Straw used as Mulch on a Garden Bed Whenever I take a walk in the forest, what I love most is the sound of the crackling leaves under my feet, the softness of the soil, and the strong and tall forest trees. We may not give a second thought to the leaves under our feet in the jungle, but everything in nature has a role to play. These leaves have not fallen to the earth for no reason. They are nature's mulch! So what is Mulching and Mulch? Mulching is to me, one of the most important techniques followed in organic farming. It serves multiple purposes and you will feel immensely thankful for the outcomes of something so simple. Mulching is an activity that involves using certain kinds of material to cover the soil around the plants and seedlings that you have planted. Therefore, mulch is any type of material that is spread or laid over the surface of the soil as a covering. Mulch Material: In organic farming you can use any thing that is biodegradable as your mulch such as; straw, hay, dry leaves, shredded paper, dried grass, wood chips, stalks or husks of rice, wheat, etc. So what is the purpose of mulching? 1. Mulching on top of your soil around your plants prevents the moisture from escaping from soil due to heat. Mulching when done properly can reduce the required watering by 40-50 percent! 2. A good layer of mulch also helps in keeping the weeds down by making it difficult for them to grow. This reduces the competition for nutrition for your veggies. 3. It is also a great way to do composting in-place! With time the organic mulch begins to decompose and provide nutrition back into the soil. Why does mulching work? Forests are our teachers once again to understand this. In a forest there is a cycle and flow of give and take. The cycle of nutrients is essential for an healthy forest. As plants and trees grow, they take a lot of nutrition out of the soil to do so. The leaves, branches, and even dead trees that fall down to the forest floor, replenish the nutrition of the soil through their decomposition. As much nutrition goes out, just as much goes back in. The forest floor remains moist due to this and has the best soil you can find. However agriculture only seems to keep taking more and more out of the land. So how can it be restored unless we do it ourselves? The secret about the foundation of mulching is that plants love sunlight, but the soil does not. Everything that lives in the soil such as the roots of plants, earthworms, and micro-organisms, thrive in the dark and moist. So mulching works! How and when do you mulch? It is extremely simple. All you have to do is lay out your mulch material in layers out on the soil in your beds or even in your pots. If you put too little mulch, it will not be effective. If you put too much, you may suffocate the soil. If you are using straw or dry leaves, a good layer would be anywhere between 4-6 inches. The soil needs to breathe and so the material you use needs to be breathable like dry leaves and straw. If you use newspaper, you need to shred it, otherwise the soil will not be able to breathe through a plain sheet and this can lead to disease and pest problems. A good time to mulch is when your plants are about 6 inches tall. You can also mulch if your garden, land, or soil is barren for certain months in the year. Providing moisture to the mulch will enable the decomposition. Instead of the moisture and nutrition disappearing from the soil due to heat, the mulch will help to keep it in and replenish the soil at the same time. So when you decide to plant again, you will have beautiful soil. Trial and error is your best friend. But guess what? You have nothing to lose.
1 Comment
John Shea
8/4/2018 02:14:07 pm
I’m a gardener who is learning about mulching. I want to prevent weeds overtaking my potato patch again. How do I continue to mound the potatoes? Move the straw back and add dirt or lay more straw?
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