Mulching.
Benifits include:
- Encourages worms to the area.
- Improves water movement through the soil – due to worm activity.
- Promotes stronger growth rates & improves yields.
- Adds organic matter to the soil and aids in soil friability.
- Encourages micro-organisms.
- Prevents up to 75% of water loss due to evaporation.
- Suppresses weeds.
- Reduces maintenance needs of the garden.
- Improves the visual aesthetics of a garden.
Different plants require different mulches.
Bacterially motivated mulches include: sugar cane, lucerne, barley straw.
Fungally motivated mulches include: pine bark, tea-tree, cypress mulch, hoop fines, natra mulch, forest mulch.
All grasses through to small shrubs have a bacterial motivated soil therefor prefer a bacterial motivateed mulch.
Small shrubs through to conifers prefer a fungal motivated mulch.
Grasses, vegetables, herbs, small flowering plants such as Allysum-Petunia- Pansy , Cordlyine, Draceana, Bamboo, palms all like mulches such as sugar cane, lucerne, barley straw.
Small shrubs, large trees, conifers like mulches such as pine bark, tea-tree, hoop fines, forest mulch.
Sugar cane, lucerne, barley straw are perfectly ok to use on shrubs through to conifers.
My prefered mulch is sugar cane. If i’am mulching a clients garden of small shrubs through to conifers and they have requested the “wood” look I will always use a base mulch of sugar cane – 50mm- and then top this wilth a further 50mm of wood mulch to create the desired effect. The reason behind this is that sugar cane breaks down quickly, improving the soil structure with organic matter. Worms love sugar cane and will travel to the location of it. Bacteria is the basis of a good soil so the sugar cane will encourage this to occur. The healthier the soil, the healthier the flora. I will always mulch all fruit trees with sugar cane as well. If you decide to use this method of mulching , make sure to water each layer – soil, then over the cane, then over the wood.
Always water the garden bed prior to mulching.
Mulch to a depth of 75mm – 100mm.
Preferably fertilse before mulching. Be mindful to cover any exposed roots prior to fertilising. Dont raise the soil/potting mix up the stem of the plant.
Mulches keeps the soil cooler in summer and warmer in winter thus encouraging worms to stay active in the garden.