Mulch for flower gardens
saturn333
5 years ago
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saturn333
5 years agoRelated Discussions
To mulch or not to mulch the veggie garden
Comments (5)So you are talking about winter cover, correct? Why not consider a green manure or ground cover crop instead? Far more beneficial to the soil. As for Fall applications of leaves and/or pine straw to garden beds, if your climate is such that it will decompose well prior to spring tilling/turning and planting, great. That never works in my location and it would all have to be raked off prior to tilling and planting. Leaves, even shredded, can take over a year to decompose to leaf mold. If it is not well decomposed then you will be dealing with nitrogen-binding problems. Sure you can off-set those by the addition of lots of high nitrogen supplements but that is only adding costs to a problem that didn't need to be there in the first place. Many discussions about all this over on the Soil & Mulch forum. Composting it all out of the garden and then applying it in the spring is much more beneficial to your soil and eliminates any concerns about the issues. How accurate are the claims about pill bugs etc? All depends on who you ask. Climate plays a big roll and what works or doesn't work for one doesn't mean it would be the same for all. I know some claim that pill/sow bugs have "destroyed my garden" but personally I have never found either to be anything other than a minor problem in a well balanced garden. Dave...See Morefoamy stuff on mulch
Comments (17)LOL the first time I saw dog vomit slime mold, it was all over my mulched garden, even on the fence posts. I thought the deer were throwing up from eating something in my garden. Hah! Serves 'em right, I said! But no, the deer just keep on eating everything in sight, and it's just a mold. BlueBars...See MoreBald Cypress leaves or needles
Comments (4)The Bald Cypress, "Taxodium distichum" leaves can be used as organic matter in the garden. Oak, Maple, Beech, Chestnut, etc. leaves will stain concrete if left laying on that surface when wet so I would suspect the Bald Cypress leaves would as well. Most often, however, those stains wash off fairly easily,...See MoreWhat to do with old mulch in a future flower garden?
Comments (10)No way to know if the compost has been sitting there long enough to be turned into the soil wiithout robbing the soil of Nitrogen. If its pine bark it might be many years. Woodchips, ( in my climate) at least 3-4 years. It’s bound to be still good as mulch.You can top it with new mulch for appearances sake. Controversial advice around here, but for a brand new place you don’t have the history of, it might be wise to get a soil test from Land Grant U. Underneath the mulch.. You don’t have to use your own state’s U. I used Umass. Maybe $35. It’s a good bet you’ll save at least half that much in the ferts you don’t have to buy....See Moresaturn333
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)