Mulching for Free
There are many 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.
Grass Clippings
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!
If your garden is in more need of mulching than your yard, it is not unheard of to rake up all the
grass and transport it to your garden. By making a small layer around the vicinity of the plant,
you'll apply all the same benefits from leaving it in your yard. My yard is rather green on its
own, but I often have trouble with my plants staying green and healthy. So, rather than leave
the grass clipping in my yard, I move them all around my plants. It is just a matter of choosing
what your highest mulching priority is.
Branches and Twigs
Sometimes, our pruning activities will lead us to have an amazing amount of branches and twigs.
If this is the case, you should consider renting a wood chipper to put all of those branches to
use. After one day of intense pruning, you would be surprised at just how many branches you end
up with. Rather than throw these away, you can turn them into a huge amount of mulch for your plants.
However, if your pruning has not left you with that big of an amount, you should bundle it all up
and save it to add onto the next batch. This is because the chipping machines can be slightly
expensive to rent, and you want it to be absolutely worth it!
Keep your gardens topped up with mulch
Over time, all organic mulches need to be replenished. This is because they will naturally
decompose in the conditions of your yard. Usually you can tell for yourself just by looking at
it, but sometimes it can look perfectly regular but still have problems. If you start to notice
any poor plant growth whatsoever, you should replace your mulch. Always keep in mind that during
the process of decomposition, your mulch will use up the valuable nitrogen in the soil. Without
this, the plants will be missing a key nutrient. There are several types of fertilisers available
on the market that are specifically
designed to deal with this problem.
The use of mulches in the yard and garden is something everyone should try. Not only can it save
lots of time by reducing the amount of garbage you have to transport out, but it increases the healthiness
and integrity of your plants by putting that so called garbage to good use. So if you think you would be
able to save a good amount of branches and twigs for chipping, or if you think that you are ready to
stop raking up all your grass clippings, then I think that mulching is for you.
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