MULCHING YOUR GARDEN: WHAT to use and HOW to use it

mulch is your garden's secret weapon but if you've watched any of my videos it's not so secret i think i talk about the benefits of adding mulch in just about every video that i do and in today's video we're going to talk about the benefits of mulch all the different types of mulch and at the end i'm going to give you my best tips for how to use mulch in your garden but if we haven't met before my name's angela from growing in the garden and i'd love to share garden inspiration and helpful tips so you can be successful in your own garden so let's talk about the benefits of mulch why should we add mulch to the garden well in hot climates or in cold climates mulch is your friend because mulch helps regulate soil temperature plants roots are happiest when they can stay a consistent temperature and adding mulch helps regulate the soil temperature thick mulch helps insulate it even more higher soil temperatures slow plants growth and mulch moderates that temperature just a bit mulch shades the soil from the sun's direct rays causing less variation in the temperature of the soil during cooler temperatures mulch also helps to regulate the soil temperature the next benefit of using mulch is less water lost through evaporation through the soil a thick layer of mulch means that less moisture is lost through evaporation you have to water less frequently and this saves time and money and that valuable resource of water the next benefit of most mulches is that it adds organic matter to the soil when you add natural mulch in the form of bark straw or compost they are incorporated into the soil and add nutrients and organic matter adding mulch also means less weeds mulching blocks the sunlight needed for weeds to germinate and often smothers existing weeds all of these benefits together mean that there are more good things going on in the soil when you add mulch increased moisture less temperature fluctuations more organic matter all lead to more worm activity and more beneficial microorganisms in the soil and that is a good thing healthy soil means healthy plants so now let's talk about the different types of mulch and some of the advantages of each one and some sources of where to get each one the first thing on my list is compost compost is one of my favorite ways to mulch the garden you can use homemade compost bagged compost bulk compost all of them make great mulch for your garden compost is high in nutrients and has a finer texture than a lot of the other options don't use fresh animal manure it must be aged if you're going to use that type of compost i like to make my own compost and i also love the compost at arizona worm farm great stuff another great option for mulch is composted mulch it's a little bit confusing about what's the difference between compost and composted mulch composted mulch is made from landscape waste typically and it hasn't been composted down all the way again it's going to have a little bit larger texture than typical compost if you used the composted mulch as compost in your garden it would still heat up it isn't completely finished breaking down but it makes an excellent mulch for the tops of your garden beds arizona worm farm also has this available they call it mulch or city mulch i also love the bagged composted mulch from a p nursery it works great as well another option for mulch is pine needles if you have pine trees you have pine needles and they're a readily available option for people with pine trees pine needles are light and airy and easy to spread they don't get compacted like some other things can you'll need a thick layer of three to four inches if you're using pine needles just be aware that pine needles can lower the ph of soil if they get worked into that soil that may not be a bad thing here in the low desert where our soils tend to be more on the alkaline side pine needles do become more ph neutral as they break down another great option for mulch is straw straw is the stock that is left over after a grain like barley has been harvested look for pesticide free straw and add a several inch thick layer of straw to your garden beds leaves or shredded leaves are also a great option for mulch sometimes you hear that referred to as leaf mold leaf mold simply means that the leaves have begun to break down making leaf mold is simple you simply bag up your leaves in a black garbage bag let them sit for a little bit they will begin to mold and break down and you can add this as mulch to your beds another option for using leaves is to run over the leaves with your lawnmower and this can shred the leaves shredded leaves are a great option for mulching your garden leaves sometimes can get matted and shredded leaves are less likely to get matted when you use them as mulch in your garden bark or wood chips are another great option for mulch these have a larger texture you can often get them for free from places like chip drop or contact a local tree trimmer or an arborist if you use wood chips or bark in your garden bed they may compete a little bit for nitrogen as they break down another option for mulch is to use chopped up cover crops or grass clippings chop them up and let them dry in the sun for a day or two before you add them as mulch on your beds if you have grass clippings on a lawn that has been treated with chemicals do not use those as mulch in your garden beds another option for mulch is cardboard or even newspaper cardboard is often used as sheet mulch under beds in pathways it can help prevent weeds and things like bermuda grass you can also use newspaper as mulch in your beds spread the newspaper in your beds but cover it with another type of mulch to keep that newspaper in place let's talk about which types of mulch to use in the different locations of your garden for raised beds you can use any of the types we've talked about but typically some of the finer options are going to be a better option for raised beds compost composted mulch and wood chips are my three favorite options for mulching raised beds but all of the options we've talked about can be used in your raised garden beds what about in your pathways in your pathways it's best to use a larger type of mulch this would be a place where wood chips and wood bark are excellent they take longer to break down you can also use inorganic materials like pea gravel and rocks between your beds too here in the low desert using an organic type of mulch in between my beds keeps the heat down just a little bit those rocks absorb the heat during the day what about mulching around trees any of the options we discussed are good options for mulching around trees what you have to keep in mind is to keep whatever type of mulch you use away from the trunk of the tree you don't want that mulch right up against that bark that can cause a lot of problems with pests and different issues it's also a good idea to add a nice layer of mulch to your containers if you have a potted citrus tree or some potted plants adding any of the types of mulch we talked about around the plants in those containers will help those plants in the same ways we talked about with raised beds so let's talk about how exactly to incorporate and use mulch in your garden we all know that adding mulch is great but when is the best time to add it if you plant seeds and then quickly add a two to three inch layer of mulch on top of those seeds those seeds are going to have a hard time sprouting up through that mulch so if you plant seeds and seedlings the best thing to do is wait for those seedlings to grow up and grow several inches tall and then at that point add the mulch around those plants don't have the mulch go right up around the stem of those plants it's okay to leave an inch or so around the base of the plants if you're using things like straw or wood chips or leaves that might rob some nitrogen from the soil adding a little bit of an organic fertilizer on the soil before you add that mulch can help with that problem if you use garden grids or watering grids like i do in my garden the best place for those is on top of the mulch so once you have that mulch in place you may have to increase your watering time in order for the water to completely penetrate that mulch pay attention to your beds after you add the mulch and you may have to adjust the watering times typically you're going to plan on mulching twice during the year after you get your spring planting done and then again in the fall after you do your fall planting it helps during both times of year here in the low desert mulching before summer is critical for all the reasons we discussed mulching is one of the best ways to help your garden survive and thrive during the hottest months of the year when you think about how much mulch to use always try to have a nice two to three inch layer of mulch adding less mulch than that really doesn't give you all the benefits of having mulch but a larger layer can be difficult for the water to penetrate now you know all the reasons why i love mulch so much add mulch to your garden this season you won't be sorry thank you so much for watching

Channel: Growing In The Garden

Views: 183,234

Keywords: how to mulch, how to use straw mulch, how to use mulch in garden, how to mulch a garden bed, back to eden, how to use mulch in your garden, how to use leaf mulch in the garden, how to use mulch, best mulch to use, what kind of mulch to use for vegetable garden, is woodchip ok to use, how to use mulch in the garden, how to use weed prevention fabric, best mulch to use for vegetable gardens, use mulch to control weeds, how to stop weeds, no dig, how to use mulch in your yard

Id: 0_mQs21b95w

Length: 10min 18sec (618 seconds)

Published: Sat May 15 2021