Tips for Properly Mulching Your Garden Beds
Mulch is a great way to keep the plants in your garden healthy. Mulch can help discourage the growth of weeds, and it can also provide nutrients to your plants as well. Mulch can also add a bit of aesthetic appeal to your garden beds as well.
One great project you can do to make improve the overall curb appeal of your garden is by mulching your garden beds. But how can you do it? What is the proper way to mulch? Below are some tips you can try to make sure that you properly mulch your garden beds:
Choose The Mulch You Will Be Using
The first step is to choose the right mulch for your garden bed. What are the plants or flowers in your garden bed? What will you be using your mulch for?
If you’ll be using your mulch for a flower bed, then you shouldn’t be using mulch that will make your garden look unattractive. So stay away from mulches such as shredded leaves or grass clippings. You would want to go for a more natural-looking mulch like wood chips. Or bard dust. This will make your flower beds look cleaner and more natural.
How Much Do You Need?
If you will be mulching your garden beds, the mulch that is recommended should be at least two to four inches thick. Adding in the insufficient amount of mulch may not be able to protect your plants against weeds and damages. Applying in too much will also bring in too much moisture that may just cause your plants to die and rot.
What To Do Before Mulching
If you’ve finally decided to mulch your garden beds, you should first clear the area from debris or weed growth. Make sure to water your garden beds before mulching as well.
If you’ve bought bags of mulch, you can spread them on your garden beds by simply carrying the bags and setting them on the garden beds, and then cutting the bags open so that the mulch can simply pour out. If your spreading loose mulch, you can just use a wheelbarrow or shovel to scoop the mulch and transfer it to the garden beds.
The Best Time To Mulch
If you are mulching your garden beds and not your whole garden, you can apply the mulch during the late spring, or before the weather becomes warm. As mentioned, make sure that you remove all weeds and other debris before mulching. While mulch can help improve the overall health of the plants in your garden, it can also be a great way to encourage weed growth as well. Make sure you’ve removed all weeds and excess debris from your garden bed before mulching.
How To Stop Weeds
If weeds are still consistent about being the problem in your garden beds, then you can add in some layers of newspaper on it before applying to the mulch. This lowers the possibility of weeds growing back in your garden bed. However, make sure that you don’t cover the flowers with mulch, and leave in some space from your flowers or plants so that they can still breathe.