What is a mulch?

Technically mulch refers to a layer of organic or inorganic material which is applied to the surface of any soil. The word mulch is very catchy and we can see a variety of things like straw, grass crippling, leaves are being used. Sometimes recycled rubbers or plastic sheets are also been used as mulch.

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT MULCH?

Putting a bag full of natural mulch can serve many purposes.

It suppresses weeds,
retains moisture,
Mulching also cools roots of the plants,
A good quality organic mulch delivers micronutrients as it decomposes,
and it keeps the garden bed looking attractive.

Mulch your gardens 1 to 3 inches deep; more than 4 inches of mulch can harm some plants. Be sure to mulch trees, shrubs, and plants using a flat donut shape around the stem—do not mulch in a volcano shape as it can promote disease and other problems.

Nowadays, you can find poly bags of mulch for sale in most convenience store parking lots. But why pay $5 a bag for shredded and dyed mulch when other sources offer a bottomless source of free mulch? Here are five sources for free mulch that you can track down no matter where you live.

Five sources for finding free mulch:

• Leaf mold If you have trees, you have leaves (and if your neighbor has trees, you probably have their leaves too). Shredded leaves are perhaps the best mulch ever for your garden. In the fall, rake all the leaves on your property into a large pile and water it heavily. If you have warm weather through winter, water the pile occasionally. Once spring arrives, dig down into the pile and discover rotted leaf mold. Spread the rotted leaf mold on your garden beds.

• Grass clippings As you mow your yard, gather the grass clippings and place them in a pile at the back of your property. Turn the pile frequently and let it dry out. Once dry, you will have a nitrogen-rich source of mulch.

• Pine boughs and pine needles Wait until fall to limb up any pine or evergreen branches, Once you are finished with the holiday decorations, place them on top of the garden beds for the rest of winter. In spring, after removing the sticks, let the pine needles stay on top of the soil as a mulch. This is a great way to use last year’s Christmas tree.

• Animal manures Rotted manure is highly beneficial for your garden. You can easily obtain these for free from local farms.

• Township or city wood chip mulch Wood chip mulch created by road maintenance crews is available in nearly every city or township for free. For use as mulch, wood chips that have set for a while in a large pile are a better choice than fresh chips. You might see the pile steaming in the early mornings: this is a sign that the wood chip pile, much like compost, has heated up internally. Heat kills fungi and diseases, making the mulch perfectly safe to use in your gardens. If chips are not composted, apply an organic nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 1/2 pound per 100 square feet of chips so the garden does not suffer from depleted nitrogen.