Gardening season is coming up soon. We want our yards to look beautiful and in full bloom when the time is right. But the time may not be yet to start mulching your flower beds. Be sure to give the soil a chance to thaw out completely. If you cover your beds with mulch too early, it may slow the soil warming process. The ideal time to apply mulch cover is mid-to-late spring.
When the time is right and you’ve got your flowerbeds all weeded and prepared for the lay, go pull out your wheelbarrows of mulch. Laying down mulch boosts the appearance of your yard, adding in a nice, grounding cover and making it look neat and edged. Not only that, your plants and flowers will thank you. If you’ve forgotten just how beneficial mulch is for your garden, here is a reminder.
Improves Soil Nutrition
The protective barrier of mulch keeps all the soil nutrients locked in. This happens as the mulch decomposes and imbues all the nutrients down into the soil. When laying down a new layer of mulch, often you will keep the last year’s mulch on top and till it to continue to feed the soil with its rich nutrients. This makes the soil happy, healthy, and fertile.
Improves Soil Insulation
Mulch additionally acts as a buffer in extreme weather. It altogether moderates soil-temperature fluctuations. It will protect and insulate the roots of perennial plants all through the winter. And in cold spring weather, mulch prevents the soil from light frosts that will kill tender plants. It reduces plant stress in the summer, too, by keeping roots consistently cool.
Helps Retain Moisture
Because of the shielding nature of mulch, the soil retains much of its moisture to ingest into plant life before the water evaporates. In this way, all the rainwater and runoff are retained, saving you money in irrigation. It keeps more moisture, especially near plant roots. During hot, dry seasons, this is especially helpful. No hard crust ever develops on the soil due to frequent watering. Once or twice a week should be plenty for your flowers and plants to thrive.
Controls Weed Growth
The 3-inch layer of mulch reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the weed seeds and usually prevents germination. Any of the seeds that do survive often die out before reaching the surface of the mulch layer. The very few that do take root are easy to pull out because they don’t have long-reaching anchors in the soil. Now, those pesky weeds can’t leech necessary nutrients from your desired plants.