Mulching. Mulch is any type of material that
They are also great for
is spread or laid over the surface of the soil
as a covering. It is used to retain moisture in
the soil, suppress weeds, keep the soil cool
and make the garden bed look more
attractive. Organic mulches also help
improve the soils fertility, as they
decompose.
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nance/a/Mulch.htm
Organic Mulches and their Uses
Bark mulches are best used around
trees, shrubs and in garden beds where
you wont be doing a lot of digging, like
front walkways and foundation plantings.
These woody mulches dont mix well into
the soil and it can become a hassle to have
to keep moving them aside to make way
for new plants.
Compost and Composted
Manure can be used anywhere, as long as
they are relatively well composted and
weed free. You can use them as a coating
of mulch or simply side dress plants with
them during the growing season, to
insulate and give a boost of slow released
nutrients.
Grass Clippings are a mixed bag
and are best suited to remote areas of your
garden where you basically want to
suppress weeds. Grass clippings, like most
green plant debris with high water content,
decompose very rapidly and in the process
they can get somewhat slimy, with an
unpleasant odor - so use with discretion.
Grass clippings also tend to mat down and
not allow water to pass through.
Ideally you should use a mulching mower
and leave the clippings on the lawn to add
fertility to that soil. However if you bag
your grass clippings, dont throw them
away unless you have used weed killer or
some other pesticide on your lawn.
Synthetic lawn care products can be bad
for some flowers and you certainly dont
want to use them in your vegetable
garden. But untreated grass clippings can
either be dumped into your compost bin or
used to mulch open, unplanted areas.
Newspaper as mulch is becoming
more and more popular. Most newspapers
have switched over to organic dyes,
especially for their black & white sections.
Shredded newspapers have been used for
years to keep plant roots moist while
shipping. Layered sheets of newspaper also
have great moisture retention abilities and
they act like other organic mulches as far
as suppressing weeds and controlling soil
temperatures.
smothering existing grass, to jump start a
new garden bed.
To use as mulch in the garden, spread a
layer of 4 - 8 sheets of newspaper around
the plants. Moisten the sheets to keep
them in place. On windy days its easier to
moisten the sheets before you place them
down. Cover the newspaper with a 1-3 inch
layer of another organic mulch and the
weed protection should last throughout the
growing season.
Shredded Leaves are natures
favorite mulch. Shredded leaves can be
used as mulch anywhere and have the
added bonus of being free.
Straw and Salt Hay are popular mulches
for the vegetable garden. They keep the
soil and soil borne diseases from
splashing up on lower plant leaves and
make paths less muddy. Straw
decomposes very slowly and will last the
entire growing season. It also makes a
nice home for spiders and other
beneficial insects that will move in and
help keep the pest population in control.
And finally, its easy to either rake up or
work into the soil when its time to plant
a new crop or put the vegetable garden
to bed. http://gardening
According INGO (2005) mulch is
any material or substance spread on the
ground to protect plant roots from heat,
cold or drought or to keep fruit clean.
Mulches can be classified as
inorganic or organic. Inorganic mulches
include plastics and other non-plant
materials; whereas, organic mulches
include straw, compost, sawdust and
similar materials. Plastic is the only
inorganic mulch used in vegetable
garden.
According to INGO (2005), the
following are the importance of
mulching in vegetable production:
1. Mulching the area will prevent erosion.
A thin layer of mulch on the soil surface
specially sloping areas reduces the
washing away of soil particles by
flowing water.
2. It conserves water. Therefore, mulching
is most important when it is impossible
to adequately irrigate newly seeded
areas.
3. Proper mulching in summer months
keeps the soil cooler. Soils covered with
organic mulches keep soil below the
mulch layer cooler in summer.
 4. Organic mulches enrich the soil as they material that can be easily collected. If well
decay and provide a better environment manage, it can be good mulch. It can result
for plant growth. Soils that have high in a temporary, but sharp, decrease in soil
organic matter are easier to till and nitrogen. Add a small amount of garden
better suited to vegetable gardening. fertilizer to the soil after applying sawdust
5. Mulches help plants by gradually directly to a garden. Even better, add
increasing soil fertility. Organic mulches nitrogen to sawdust, and then compost it
when turned under and decomposed before spreading it on your garden.
build the soils organic matter content. 4. Plastic is effective mulch if used
6. Most mulch also provides excellent properly. Use black plastic in the summer
weed control. Mulches do not prevent to warm the soil. Black plastic keeps light
weed seeds to germinate. However, from the soil and prevents weeds from
weed seedlings are blocked by mulch growing. Clear plastic warms the soil, but
thick enough to exclude light. weeds can grow beneath the plastic.
Plastic mulches can be used not only once,
Sangalan and Sangalan (2000) but, the disadvantage is plastic mulch
reported other importance of mulching as cannot be turned under the soil at the end
follows: of the season.
7. Promotion of bacterial life. It has been 2. Q
shown a mulch layer promotes the uality harvests are obtained when the soil
micro life of the soil particularly in the is covered with mulch materials. Mulches
upper layer. prevent the direct contact of garden fruits
8. A better uptake of nutrients, particularly with the soil keeping them clean and other
potash. The reasons are: damages.
a. The potash content of the mulch layer.
The potash in the plant straw occurs in Selection of mulching materials
readily available form and easily moves The following should be
with the rainwater into the root zone. considered in selecting mulch materials.
b. Soils under the mulch layer remains more
wet, thus checking potash fixation. 1. Cost of the material. Do
c. The potash from fertilizer application not spend money on mulching material
remains more available for the plants, when there are suitable and readily
owing to the more favorable moisture available materials in your locality.
condition of the upper layer of the soil. 2. The crop you plan to
d. The feeding roots of the plants under a mulch. Never use material from the crop
mulch layer grows into the most that is to be protected. Example, do not
superficial soil layer where, especially in use potato vines from spring crop to mulch
clay soils the greater part of the fertilizer fall potatoes because the possibility of the
potash is absorbed. disease is increased.
3. When the mulch is to be
9. Mulching reduces the work of cultivation used. Select light-colored mulch during the
around the growing plants, thus, cuts summer to reflect heat. Use dark-colored
the labor of weeding to almost nothing. mulch in early rainy season to help warm
the soil and to permit earlier planting and
Mulching materials hasten early growth.
Many materials can be used as mulching PROCESS
materials. The following mulching
materials discussed below are good Activity 2
examples:
There are several sources of organic
1. Compost is generally the best materials such as sawdust, rice hull, and
mulching material for home and school dried leaves to be used as mulching
gardens. It is usually free of weed seeds materials. Gather some and place them in
and is inexpensive. They are just present in your garden. REFLECT AND
the backyard. Apply at least 10 cm thick as UNDERSTAND
mulch layer.
Activity 3
2. Straw is short lived and coarse
textured. More straw is needed for the Do some researches about mulching.
same effect as compost or lawn clippings. The following questions will guide you in your
Place at least 7-8 cm thick of this material research work.
for better effect.
3. Sawdust is a common mulching 1. What plants need mulching materials?
2. When is the best time to place
 mulching materials? enriching the soil. Organic mulches are
3. If you use organic mulches, how thick readily available and are inexpensive. On the
the mulching materials would be? other hand, plastic mulch can be used
Summary :
several times and easy to apply not like that
Mulching could be done organically or of the organic.
inorganically. Organic mulching is much
Mulching conserves soil moisture,
better than inorganic mulching because when decreases soil erosion, controls the growth of
the organic mulches decompose help weeds and decreases labor cost.