Mulch is generally used at the beginning of the season but there is no hard and fast rules so even if the season is well under way, it’s still not too late to improve the soil with organic matter. Its important to make sure that the garden will perform well right through the season. In hot locations just a 4-inch (10cm) layer of mulch drops the soil temperature from 105 o to 80 o F. At the same time, it contributes organic matter and nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. Regardless of where you garden, you can still improve soil even once you’re growing in it.

Organic Mulches:

There are so many ideas for the best material with which to mulch; one that is particularly effective is kelp meal. Kelp or seaweed is a great source of trace minerals and growth elements. Just apply 1 pound per 100 square feet at any time during the growing season. Adding seaweed triggers an increase in microbial activity and fuels the decay cycle of organic matter in the soil.

Some of the most commonly used organic mulching materials are manures; bark chips, sawdust, grass clippings, leaves, and newspapers (shredded or in layers). Organic mulches allow some flexibility in fertilizing and watering since they can be raked back from the plants. They should normally be applied uniformly 2 or 3-inch (5cm-7.5cm) deep around the base of the vegetable plant.

Inorganic Mulches:

Black plastic is the most frequently used inorganic mulch. Clear plastic is of little use, as it does not exclude the light that aids weeds seeds to germinate. Gardeners should make sure there is adequate moisture in the soil before any mulch is applied. There are also several durable weed fabrics that are very effective in weed suppression. The decision of whether to use organic or inorganic mulch really depends on the season of the year and what the gardener is trying to accomplish. Organic mulches should be applied after the soil temperature has warmed in the spring. If applied to cold soils, the soil will warm slowly and the growth rate of most vegetables will be reduced. Inorganic mulches can increase the soil temperature by at least 6 to 80F. therefore, their greatest value is early in the growing season when soils are naturally cool.

Leaf Mould:

Even if you don’t have a compost bin you can still make compost from the fallen leaves. Simply collect the leaves and put them into a black plastic sack, place them somewhere out of sight in the garden and forget about them until later the following year, when you will have some rich compost to spread around the garden.

It takes at least a year to compost down the leaves, depending on leaf-type: beech or oak leaves decompose readily, but waxy leaves take much longer. (Sycamore and London Plane in particular take years to rot down) Also warm, wet, weather conditions promote faster leaf decomposition.

Once fully decayed, there should be no whole leaves present in the leaf mould. If it contains debris such as twigs, it should be put through a coarse sieve. The leaf mould can be added to potting compost (1 part leaf mould to 4 parts potting compost), or used liberally in the garden as plant mulch, or dug in to improve soil structure.

By: Juliet S Sadler

Lawn Care Season is Rapidly Approaching

I recommend Scott’s Turf Builder with Moss Control. In the past, we had a moss problem to due drainage and winter shade but using Scott’s the moss died quickly (and mostly came up with a lawn mowing) and grew in the bare spots long.

Your guide to organic pesticides…&…Who do you trust to protect your health?…And More | Spray Advisory

Scott’s Turf Builder Weed Prevent – A natural pre-emergent selective herbicide made from 100% corn gluten meal, effective on both crabgrass and dandelions - releases nitrogen as it breaks down. Limitations: It needs to be applied in early spring (before weed …. so may only be suitable for application to the lawn anyway. Having a mower with an additional mulching blade will facilitate the processing of clippings into organic fertilizer. 

Selecting A Lawn Fertilizer | Home Construction Improvement

So when I looked more at the Scott’s brand fertilizers I found that the Scott’s Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Lawn Fertilizer has a ratio of 22:2:14. This is as close as I can come with Scott’s brand fertilizer to a “high:low:high”.

The Fool Proof Way to Fertilize Your Lawn | Life and Lawns

We had someone doing our lawn care until last year when I started doing the Scott’s thing. I decided to try it myself when the neighbor’s yard who used Scott’s looked better than mine that I was paying to be done. … The caption says “DIY Lawn Tips Advice, Turf is Life”. Is that turf grass? I’m thinking of changing out my lawn at some point.

So, You’ve Burned Up Your Lawn… Now What? « I Fought The Lawn

If you’ve burned your lawn up with fertilzer, one of two things has happened: you’ve either used the wrong fertilzer, or you haven’t spread the right fertilizer correctly.

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