10 Types Of Mulch Are The Best Alternative To Weeding. Photo

Table of contents:

10 Types Of Mulch Are The Best Alternative To Weeding. Photo
10 Types Of Mulch Are The Best Alternative To Weeding. Photo

Video: 10 Types Of Mulch Are The Best Alternative To Weeding. Photo

Video: 10 Types Of Mulch Are The Best Alternative To Weeding. Photo
Video: 10 SHOCKING TRENDS YOU SHOULD AVOID IN 2021/22 | INTERIOR DESIGN | HOUSE OF VALENTINA 2024, March
Anonim

“Plant more and weed more? Or still give up new plants, but at least weed less? This painful question is constantly asked by any gardener. Those who have hired workers to work in the garden, and those who have an infinite amount of time and energy, are a minority. Everyone else is trying to save resources. And it's just boring to weed the weeds. If the already cultivated land with plantings could not be weeded at all or it should be done very rarely, once a season, it would be much better, right? The only question is how to arrange it. Let's talk about the benefits of mulching materials.

Old and fresh bark, stone and geotextile for mulching
Old and fresh bark, stone and geotextile for mulching

Mulching is one way to weed as little as possible. In addition to this task, it solves others: preserving moisture in the soil, improving its structure, introducing nutrients, protecting the root system from overheating. You can look for the best mulch for any of these parameters, but I was most interested in how to minimize weeding as much as possible. I tested several options, all of them apply only to flower gardens, ornamental and fruit shrubs and trees, and not to a vegetable garden and greenhouses. Plots in the Tver region and in the Moscow region, the soil is heavy loam, in some places black soil.

Grass

The cut grass and grass with roots after weeding does not completely solve the weeding problem for a long time, but it gives a temporary effect, for about a month or two. Placing grass under bushes, such as currants, is much easier than dragging it onto a compost heap. Partially, such mulch can be considered a fertilizer, but of course its effectiveness as a top dressing is small, just better than nothing. This mulch looks very "agricultural", does not add beauty.

Sawdust

They are large and small, coniferous and deciduous. Coniferous sawdust is suitable only for application under conifers, blueberries, rhododendrons, heathers. They acidify the soil, but they improve its structure. Deciduous trees can be laid out under any plants, they do not change the acidity. During decomposition, all sawdust absorb nitrogen from the mail, so it is desirable to add it additionally, for example, in the form of urea, but, of course, not in the fall. Sawdust interfere with the germination of weeds, but they are not completely blocked, even if a layer of 6-7 cm is poured. They create a more or less well-groomed appearance in the first month or two. Over the season or over the winter, sawdust almost completely decomposes, the mulch practically disappears. During and after such mulching, weeding is much easier than without sawdust. This alone saves time and effort.

Coniferous sawdust can be obtained free of charge at almost any sawmill in any volume. It is quite difficult to get hardwood sawdust, because most sawmills near Moscow cut only softwood. We use large hardwood sawdust from the electric planer, which remains when processing hardwood: oak, birch, cherry, maple, ash. Mulch from them looks good and is good for hosts, astilbe, buzulniks, lilacs, jasmines, stone fruit and seed trees, raspberries. During the summer we update the mulch: sawdust appears constantly.

Sawdust mulching
Sawdust mulching

Peat

We used to constantly mulch raspberries and berry bushes with peat, but we abandoned this practice: it does not interfere with weeds, even introduces new ones, it can increase acidity, it is rather difficult to carry peat around the site. The only benefit is that the structure of the soil improves, it becomes looser, it is easier to weed. Maybe peat on calcareous sands makes sense, but in our conditions it certainly does not. The only exceptions are heathers and rhododendrons.

Paper and cardboard

Rose growers know the old and cheap method of mulching: spread wet newspapers in a thick layer under the bushes. This definitely inhibits the growth of herbs and does not interfere with roses, but not everyone will like the look of such a rose garden. For mulching fruit trees, we use cardboard, "layouts" of packing boxes. This material is durable, withstands rain, and can be walked on if necessary. The grass does not penetrate through it, but the slightest crevices must be avoided, the light must be completely blocked. At the end of the season, there is clean and rather loose earth under the cardboard. Two obvious "disadvantages": unpresentable appearance and the need to carefully press down all the edges of the sheets, otherwise they will be scattered by the wind. We do it with old boards. The species is completely "agricultural", but once laid out - and no more trouble.

Mulching with cardboard
Mulching with cardboard

Moss

After the construction of the log house, quite a lot of moss remained, the rose garden was covered with a thick layer of it. The first season the mulch looks nice and clean, in the second year it is easier to remove all the moss than to weed out what has grown in it. It is practically impossible to get new moss in any other way than to personally bring it from the swamp, especially in the amount necessary to cover the rose garden. Moss rots very slowly and improves soil structure.

Shredder chips

Branch shredders provide material that can also mulch trees and shrubs. It looks interesting and neat, it inhibits the growth of weeds, although of course it also needs regular updating. The main problem is to get the required amount of mulch: the usual pruning of a small garden does not give so many branches, and it is difficult and illegal to specially harvest branches in the forest on your own.

Pine nut shell

The material is very beautiful, the small needles of creeping junipers look great on it. However, to curb the growth of weeds, you need such a thick stand that the coating turns out to be unreasonably expensive, because it lasts one season. There are many similar materials on sale: rice husks, millet, oats, seeds, hazelnut shells, and so on. They all have one drawback: price. Coconut linen is also a rather expensive material for mulch, if we are not talking about one or two trunks, but we can assume that such a linen can last several years, especially if it is removed indoors in the fall. The question of which insects will hibernate in such a mat remains open.

Walnut shell mulching
Walnut shell mulching

Geotextile and gravel

Such a covering was made in the rose garden and under the compositions of coniferous and deciduous shrubs. The experience of several years has shown that weeding becomes much less, the type of mulch is neat, and gravel is a good background for roses and conifers. But this decision is short-lived. The very first leaf fall, and even just the fall of the petals, creates an environment on the stone layer where the seeds take root the next summer. After three years, the best thing to do is to remove all the gravel, remove the geotextile, and thoroughly loosen the entire surface. Removing loose gravel from uneven surfaces is not an easy task. Large weeds penetrate geotextiles with a density of less than 100 g / sq. meter through and through. Reusing the same mulch is unrealistic. The gravel will have to be washed in order to be used again. There is inevitably a little open land around the bush and all the weed seeds germinate there, in the center of the bush. It's hard to get them out of there.

The use of the same materials under conifers is more justified. The needles also pollute the gravel with litter, but it can be removed with a garden vacuum cleaner-blower. Other types of small stones, including marble chips, also look elegant.

Gravel for mulching
Gravel for mulching

Geotextile and bark

Used for mulching the bark of pine and larch. A very beautiful solution for conifers. However, in order to prevent the germination of weeds, it is necessary to use geotextiles together with the bark, with a density higher than 200 g / sq. m. It is desirable that it be dark, then less bark is required to create an even and eye-pleasing coating. Without geotextiles, weeding will have to be almost like without bark. When mowing with the lawnmower, near the bark mat, it may partially deflate if the trimmer is used.

Pine bark mulch, especially fine bark mulch, lasts one season or less. The bark quickly melts, loses color, mixes with the ground. You can, of course, pour it in a layer of 10 cm, then it will last longer, but it will be more expensive than laying out the same area with flagstone. Suppliers' recommended consumption "bag of 60 liters per square meter" is approximately correct, but this is the minimum consumption that will create a more or less decent look. Most likely more bark will be needed.

Larch bark completely retains its decorative effect for two seasons, although it loses its rich deep dark red color. Large bark, fraction from 8 cm, looks much more interesting than small. It is more expensive, but this is a justified cost: mulch from it lasts longer. Fractions of 8 -20 cm look preferable. It is advisable to choose the bark personally: its quality varies greatly from supplier to supplier, there are very neat pieces, and sometimes with barbarously torn edges, there are bags that are almost full, and there are only half filled, sometimes with soil and mold, and sometimes without. The bark of deciduous trees can also be found on sale for mulching deciduous shrubs and trees.

The cut grass and falling leaves clog the bark cover, and it is unrealistic to clean it with a garden vacuum cleaner: the air stream blows away the bark along with the leaves. In general, the solution is not cheap, especially with geotextiles, but for conifer lovers, the option is definitely a good one. It should be understood that the bark layer will have to be renewed at least once every two years.

The coating of stone and bark looks interesting. The stone fixes the corners and joints of the geotextile, covers part of the surface. The bark fills in the rest. This is a compromise in terms of price: even a simple flagstone is not cheap, but it does not deteriorate and the conifers look decent against its background.

Last year's larch bark was great for mulching
Last year's larch bark was great for mulching

Geotextile and flagstone

If possible, you should try this mulching option. Weeding problem is 100% solved. For most conifers, this is correct from the point of view of agricultural technology, it is very similar to their natural conditions. However, it is quite expensive, and it is not easy to lay a stone beautifully. In addition, any solutions with a stone are very specific: if there is no other stone on the site, then such a coating will look unnatural. Conversely, if the stone is used in the decoration of a house, other buildings, paths, then its use for covering under plants will look good. Moreover, the entire stone on the site should be, if not exactly the same, then at least very similar.

Recommended: