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Post by izitmidnight on Apr 6, 2015 21:00:47 GMT -5
That is the question... If you preferr mulch, what and how much? Why?
If no mulch, why?
Trying to decide for this year!
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 6, 2015 21:26:36 GMT -5
I try for 1/2 inch to 4 inches, if I have none, then I skip it either way I till it in at the end of the season. why ? it seems to help
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Post by stratcat on Apr 7, 2015 0:45:20 GMT -5
I use straw for mulch in my tomato patch and the flowers. It's probably around 3" deep depending on how much straw I have. It doesn't come with any weed seeds, although I get some wheat volunteers. Mulch helps keep moisture in the soil and slows down any weeds that sprout. It also stops raindrops from splashing back up on the tomato plants. This helps keep Early Blight at bay.
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Post by paulf on Apr 7, 2015 10:34:36 GMT -5
I agree with Strat. Since I work one day a week at the local newspaper and have an easy supply of newsprint end rolls, I have extended my newspaper and straw mulch to cover the entire garden.
I used to save newspapers and put a couple layers of paper and up to 6 inches of straw around tomatoes. The rolls make it easy for three layers of paper and then the straw. Now it is much less watering and almost no weeding. Easy to keep track of melons and they don't rot in the soil since there is a nice layer of straw to grow on. After the season it all gets tilled under to add organics to the soil. Don't worry about inks if you use old newspaper, ink is all made from soy oil with no harmful chemicals. I bet any newspaper will either give away end rolls or sell them cheap.
Over the years (and believe me it is YEARS) I have tried many kinds of mulch or no mulch. Any mulch is better than none and for me paper and straw is the best yet.
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Post by coppice on Apr 7, 2015 11:07:47 GMT -5
That is the question If you preferr mulch, what and how much? Why? It depend on how much mulch I have or can scrounge. I'll happily use grass clippings, leaves, bark mulch, even sawdust (if I know its origination). The closest I can talk myself into is, I try not to use bark mulch on asparagus beds. It makes them grow phunny. I'd say for for it!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 8, 2015 16:57:59 GMT -5
Sandy soil and hot weather means mulch really, really helps down here.
Straw (as opposed to hay full of weed seeds) is actually really hard to come by where I live.
So I tend to use shredded paper, leaves, grass clippings (mine, not the neighbors' since a lot of them use lawn services so herbicide contamination is likely), and in a pinch, pine straw are what I use in my raised beds. I use bark or shredded wood mulch in the ornamental beds up front. (I don't like working with bark and shredded wood in the raised veggie beds.)
My Earthboxes have plastic covers, so those don't need a separate mulch.
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Post by spacecase0 on Apr 8, 2015 19:31:52 GMT -5
I will mulch with ceramic tiles or rocks if I am trying to save water unlike straw (especially), or other organic mater, rocks don't absorb water and they do a fantastic job of keeping the wind and sun from evaporating the water in the soil
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billh
Pro Member
Posts: 231
Zone:: 6a
Joined: December 2011
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Post by billh on Apr 9, 2015 6:42:02 GMT -5
I use it all, straw, shredded leaves, newspaper. I work about 60 hrs. a week so mulching helps cut down weed time, and saves water. Only problem I've seen with straw is it gave thousands of little beetle type critters a home.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 10, 2015 8:45:54 GMT -5
I see that with the shredded paper and pine straw mulches, too. Luckily I have a thriving population of anole lizards to eat the beetles, pillbugs, etc. Seriously, the anole lizards are everywhere I look and I hear them scatter every time I move when I am in the garden. It's a good thing that I think they are cute. If only they ate leaf-footed bugs...
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Post by redneckplanter on May 13, 2015 5:11:29 GMT -5
mulch it baby!
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swamper
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Posts: 208
Joined: March 2011
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Post by swamper on May 13, 2015 5:38:06 GMT -5
Mulch will break down and build the organic content of your soil which is essential to soil health. It will allow you to reduce tilling and let the soil structure open up for effective flow of oxygen water and nutrients. It will help mycorrhiza proliferate which will assist your plants roots with assimilating nutrients in plant available form.
A blend of materials that contain some nitrogen can help assure that your decomposing mulch will be less likely to create a deficit in nitrogen.
Encouragement of meadow voles population spikes is a potential drawback. Last year I had racoons digging the the mulch around my garlic and potato onions in search of earthworms. It didn't seem to hurt the garlic, but the potato onions and shallots weren't pleased. Overall yield was still better that it would have been without mulch imo.
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Post by redneckplanter on May 17, 2015 17:29:58 GMT -5
True dat swamper.smiles
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Post by redneckplanter on May 17, 2015 17:31:34 GMT -5
This time of year in texas I usually get bags of grass, shrub cuttings and a few leaf bags.larger branches go to the orchard to decompose
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Post by redneckplanter on Jul 29, 2015 20:30:10 GMT -5
and that's what I been getting.lol but more leaves than I thought I would get.
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Post by daylilydude on Aug 2, 2015 18:38:45 GMT -5
redneckplanter , I don't think there are "too much" leaves in my book... LOL!
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Post by paquebot on Aug 2, 2015 23:32:52 GMT -5
Grass clippings or shredded leaves are the ONLY accepted mulch in my gardens. Straw, hay, and wood chips are just hotels for at least slugs if not voles. Coarse stuff like straw or hay become an obstacle when trying to hoe the weeds which no amount of mulch will prevent. If effective for an entire season, it's then a potential problem for tilling. I fertilize my lawn to have lush grass and clover. The clippings are collected and used for mulch or compost. Combined with shredded leaves, perfect addition to the soil eventually.
Martin
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Post by brownrexx on May 31, 2016 8:44:18 GMT -5
I have mulch on the entire surface of my garden at all times. I have easy access to old straw bales in the Fall so I usually pick up about 20 of them for $1 per bale.
I would be weeding all of the time without mulch and it also conserves moisture for my plants.
Mulch also insulates the soil and keeps the earthworms closer to the surface where they can do the soil improving that benefits our plants.
When I pulled back my mulch this Spring to plant my tomatoes, I had to be careful not to kill worms, there were so many. I counted 10 in one tomato hole!
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Post by Gianna on Jun 1, 2016 23:14:25 GMT -5
I'm also an avid mulcher (what?, spellcheck does not accept that word, lol?). In our dry summers, plus the on-going drought, mulch is a necessity. I mulch beds and paths... basically anything that does not move gets covered.
I use city mulch which is free, and is the stuff from collected green cans ground up. The worms love it, slugs/snails don't, and it really saves water. I used to be able to collect bags of leaves, but since they changed our cans a few years ago, that possibility no longer exists. But they do get ground up into the free stuff.
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Post by september on Jun 2, 2016 8:15:44 GMT -5
I'm only mulch certain areas and then later in the season. Mulch keeps the ground cooler, which is just what I don't want here in the north. I want that soil heat all summer for my tomatoes, peppers and eggplant to speed growth so that I can grow the longer season varieties. Also, some years I have severe slug problems and mulch is a good hiding place for them.
I do use some black plastic for melons and the like, but don't really like the looks of it. I probably should be using more black fabric weed blocker, but it gets expensive for the area I have to cover. The downside of no mulch is I have to water a lot more often, especially in the sandy beds. In the fall, I shred leaves (more than I need from the woods surrounding us) and ideally would cover all beds with a two or three inch layer over the winter, which gets incorporated in the spring. I can also just plant through this layer in the spring, as it will collapse and break down fairly quickly, is thin enough to warm the soil yet provides some residual weed protection for the early part of the season.
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