Mulch goodness: why you should mulch your garden
Posted on Sunday 24th June 2018
Wanting to re-do your garden? Does it need some TLC? How about pop into one of our stores to discuss mulch and garden supplies with us. Mulch is an important part of establishing and maintaining a healthy garden. Here is some information to give you a basic understanding of the purpose of mulch, benefits of organic mulch and what we offer.
Types of mulch
There are three types of mulch, organic, inorganic and living mulch.
Organic mulch refers to mulch created from organic materials such as sugar cane mulch, eucalyptus leaf litter, compost, lawn clippings, wood chips, pine bar k, hay, straw etc.
There is also inorganic mulch which is the pebbles, sand, gravel and anything that is used for landscaping that covers patches of soil.
Living mulch is any dense ground covering plants.
Benefits of organic mulch
An effective and chemical free way to reduce weeds
Reduces evaporation in mulched areas, which results in high levels of water retention and consequently, less watering. A thick layer of mulch can reduce the soil moisture evaporation rate by up to 70%!
Soil temperature is kept cooler in summer, as mulch acts as a protective layer from the sun.
Soil temperature is kept warmer in winter, as mulch acts as a blanket, which insolates the earth underneath the mulch.
Using organic materials as mulch results in benefits for the soil. As the mulch decomposes the soil absorbs the nutrients from the organic material. This helps to create good soil structure as it greatly increases biological activity in the soil (especially earth worms, which help maintain soil health).
Disadvantages of organic mulch
Different organic material is better suited for certain garden and plant conditions. This means some choices of mulch can negatively affect your garden. Come into one of our stores for a chat if you are unsure about which mulch will best suit your garden.
Using fresh organic material as mulch can deplete the soils nitrogen levels, as nitrogen is used in the mulch deposition process.
Soil needs to be wet/damp before mulch can be applied.
If you are still curious about the advantages and disadvantages of mulch in general, head to Australian Native Plants Society (Australia).
Sugar Cane Mulch
Benefits
Sugar Cane will allow water to freely penetrate into the soil as shredded sugar cane has lots of little gaps (think straw covering the ground).
It will contribute to the health of the soil as it decomposes.
Good for vegetable gardens where soil improvement is needed.
What we offer
We sell Australian Organic sugar cane mulch. We sell this particular type as it is the best quality, cleanest and most environmentally friendly sugar cane mulch bale available. It is made from an organic renewable resource and is considered Australia’s high grade sugar cane mulch. Also, we stock the largest bale available to ensure great value for money!
Pine Bark Mulch
Benefits
Useful for large-scale mulching. This is because pine bark takes longer to break down, meaning the area will need to be re-mulched less often.
Native trees and scrubs like pine bark mulch.
Negative
When pine bark mulch breaks down, micro-organisms remove nitrogen from the soil. This means there will be a loss of nitrogen available to the plants that have been mulched. This nitrogen can be replaced with fertiliser.
What we offer
We offer Searles Pine Bark Mulch. Pine bark is the traditional landscape mulch as it is durable and long-lasting, which makes covering large areas or low maintenance areas more convenient.
We are your local rural supplies stores in Kalbar, Boonah, Lowood and Acacia Ridge. All of our stores are located within a short drive of Ipswich, Fernvale, Gatton, Rosewood, Beaudesert and Brisbane. So, give us a call for some garden tips or stop by one of our stores for further help by a garden expert.
