What one thing can you do to improve any garden or landscape? Add mulch!

Mulch is a material, either organic (living) or inorganic (nonliving) placed atop garden soil. It provides a wide variety of benefits to your soil and plants. These include controlling weeds, keeping moisture in the soil longer, adding nutrients to the soil, reducing soil compaction, and moderating soil temperature. Adding mulch to your garden is a simple, easy way to help your plants become or stay healthy and strong.

Although inorganic mulches, such as gravel, can be used, they do not provide as many benefits as organic mulches such as wood chips, compost, or straw. They are also less commonly used. Therefore, this article will focus on organic mulches only.

Why put it on, not in, the soil?

Many people recommend adding organic matter, such as compost, to your soil when you plant a tree or shrub. This is actually a bad idea. Having amended soil in the planting hole next to un-amended soil outside the hole creates problems for the plant. Many roots will choose not to grow outside the cushy environment in the planting soil. Instead of growing far from the trunk, searching the soil for water and nutrients and stabilizing the plant, they grow in circles in the amended soil. This increases the odds that the plant will blow over in a windstorm and also limits plant growth, creating an unhealthy plant with a short life span. In addition, the organic material decomposes, and the soil sinks. This can leave roots exposed to the air, harming the plant.

Unlike soil amendments, mulch is a healthy way to add organic matter to your soil. Worms and other decomposers will gradually add bits of mulch to the soil, providing all the benefits of the organic matter. As the mulch decomposes, more can be added, providing a continual, steady source rather than a large, temporary source of organic material. Mulch also provides benefits that soil amendments can’t. For instance, worms and other creatures bringing decomposed mulch into the soil create air pockets and reduces soil compaction. Mulch adds a layer of insulation that moderates soil temperatures, which is easier on roots and plants. Unlike amendments, mulch can also suppress weed growth, reducing your workload.

Lazy gardening made easy

Mulch is also a great way to reduce the need for maintenance in your garden. Studies have shown that, on sites with no watering, weeding, or other maintenance, a simple mulch layer can dramatically improve plant survival and suppress weed growth. Even without other care, mulched plants grew and thrived, while those without mulch struggled to survive and were overtaken by weeds.

Mulch can also be obtained inexpensively. With a compost bin, you can turn yard waste and food scraps into mulch. Many arborists offer free wood chips, which make excellent mulch. For small areas, bark chips, straw, and other materials can be purchased relatively cheaply.

What are you waiting for? Get out and mulch your garden now. Your plants will thank you, and you’ll have more time to spend on other activities