If you mulch your garden, then you are doing something good for it. You put mulch around your plants and over bare soil. Mulch can be made up of different decomposing organic materials. Straw, pine needles, bark or wood chips from various tree species, and cocoa bean shells make up organic mulch. It can also be non-organic materials such as recycled tires, black plastic, pebbles, river rock, and landscaping fabric. Here are some of the benefits of mulching.
If you mulch, not much weeds will grow on your garden. Mulching prevents the growth of weeds in your garden. Mulch prevents sunlight from reaching weeds. The absences of sunlight will prevent weeds from growing.
Organic mulches absorb water. Both types of mulches cover the soil and limit evaporation. Plants will have moisture on a hot day since mulch absorbs water and moisture and it helps your water bill as well.
Mulching helps prevent soil erosion. When your mulch, it does not only retain water in the soil, it also stops rainwater from washing away your soil.
When there is mulch, soil nutrients are kept from being washed away with the rain. Much nutrients are released into the soil with organic mulch. This is possible because organic mulch decomposes slowly on top of the soil.
Cedar bark mulch helps repel insects or pests. The natural oil of cedar is like an insect repellant Fragrant mulch has the greatest effect on insects.
EAthworms will go to your garden soil if you use organic mulch. Your soil structure and nutrient cycling is improved with earthworms in your soil.
Mulch can fill up the empty spaces in your garden. If you use grass, and other fillers, you will need to care for them extensively. You need to mow and water them and they will compete for resources with your garden plants. Caring for mulch is much easier and they will not compete with other garden plants.
Mulch also helps moderate soil temperature. The soil is kept warm on cold nights, and cool on hot days.
In winter, mulch protects plants from the cycle of freezing and thawing.
Soil compaction and crusting is prevented due to mulch.
Mulch also keeps plants off the ground to avoid plant disease.
With much soil is prevented from splashing onto the plants that could carry diseases and so plants are kept clean.
Mulch makes your garden attractive.
Mulch can also be a disadvantage to your garden. Plants can be buried and suffocated with too much mulching. It can be convenient for pests to hide in mulch. If you don’t do mulching properly, the mulch can create too much heat that can bake the plants.