Want to keep your soil healthy and happy? Start mulching your garden! This practice offers many benefits, so let’s go over the top seven it can offer your garden.
Provides a Natural Barrier to Stop Weeds
Routine weeding is one of the more tedious gardening chores. But mulching can help you prevent weeds in your garden.
There are two ways mulch helps prevent weeds from appearing. First, it provides a barrier against future weed seeds from taking root in the soil. A seed blown in from the wind will land on your mulch layer, but if its roots can’t make it to the soil, it won’t thrive. Second, mulch helps block the sun’s rays, which prevents any weed seeds already in the soil layer from germinating.
A layer of mulch properly applied means your garden will see a decrease in weeds. That means less competition for your growing plants and less work for you having to dig them out!
Regulates Soil Temperature
Soil mulching also helps to insulate and regulate soil temperature. Mulch will help to keep the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Especially where we are in Colorado, we are no stranger to weather fluctuations. And weather fluctuations, especially drastic ones, are harmful to plant roots. Better growth of your plants will occur if severe fluctuation in temperature can be reduced. With the help of mulch, your plants can sustain ideal growing temperatures.
Helps Retain Moisture
Organic mulch also helps to retain moisture in the soil it covers. Retaining soil moisture not only benefits plants but also saves you money since you don’t need to water as often.
The organic mulch layer over your soul acts like a sponge, absorbing large amounts of water. Since mulch also helps to block sunlight, it helps to slow down evaporation as well. Keep in mind if the mulch is too dense or packed too tightly, it can prevent water from reaching the soil and have an adverse effect.
Improves Soil Conditions
Colorado’s climate and geography doesn’t produce the most nutrient-rich soil in all the land. Luckily, mulch can help with this too. Organic mulch improves the structure of the soil as it decays and adds nutrients and texture to the soil during the process. These added nutrients improve the health and fertility of the soil. It will also help to break up clay soil slowly over time without you having to do any digging.
Promotes the Presence of Earthworms
Adding organic mulch to your garden can help promote the presence of earthworms, a valuable resource. The mulch attracts and provides food for the earthworms. And these little creatures can in turn help enhance many aspects of your soil. These enhancements include cycling of vital nutrients, enhancing soil structure, improving the water-holding capacity of your soil, and producing natural fertilizer.
Prevents Soil Erosion
Another benefit is mulch helps to prevent soil erosion. Mulching protects soil from wind, water, and even vehicle-induced erosion and reduces soil compaction by distributing any direct physical impact. Soil loss can be harmful to your plants and expensive to replace. To slow down soil erosion before it can even begin, add a layer of mulch to your garden or landscape for protection, especially in high-traffic areas.
Adds Curb Appeal
Dream of achieving a garden that looks like the picture of perfection? Adding mulch can quickly improve the look of your garden and boost its curb appeal. It can fill in the empty spaces and add uniformity to garden beds. You can choose a little pop of color, like a red mulch, to set your property apart. If that isn’t something you’re interested in, you can choose a rich, dark brown mulch instead. The rich color will instantly add a manicured look to your garden and help your flowers really pop!
Let Us Help You with Your Gardening Needs
Keeping your landscape healthy and beautiful isn’t the easiest task. To simplify the process, mulching can be the answer. Adding mulch to your landscape comes with many benefits, and can save you from many headaches and inconveniences.
If you’re looking for high-quality mulch, look no further than our supply at Beaver Lakes Garden! We’d be more than happy to help you find the best mulch for your gardening and landscaping needs. Beaver Lakes Nursery & Landscape Supply is located in beautiful Montrose, Colorado, and we can’t wait to help you grow!
