Indigenous Nursery News Blog

The most important thing you can do for your garden is to mulch well. What is Mulch? Mulch is a layer of material (organic or inorganic) that one places on top of bare soil and around plants as a barrier that buffers and therefore protects the soil and plants against damaging elements such as extreme heat and cold, as well as very dry conditions.

Why is mulch important

Uncovered soil loses water rapidly, becomes compacted and is prone to erosion. This type of environment is inhospitable to plants and soil life.

Mulch acts as a blanket for the soil, prevents evaporation of water, promotes loose friable soil and keeps the soil a few degrees warmer than on the surface. This in turn will protect the small hair roots of your plants that are feeding near the surface and minimise the damage caused by cold, drought and sunlight

Water Conservation gardening is becoming all important, and mulch will significantly reduce evaporation and give the water we use on our gardens the opportunity to slowly seep down to the root zone of the plants, ensuring optimal use of the water.

Mulch creates habitat for all those tiny and microscopic organisms that will slowly break down the organic matter. An added benefit, of course, is the number of insects that thrive on this slow breaking down of the organic matter. In turn these creatures will attract birds, lizards, skinks, frogs and other insect eating creatures to the garden. Coupled with beautiful indigenous plants, one now has the benefit of a garden full of life instead of a sterile garden with only visual impact. This is important to the health, texture and quality of your soil. Healthy soil will give you healthy plants.

Mulch also regulates the nutrition released into the soil ensuring your plants have a constant supply of what they need.

When you use organic mulch the slow composting of this material releases humic acid and other nutrients into the soil. It will, of course, also prevent compaction of the soil and this in turn raises the amount of oxygen present for your plants to use and the benefit of this is improved plant growth.

If you have clay soil in your garden mulch is vital in overcoming some of the problems related to clay soil. The main one is compaction - organisms that aerate the soil are the main remedy. It is also good to use a mix of the different types of mulch on clay soil i.e. Dry leaves (undiseased), Bark, Grass, Wood Chips and Compost.

Different Kinds of Mulch

Mulch can be either organic or inorganic material.

Most organic materials such as leaves, woodchips, grass cuttings and even moist, shredded paper (never use glossy paper) can be used. You can also use dead leaves, bark, twigs and dead grass to make mulch.

You can also use inorganic mulch such as pebbles and gravel and although you may not get the same amount of nutrients from them, they play a large part in creating a warm, moist habitat for the micro-organisms that improve the soil. The nooks and crannies created by the pebbles also create habitat for a host of wildlife

How to use mulch in your garden

I suggest that you mulch your garden beds and around your trees with a layer of your chosen type of mulch, about 50mm in thickness - remember to keep the mulch away from the tree stems. If mulch piles up against the stems it could cause the bark to rot. This thickness will act as a good barrier to shield the soil from drying out and to some degree, will help to keep the soil warmer or cooler than the air above it. It is however, still thin enough to allow the soil to “breathe” – with oxygen still being able to enter the soil for soil dwelling organisms, including micro organisms, to break down any organic matter and release nutrients from it.

How often should you Mulch?

Once the mulch breaks down it should be replaced. Depending on what type of mulch this is, and the activity of soil organisms in the garden soil, this could be anything from once every 6 months to once a year for organic mulch, give or take. Inorganic mulch should be replaced once it starts looking tired, or if it has been scattered and forms too thin a layer to be functional.

Where to buy Mulch

Here at Random Harvest Indigenous Nursery, we make, sell and use wood chip mulch extensively. I prefer this organic mulch, as it provides the additional benefit of being a great source of nutrients for soil organisms to break down. It also holds moisture very well, and its fibrous nature makes it an excellent temperature buffer.

For more information or to order our wonderful mulch, contact us on 082 553 0598 or email [email protected]