Plant Gardens 101

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Mulching beds has become extremely popular these days, and mulch can be really beneficial to your plants and the soil in your planting beds, but there are things you need to watch for.

Here in Ohio the most popular type of mulch that people use is shredded hardwood bark mulch, which is a byproduct of the timber industry. When they haul the logs into the sawmill the first thing they do is debark them. Years ago the bark was a huge problem for the mills because there didn’t seem to be a useful purpose for it, until people realized the hidden benefits that it held. Still to this day, the bark is a headache for the saw mills, and they don’t always understand how to properly handle it.

They like to pile it as high as they can so it takes up less space in their yard. The mulch really tends to back up during the winter months because there is little demand for it. In order for the mills to pile the mulch high, they literally have to drive the large front end loaders up onto the pile. Of course the weight of these large machines compacts the mulch in the pile, and this can become a huge problem for you or I if we happen to get some mulch that has been stacked too high, and compacted too tightly. (more…)

As we near the end of summer and thoughts of getting our children back to school and making those last minute end of season trips abound, we also need to spend time on our lawns and making sure that it is prepped for the coming fall. Homeowners in today’s green-conscious world have quickly turned more and more to the most efficient lawn care methods that will translate into savings for our wallets. Beyond saving money is water conservation, which affects both us and the environment we live in.

In this month’s newsletter, we will focus on irrigation and mulch, two areas of lawn care that should be considered for all homeowners with the desire to conserve and decrease water consumption and a cost-efficient way to cultivate the lawn and landscape.

Irrigation

Lawn sprinklers and irrigation systems are known to be quite wasteful, consuming two or three times more water than the water used indoors. Experts report that much of the water applied to a lawn is lost due to poor application practices, high evaporation, uneven distribution, and excessive runoff. To combat these lawn ails, an efficient irrigation (or sprinkler) system and watering schedule is necessary. (more…)

There are several ways to get free mulch. Getting it for free can be helpful to the environment and on your pocket book. For starters, one way to get it mulch for free or at least get a good discount is to check with a local dump or landfill station. Every year homeowners and landscapers drop of 100s of thousands of yard debris and a lot of it can be turned into excellent mulch. Why not take advantage of this? Another way to get free mulch is to borrow or rent a wood chipper next time you prune or cut down a tree. You can rent one from most rental shops and you can feel good that you are recycling your own lawn debris. Another way to save money is to have a neighbor split the cost of delivery. Often, when you buy 8-14 yards at a time, you can waive a delivery fee altogether. Also you could get free mulch by calling a tree cutting company, they have a mulcher and may even deliver it for free rather than paying to take it to a landfill. Also Craig’s list is a great place to finds mulching materials that people may be giving away for free. If you have Pine trees, they will often give you a free layer of pine needle mulch every year. Although pine needle mulch isn’t the most attractive, it can certainly stop weeds and most grasses from growing. If you are looking to use mulch to make free organic compost, you can buy a mulching bin and than throw lawn mulch or grass clippings into it on a regular basis along with organic food wastes. In about a years and a half, your lawn mulch will turn into free organic fertilizer for your lawn.

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I’m sure that if you are reading this, you have used some form of mulch during your gardening career. However, you probably didn’t know that there are many other options for organic mulching that you can explore. These days, many gardeners are discovering new sources of free mulch that has been there all along; an untapped resource. These include clippings from a lawn, or woody prunings from other plants in your yard. You will be surprised by how beneficial all these things can be, and how often the opportunity arises to use them.

Many gardeners have taken to spreading out their excess grass clippings across the rest of their yard. You may think this will look tacky, with big piles of grass just sitting in your yard as if you were too lazy to rake them up. However, if you spread them out enough then you won’t even be able to tell that there is an excess amount. Leaving the extra grass on the yard acts as a sort of mulch by preventing evaporation and weed growth. With this extra water, you won’t have to water nearly as much to keep your grass green. When I started leaving my grass clippings, I had to adjust the frequency of my sprinkler system because I was worried my yard was getting too much water! (more…)

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There are several different types of mulches that can be used in a garden, everything from wood chips to old newspapers. Most people use chips or bark because they add beauty and color to the landscaping. Cedar, Pine and Cypress are the most commonly used ones because of their durability and smell. I love the smell of Cedar for my own personal preference, but that is a matter of choice, however wood chip mulches can be found and purchased at any local gardening center.

If straw is your choice to use as mulch, it is best used in a vegetable garden because it decays away and it will improve the soil as it is also ideal winter mulch for your perennial garden. You should note to be very careful as not to purchase straw that may have a lot of weed seeds in it. If you have newly plant trees or shrubs, Pine Needles make for excellent mulch.

While cocoa hulls have a beautiful color and smell they should NOT be used if you have pets. Dogs are particularly attracted to the smell as so are cats. The cocoa hulls contain Theobromine which is extremely toxic to cats and dogs. Some dogs are attracted to the smell. (more…)

Gardening is a most satisfying hobby and skill. And, as with most hobbies and skills, there is always something to learn and something to improve. Perhaps one of the most overlooked, yet one of the most beneficial things you can do for your backyard vegetable garden is to mulch. Is the extra labor of mulching necessary? What is “mulch” exactly? And, what are the overall advantages of adding mulch to your garden? Follow along in this article, for there is “mulch” to learn and glean!

Basically, mulch is a layer of organic matter that is used as a soil cover to preserve soil moisture, control weeds, and improve soil fertility. You can create rich and fertile soil in your garden from unwanted plant materials, such as grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc., mixed with aged manure. It is very important to used aged manure, as fresh manure may be too “hot” and literally “burn” your young plants. (more…)

A layer of bark, peat moss, compost, shredded leaves, hay or straw, lawn clippings, gravel, paper, plastic, or other material spread over the soil around the base of plants. During the growing season, a mulch can help retard evaporation, inhibit weeds, and regulate soil temperature. In the winter, a mulch of evergreen boughs, coarse hay, or noncompacting leaves can help protect plants from heaving.