending on the size of the chips or how well composed the bark mulch is. Smaller chips tend to be easier to spread, especially around small plants.

Depending on where you live, numerous other materials make excellent mulches. Hay and straw work well in the vegetable garden, although they may harbor weed seeds. Seaweed mulch, ground corn cobs, and pine needles can also be used. Pine needles tend to increase the acidity of the soil so they work best around acid-loving plants such as blueberries.

When to apply mulch

Time of application depends on what you hope to achieve by mulching. Mulches, by providing an insulating barrier between the soil and the air, moderate the soil temperature. This means that a mulched soil in the summer will be cooler than an adjacent unmulched soil;

while in the winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply. However, since mulch acts as an insulating layer, mulched soils tend to warm up more slowly in the spring and cool down more slowly in the fall than unmulched soils. If you are using mulches in your vegetable garden , it is best to apply them after the soil has warmed up in the spring.

Cool,wet soils tend to slow seed germination and increase the decay of seeds and seedlings. If adding additional layers of mulch to existing perennial beds,wait until the soil has warmed completely.

Mulches used to help moderate winter temperatures can be applied late in the fall after the ground has frozen but before the coldest temperatures arrive. Applying mulches before the ground has frozen may attract rodents looking for a warm over-wintering site.

Delayed applications of mulch should prevent this problem as, hopefully, the creatures would already have found some other place to nest! Mulches used to protect plants over winter should be loose material such as straw, hay, or pine boughs that will help insulate the plants without compacting under the weight of snow and ice.

One of the benefits from winter applications of mulch is the reduction in the freezing and thawing of the soil in the late winter and early spring. These repeated cycles of freezing at night and then thawing in the warmth of the sun cause many small or shallow rooted plants to be heaved out of the soil. This leaves their root systems exposed and results in injury or death.

Mulching helps prevent rapid fluctuations in soil temperature and reduces the chances of heaving. Applying mulch

1. Begin by asking yourself the following questions.

What do I hope to achieve by mulching?
Weed control? Moisture retention?
Soil improvement? Beautification?

How large is the area to be mulched?

How much mulch will I need to cover the area?

Mulch is measured in cubic feet. As anexample, if you have an area 10 feet by 10feet and you wish to apply 3 inches of mulch,you would need 25 cubic feet. (10' x 10' x.25' = 25 cu. ft.)

2. Determine what mulch material to use andpurchase or accumulate what you need.
Mulch can often be purchased bagged or bulkfrom garden centers. Bulk may be cheaper ifyou need large volumes and have a way to haulit. Bagged mulch is often easier to handle,especially for smaller projects. Most baggedmulch comes in 3-cubic feet bags.

Compost--

Leaves--

Collect leaves in the fall.

Chop with a lawnmower or shredder. Whole leaves tend to compact if wet or blow away if dry. Chopping will reduce the volume and facilitate composting.

Compost leaves over winter. Some studies haveindicated that freshly chopped leaves mayinhibit the growth of certain crops.Therefore, it may be advisable to compost theleaves over winter before spreading them.

Grass clippings-Spread them immediately to avoid heating and rotting.

Newspaper-Save your own newspapers.

Notes
Smaller chips are easier to spread, especially around small plants. When spreading mulch around trees, keep the mulch an inch or two away from the trunk. A couple inches of mulch is adequate. There is no need to apply the mulch 6 or 8 inches high, as often is seen. Similar to bark mulch. If using fresh wood chips that are mixed with a lot of leaves, composting may be beneficial.

Best to chop and compost before spreading. If using dry leaves, apply about six inches deep. Thicker layers tend to compact and rot, becoming quite slimy and smelly. Add additional layers as clippings decompose. Do not use clippings from lawns treated with herbicides. Apply sheets of newspaper and cover lightly with grass clippings or other mulch material to anchor. If other mulch materials are not available cover edges of paper with soil.

Applying on a windy day can be a problem.
Use only newspaper text pages (black ink);
color dyes may be harmful to soil microfloraand fauna if composted and used.Use 3 or 4 sheets together, anchored withgrass clippings or other mulch material toprevent blowing away.

The amount of mulch to apply will bedetermined by the mulch material you areusing.

General Guidelines:
Do not apply mulch directly in contact withplants.
Leave an inch or so of space next toplants to help prevent diseases flourishingfrom excessive humidity.

Remove weeds before spreading mulch. Barkmulch and wood chips are sometimes used withlandscape fabric or plastic.
The fabric orplastic is laid on top of the soil and thencovered with a layer of bark chips. A cautionto this practice: while the plastic or fabricmay initially provide additional protectionagainst weeds, as the mulch breaks down,weedswill start to grow in the mulch itself. Thebarrier between the soil and the mulch alsoprevents any improvement in the soilcondition and makes planting additionalplants more difficult.

kawi I will send you more gardeningarticles soon ... so stay tuned!
You can learn more with your own copy of "TheGardener's Handbook" that you can easilydownload here: http://thegardenerbook.com/Of course you will also get the audio-book,so you can listen to the whole book while youare driving to your office, are out in thegarden or do whatever you want!If you have any questions, just let me know!Sincerly,Markus Bauerhttp://thegardenerbook.com/Markus Bauer, 47 W. Division St. #211, Chicago, IL 60610