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Mulching the soil is one of the effective agricultural practices of modern agriculture. To mulch the soil, sawdust, bark, grass, wood chips, straw, and covering materials are used. Mulch is used to grow strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers, and a variety of ornamental crops.

Benefits of Mulching

1. Mulch prevents moisture evaporation in the area of ​​the plant's root system.
2. Mulching protects root system plants from extreme temperatures: overheating in summer and freezing in cold weather.
3. Organic mulch helps establish optimal soil acidity (such as compost) and saturates the soil. nutrients.
4. Mulch improves the structure of the soil, in other words, it acts as a soil conditioner.
5. Mulching retains nutrients in the soil and prevents them from weathering and leaching.
6. Organic mulch stimulates reproduction and efficient work microorganisms in the soil.
7. Mulching is a kind of protection of plants from pests.
8. Mulch gives a neat appearance to the garden.
9. Mulch blocks weed growth.
10. After mulching, when watering, the soil is not splashed onto the leaves of the plants.

Mulching protects ripe fruits from contact with the soil surface, and therefore from the possibility of rotting processes. Mulching is especially recommended for beds with strawberries, pumpkins and cucumbers.

Cons of mulching

Remember that using mulch on the site can have negative consequences:

1. Too thick a layer of mulch in combination with heavy clay soils can begin to rot, especially in rainy weather. For such cases, the mulch layer should be within 2 - 3 centimeters.
2. The results of mulching do not appear immediately; the increase in yield is usually noticeable in 2–3 years.
3. It happens that plants covered with mulch on winter period, die from late frosts. This is because mulch insulates the soil's thermal radiation. Therefore, if late frosts are forecast, mulching should be postponed until spring.
4. Organic mulch: a good hiding place for moles and mice, which destroy young plants. Rich in earthworms and insects, mulch will attract birds. Slugs can also live in leaf or paper mulch.

Types of mulch

Mulching material can be organic or inorganic. Organic mulch gradually rots and helps enrich the soil with nutrients, improves its structure and optimizes acidity. The latter must be kept in mind, since changing the acid reaction of the soil is not always beneficial.

Inorganic mulch can be decorative - in the form of stone, slate, gravel, crushed stone, granite and marble chips, colored synthetic materials etc. Such mulch, along with practical ones, also solves aesthetic problems.

In the garden, garden covering material and colored film are used as mulch. Mulching covering material is often used with decorative plantings - it is combined with decorative inorganic or organic mulch (for example, non-woven material is laid underneath and bark is placed on top).

Examples of organic mulch: sawdust, bark, pine needles, wood chips, pine cones

• Garden compost has a neutral reaction, and a certain amount of useful substances in its composition makes an excellent mulch.
• Leaf humus has a slightly acidic reaction and cannot be classified as a fertilizer, but it is an excellent soil conditioner. In addition to humus, half-rotted and dry leaves are also used.
• Rotted manure mixed with straw is an excellent mulch, and also a weak fertilizer.
• In bark, sawdust, shavings, chips and others wood materials weak acid reaction.
• In pine needles and others coniferous trees, peat and sleeping coffee have an acidic reaction and are suitable for use only for acidophilic plants (hydrangea, heather, camellia, etc.). You can agree on the amount of spent coffee in coffee shops (in some countries, bags of dried coffee are placed near the exit to the cafe especially for gardeners).
• Straw is a popular mulching material; it can retain heat in the soil and is used for growing strawberries, cucumbers and potatoes. True, when it rots, the level of nitrogen in the soil decreases, and this may require additional fertilizing with nitrates.
• Grass clippings contain a lot of nitrogen, so they should be used sparingly for mulch; in addition, they heat up as they decompose and can also prevent air and water from penetrating into the soil.
• Crushed egg shells have an alkaline reaction, they contain a lot of calcium and are able to protect both fruit and ornamental crops from the invasion of slugs and snails.

Chopped greens of yarrow, bracken, comfrey, nettle, and legumes are beneficial for their high nitrogen and macronutrient content.

What, how and at what time should you mulch?

Early spring is the optimal time for mulching the soil and planting. Before starting mulching, you should make sure that the soil is abundantly moistened, remove perennial weeds by their roots and apply the necessary fertilizers (if required). Mulching in spring period will protect plants from overheating and drying out roots in summer.

In the middle or at the end of autumn, when the soil is still quite warm and there is moisture left in it from the autumn rains, it is also good to mulch. Before starting work, remove large and perennial weeds, apply decomposing “winter” fertilizers such as bone meal, ash and the like, if necessary. Mulching done in the fall will protect the root system of plants from being exposed and prevent them from freezing in the winter.

Organic mulch should be renewed once a year or at least every few years, depending on the mulch material.

Flower beds and flower beds, decorative plantings and vegetable beds need to be mulched completely, placing mulch 8 to 10 centimeters thick around the plants.

Trees and shrubs should be mulched along the radius of their crown. They cover the entire space, starting from the trunk, the thickness of the layer is about 10 centimeters, the trunk and the grafting site remain untouched. You can water the plants under which the mulch is placed less often, but more abundantly, so that the mulching material gets wet properly, and then the soil under it is moistened.

Mulching can be used not only in the garden, but also in the greenhouse, greenhouse and for potted indoor plants.

Vegetable seedlings need to be planted in a well-moistened bed (including a bulk compost bed), already equipped with covering material. For each individual plant, make holes in the film, placing them crosswise, then lift the film and plant the sprout in the hole. This option of mulching with film will prevent the roots of seedlings from drying out, suffocate weeds and protect against invasion garden pests. Plants are watered directly through the holes in the film, which helps save significant amounts of water - because you do not have to moisten the entire surface of the beds.

Mulching the soil in the fall is a mandatory measure for caring for the land. It allows you to protect the soil from exposure low temperatures and preserve its fertile properties. As a result of exposure external environment, such natural factors as wind, sun rays, rain, etc., the top layer of soil undergoes gradual destruction, as a result of which it becomes less fertile.

A hard crust forms on its surface, on which nothing grows. Mulching – effective method avoid this.

How to mulch the soil to protect plants from exposure environment and not letting it “become impoverished” is the main question for summer residents, gardeners and agronomists. In our article we have collected several effective recommendations, which will help you in your farming.

1 Types of materials for soil mulching

If you are interested in how to mulch the soil, then there are a huge number of materials for these purposes. They are also the best prevention from the appearance of weeds.

To care for the land use following materials for mulching the soil:

• wood chips and sawdust;
• tree bark;
• dry and green grass;

In general, soil mulching material can be inorganic or organic. The first gradually forms humus, enriching the soil with useful substances and controlling its acidity. This makes the plants feel more comfortable by increasing the structure of the soil.

However, despite the many positive points which mulching implies, this method of soil enrichment must be used carefully, because it changes its composition. Organic materials for mulching: wood chips, bark, cones, etc.

Not organic materials for mulching they are decorative and covering. The first are stones, marble, slate and crushed stone. They represent an opportunity not only to increase the comfort of plant growth, but also to decorate a garden or land plot. are woven agrotextiles and special film(color and black). These materials can be used in conjunction with organic mulch.

2 Why is mulching necessary?

Mulching must be used for any plants, regardless of their varieties and the type of soil in which they grow. It allows:

1. Protect plants from excessive evaporation of water;
2. Protect plants from pests even without special chemicals;
3. Protect roots from exposure to low or high temperatures;
4. Provide soil required level acidity for better plant development;
5. Saturate it with oxygen;
6. Preserve the amount of nutrients contained in the soil.

That is why it is necessary to mulch the soil with sawdust, as well as other means that will help maintain its fertile qualities all year round.

2.1 How to mulch the soil?

You can mulch the soil in different ways, depending on what plant grows on it. Before doing this, you will need to pull out all the weeds and add gradually decomposing fertilizers, such as bone meal or ash.

You will need to add a mulch layer for specific crops in the spring and fall, depending on the type of plant. For example, roses and grapes are mulched in late autumn, before preparing them for the winter cold.

In this case, the mulch should be at least 7 cm on top of the soil cover. The lawn is treated with leaf humus and garden soil. Raspberries will "like" which are the best way to retain moisture in the soil. When mulching the soil, experts also recommend using inorganic mulching methods - covering the soil and plants with film before frost.

The presented event is necessary for every fruit-bearing plant, without exception. The mulching process itself, as a rule, is as follows:

1. Sawdust- a common method of protecting garden and garden plants, implies removing weeds, moistening the soil, covering the soil with a layer of mulch of 7-10 cm (and the sawdust must be unused).
2. Foliage and– humus will generate enough heat to protect plant roots from freezing.
3. Straw– will retain moisture and is perfect for mulching in the spring to protect plants from heat.
4. Moss– first-class protection against pests and weeds;
5. Cones– perfectly protects the soil from freezing.

Mulching with cardboard, which is compared to drainage, has become very popular. It saturates the earth with oxygen and provides the opportunity to retain a sufficient amount of moisture for the normal growth of plant crops.

Now you know how to properly mulch the soil and with what materials it is carried out. Use our recommendations and reliably preserve the fertility of your land.

2.2 Why and how to mulch the soil: expert opinion (video)

Experienced gardeners and gardeners know effective methods to prevent weed growth and protect plants from the external environment. Almost every summer resident has already become convinced of the enormous benefits of mulching.

If you observe nature, you can see that trees shed their leaves and form protective layer for the root system in winter time and return nutrients to the soil from rotted fallen leaves. Nature was the first to come up with ways to mulch the soil. The main thing is to choose the right one necessary materials. If you follow the basic rules of mulching, you can not only enrich the soil and maintain plant health, but also increase the yield.

When and how to mulch the soil

Don't mulch in early spring. The soil should warm up well. Cold, wet soil under mulch will cause rot and harm heat-loving plants. Mulch will limit the transfer of heat from the ground to the crops. The optimal time for mulching the soil is the beginning of summer or the end of May.

The benefit of mulching is maintaining a favorable temperature for the plant around the roots and the necessary soil moisture. Mulch prevents the soil from drying out, prevents the appearance of weeds, and reduces the frequency of watering.

Air exchange is important for plant roots and stems. For this purpose, a small gap should be left between the crops and the mulch for air circulation.

Before laying mulch, the soil must be loosened and moistened; it should not be dense. You can loosen the beds immediately after rain, then no additional moisture will be required. The optimal mulching layer is about eight centimeters.

Greater benefits for soil and plants can be achieved by using organic mulch. Sawdust and shavings, tree bark and nut shells, pine needles and hay - all this will attract earthworms and other beneficial insects. With the help of worms, the soil microflora will improve, and by leaving such mulch for the winter, with the help of bacteria it will turn into humus.

Disadvantages of Mulching

In certain natural conditions the mulch layer undergoes rotting - these are clean clay soils, abundant and prolonged rains. Too thick a layer of mulch contributes to the formation of rot.

All the advantages and benefits of mulching will appear no earlier than in two years.

Mulching in areas where unexpected frost may occur can cause irreversible damage to plants. After all, the heat remains in the soil, under the mulch. A top part plants remain unprotected.

Mulch organic origin is a home not only for worms and insects, but also attracts various rodents and slugs. The abundance of insects attracts many birds, which can harm the growth and development of plants. Mice and moles will only harm the future harvest.

Despite some negative sides, mulching makes the work of gardeners and summer residents easier. The need for watering and weeding is reduced, and the soil microflora improves. This agricultural technique is considered one of the most effective in agriculture.

Growing crops, like any other activity, requires special technologies, effective techniques and mandatory actions, without which you should not expect significant results. To increase soil productivity, it needs constant enrichment and protection, and mulch does this best. Soil mulching - what it is and what it is used for, let's try to understand this technology in detail.

What is “soil mulching”

For those who do not yet know what soil mulching is, we will tell you the origin of the term. It crept into the Russian language from English agricultural literature, where the word mulch serves as a designation for turf soil enriched with humus.

Having slightly transformed, in our country the term “mulch” is used for all types of materials that cover beds, flower beds and tree trunk circles. Accordingly, soil mulching is a technology for forming a layer covering fruit-bearing soil.

Thanks to the numerous popularization works of Nikolai Kurdyumov, this method has become popular among gardeners and gardeners experimenting in their summer cottages.

Agricultural plantations on an industrial scale also use similar technology, especially in conditions of lack of irrigation water.

When and what is it used for?

Before mulching the soil, you need to know what it is, what benefit or harm it can bring to the condition of the soil and the crop. And how effective is this technology?

The formation of mulch, as an additional layer on the ground, brings a number of bonuses:

• protects the soil from overheating in the summer heat;
• reduces the intensity of evaporation, i.e. allows for less frequent watering;
• relieves from loosening and digging, since the closed soil retains looseness, does not trample down, does not become compacted and does not form a crust after watering;
• prevents soil weathering;
• rotting, the mulch layer automatically turns into natural fertilizer, enriching and improving the structure of the fertile layer;
• In winter, mulch protects plant roots from freezing and performs snow retention functions;
• throughout the entire agricultural season it is an obstacle to the growth of weeds, and plants that have sprouted through it are weakened and easily removed;

• adds decorativeness to flower plantings (flower beds, slides, borders);
• at correct selection mulching materials can be changed chemical composition soil (lime it or, conversely, reduce acidity, improve the structure clay soil or enrich sand layers);
• protects low-growing or drooping fruits and flowers from contamination, especially strawberries, cucumbers, low-growing tomatoes, peonies, chrysanthemums.

Mulching also has its disadvantages, the list of which is much shorter:

• prevents early heating of the beds, therefore, in order to obtain early harvests, last year’s undecomposed mulch is raked onto the paths in the spring;
• when using plants with seeds, after mowing lawns or weeding beds, the soil may become clogged with weed seeds, which will subsequently have to be dealt with;
• in summer it serves as a habitat for slugs and snails, which really like the moist and moderately cool microclimate under the mulch.

Due to the fact that mulching can be done with any materials, its capabilities can be very different.

Mulching the soil in autumn

Traditionally, mulch is applied to the beds at the beginning of summer, when the plants in the garden have already reached such a size that a five to ten centimeter layer does not interfere with them. But there is also mulching the soil in the fall, which also brings considerable benefits. IN autumn time mulching materials are needed for:

• protecting the root system of wintering plants from frost, especially if the snow layer is not stable, untimely thaws are possible or frosts occur before the formation of a snow cover;
• replacing the procedure with digging and applying organic fertilizers;
• snow delays in the most in the right places, in beds and flower beds where there are no bushes and trees;
• compost formation naturally, since during the winter the layer becomes saturated with moisture and begins to rot in the conditions of the heat that the layer of snow provides;
• ensures cleanliness on the site, as fallen leaves and unnecessary branches are neatly distributed over the beds.

Used to mulch the soil in autumn natural materials. This could be waste from your garden, such as leaves, plant tops, flower stems and other agricultural waste.

In autumn, straw, substrates from growing mushrooms, and garbage collected in parks are widely offered for sale.

Organic materials

There are more than a dozen correct answers to the question of how to mulch the soil.

In most cases, organic materials are used, i.e. waste products of plants. Each of them has its own advantages and is recommended taking into account their characteristics.

Various materials are used to protect and enrich the soil.

Straw

This is the cheapest and available material, if there is agricultural land nearby. Straw, especially compressed straw, is convenient because it forms a thick layer that reliably covers the soil. Thanks to its light color, it reflects the sun's rays as much as possible, i.e. prevents overheating of the soil. The peculiarity of straw is slow rotting:

• the same material can be used for two or even three years,
• on the other hand, the soil underneath is slowly enriched.

Mulching the soil for tomatoes with straw reduces the frequency of watering, as a result, the plants get sick less, bear fruit longer, and ripe tomatoes turn out sweet and juicy.

Straw is the best soil mulch for strawberries. Thanks to it, the berries are large, clean, and are not susceptible to soil pests, which often leave the owners with only leftovers from their table.

Cut grass

The material is obtained as a result of lawn care. Citizens can negotiate with companies or drivers that export weed about delivery to their dachas. The beds will be mulched with mown grass cut around the site for safety purposes. The advantage of grass is its cheapness and rapid rotting.

In just a month, with regular watering, it completely turns into high-quality compost and is completely mixed with the soil.

Flaws - back side medals, i.e. in a month you will have to add a new layer of mulch.

It is important to know! It is dangerous to take grass that has been mowed at the stage of seed formation, since the entire next season will have to be spent fighting the overgrowth of the area with weeds or lawn grass.

Sawdust and wood chips

Chips and sawdust are popular where there is a wood processing industry or carpentry. These materials, like tree needles, have increased acidity Therefore, mulching the soil with sawdust is done carefully, only for plants that tolerate acidic soils well.

The advantage of sawdust and wood chips is their high aesthetics. Rose gardens, slides and other flower plantings filled with them look neat.

To the question is it possible to mulch? pine sawdust soil, the answer is not clear. When eaten fresh, they do more harm than good. They can cover paths in the garden or vegetable garden, or add them to compost pits with a large addition of lime, and after rotting, use them in the garden. The soil under the juniper is also mulched with sawdust, which must first rot and is used as part of the compost. If the soil is calcareous and has a low level of acidity, then it is possible to mulch the soil with spruce and pine needles. This will help correct the soil balance. Recommended for use with strawberries and most flowering plants.

Humus

The material can be applied to the soil as fertilizer or mulched with it. Caution when using is necessary, since fresh humus, when decomposed, releases a huge amount of heat and organic compounds that negatively affect the condition of most plants.

Humus is used for plants that need enhanced fertilizer, such as cucumbers and raspberries. The ideal way to use it is to make organic tea for foliar feeding. Next, scatter the soaked humus mixed with grass over the beds.

fallen leaves

Leaves falling from trees are excellent material for mulching. Many people are interested in which foliage is best for mulching the soil. The correct answer to this question is healthy, so that diseases and pests do not travel around the site. It is recommended to completely remove foliage from infected trees from the site.

Inorganic materials

Less commonly used are materials of inorganic origin, such as sand, pebbles, decorative chips, etc. Unlike organic matter, they do not change the composition of the soil. Their main task is to prevent the soil from drying out or spreading onto the paths.

Pebbles and small stone chips are the main material for mulching flower slides. They are used in flowerbeds or beds where plants are grown in special containers with enriched soil.

Film and covering material

Industry produces different kinds film and covering material (spunbond, agril, spantex, agrospan, geotextile, agrofibre, and so on). The shelter may take the form of film or nonwoven fabric. Use of the listed and similar materials allows:

• retain moisture in the soil;
• ensure its rapid warming up;
• protect the garden bed from germinating weeds;
• get rid of pests that overwinter in the soil and come to the surface in the spring;
• keep strawberries clean.

How to make mulch yourself?

Typically used as mulch ready materials which are brought from outside. But there are ways to independently prepare organic covering material on your site.

The easiest way is to grow green manure. To do this, seeds of fast-growing plants that have a beneficial effect on the soil (mustard, legumes, rapeseed, vetch, rye, lupine, phacelia) are sown in an area free from planting. During their growth, green manure enriches the soil.

Sowing of green manure is carried out:

• in spring - before growing heat-loving plants;
• in the second half of summer - after harvesting the early harvest.

Before planting the main crop, green manure is cut off and the resulting green mass is used as mulch, spread over the beds.

A more complex and time-consuming method is to prepare compost, which includes any remnants of garden vegetation, manure, humus, kitchen waste, and so on. After ripening, the compost is applied to the soil at planting pits, and not completely decomposed residues are used as mulch.

The main mistakes in using mulch

Despite high efficiency mulching the soil, there is a possibility that it will cause harm instead of benefit if the material for mulching the soil is chosen incorrectly.

A negative effect is possible in the following cases:

• As a result of the fact that in the spring the covered soil does not receive enough solar heat, therefore, in order to warm up the mulched soil, the layer of last year's mulch must be removed and sent to compost pit. If the mulch is suitable for further use, it is transferred to the paths. The result is a double effect, i.e. the beds warm up, and there is less dirt on the paths and grass does not grow for some time.
• Inappropriate materials are used for mulching, for example, those that increase acidity or contain seeds that can germinate. It is better to compost such products first or use them as a second layer on top of the film, i.e. Avoid direct contact with soil. Since weed seeds can germinate even after several years, they remain viable even in compost due to high humidity. If during the summer such weeds gradually dry out on the film, then the ability of the seeds to germinate will significantly decrease, although they will not completely disappear.
• A layer of mulch can become a breeding ground for slugs, which grow to enormous sizes in a favorable environment. Therefore, before scattering mulch, and especially before laying out covering inorganic material, it is recommended to sprinkle the beds generously with products used to control garden pests.
• In conditions high humidity Artificial or slow-rotting materials are used for mulching.
• Do not spread mulch in a thick layer on the beds if the seedlings are too small, as the plants will be shaded and receive insufficient sun, resulting in slow growth or death.

There are not many possible mistakes and all of them can be avoided if you present the result of your actions in advance.

Conclusion

Mulching is one of the main factors organic farming. For those who are just starting to use it, it seems that these are wasted labor-intensive actions. But after a year, the understanding comes that by once spreading the mulch over the beds, the gardener gets rid of the need for frequent watering, weeding, and loosening. After several years of active mulching, there is no need to dig up the soil. As a result bountiful harvests results from less time and effort.

In modern agriculture, along with new ultra-technological methods of growing plants wide application Old methods that were forgotten or almost forgotten are also being discovered. These methods include mulching, that is, covering the soil. various materials to protect the beds from drying out and to control weeds. Today, mulch is used by both amateur gardeners and large agricultural holdings.

In past centuries, gardeners were not able to modern means weed control, and watering capabilities garden crops were very limited. However, it was somehow necessary to fight weeds and drought, so a simple but efficient technology- mulching.

The essence of this method is to cover the ground with inexpensive (garbage) material that would effectively inhibit the growth of weeds, prevent the evaporation of water from the soil, but do not interfere with growth and development cultivated plants. Straw, mown grass, sawdust, pine needles and other similar materials were used as mulch. Today the industry produces special types film-type mulches, which are no less effective, but are easier to install.

Mulching the earth occurs as follows. Mulch is placed on open ground, serving as a kind of blanket. Moreover, organic mulch is often not removed from the garden at the end of the season, but is simply plowed into the ground, turning into natural fertilizer.

A properly laid layer of natural or artificial mulch can perform many different functions:

• maintenance in the upper layers of soil optimal temperature, including protection from overheating in the sun and from sharp changes temperatures in the autumn-winter period,
• Irrigation can be partially replaced by mulching, since moisture in the ground is retained much better and does not evaporate under the influence of sunlight,
• optimization of air-gas regime in the upper layers of soil,
• prevention of water and wind soil erosion,
• inhibition of weed growth,
• the soil under the mulch does not dry out and remains loose,
• enriching the soil with natural fertilizers,
• creating a breeding ground for beneficial insects and earthworms.

Today, mulching is used both in amateur gardening and horticulture, and on large fields owned by large agricultural holdings. The use of mulch allows farmers to significantly reduce the costs of weed control, watering and fertilizing crops and plantings.

Main types of mulch

By and large, any organic material that has the appropriate consistency can be used for mulching. That is, one that can be easily laid on the garden bed, and which can effectively act as a “blanket” for the garden bed, while maintaining the ability to allow air and moisture to pass through. All types of mulch can be divided into three main categories:

• artificial covering materials,
• organic materials,
• inorganic bulk materials.

Which of the three types of mulch to give preference depends on many factors: the availability of a particular type of mulch, the type of soil, weather and climatic factors, the type of plants in the garden, the method of growing them, etc.

Amateur gardeners, as well as small farmers, often prefer to use natural organic materials in their activities, which are very cheap or even available to them for free. We are talking about such types of mulch as cereal straw, crop waste (tops and stems of cultivated plants), hay or simply dried grass, sawdust and shavings, bark for mulching and tree chips, fallen leaves, trimmed branches, pine needles, cones, peat, paper, etc.

The main advantage of this type of covering materials (besides the low cost) is their ability to quickly and in large quantities accumulate moisture during precipitation or watering, and then release it very evenly into the ground. Also, these materials effectively regulate the temperature of the upper layers of the soil and can become a haven for beneficial insects. After harvesting, such mulch can simply be plowed into the ground, turning it into natural fertilizer.

Moreover, for different types specific types of mulch are more suitable for cultivated plants. For example, it is more convenient to mulch strawberries or wild strawberries with pine or spruce needles, since this type of mulch can be easily laid around existing small strawberry bushes. But a bed of garlic can simply be completely covered with coarse straw, since garlic can independently break through a layer of mulch.

Large agricultural enterprises, as well as many amateur gardeners, use artificial film-type covering materials: white and black film, roofing felt, roofing felt, lutrasil, spunbond and others. Artificial materials They suppress weed growth more effectively, retain moisture better, but often have poorer temperature control. They are also unable to become a haven for beneficial organisms and turn into fertilizer after use. Artificial covering materials are much more expensive than natural ones, but they are more convenient to use for mulching large areas.

Finally, the third type of mulch is inorganic bulk materials - pebbles, crushed stone, expanded clay, etc. Most often they are used as a decorative cover for mulching bushes and trees on lawns and flowers in flower beds. This mulch does not lose its appearance and does not decompose, very effectively suppresses the development of weeds, prevents moisture evaporation. However, it cannot be used when growing crops, since it is difficult to remove at the end of the season, and it cannot be left on the field, since it does not rot and makes it difficult to cultivate the field.

The methods and timing of mulch application greatly depend on the purpose for which the mulching is being done, as well as on the type of mulch and the type of crop being protected in this way. Some crops need to be completely covered with mulch, while others definitely need to be left with open soil around the stems, mulching only the row spaces. Some types of mulch can be laid in a thin two-centimeter layer, others are effective only with a thickness of about 5-10 cm. Winter crops are mulched in late autumn, spring crops - in late spring.

Since in most cases mulching is used for summer vegetable crops, we will talk about them.

So, mulching the beds should be done no earlier than May, so that the soil has time to warm up. In addition, mulch laid too early will quickly begin to rot if it gets caught in prolonged rains, which often happens in April-May.

On the other hand, if there is a risk of late frosts, mulch applied early can protect warm-season crops from them. True, then it will still have to be removed or updated if it begins to rot.

For most vegetable crops Continuous mulching is very undesirable: a small radius of bare soil must be left around the stems so that the roots of the plants can breathe. This rule is also relevant when mulching fruit trees, around the trunks of which you need to leave a circle of bare earth.

If possible, it is advisable to lay mulch after the rain, and not before it. Also, if necessary (if the bed has not been cultivated or dug up since the previous season), the soil must be loosened before mulching.

For most garden crops optimal thickness The mulch layer is 3-8 cm.

Although mulching has many advantages, it should be remembered that this agricultural technique also has its disadvantages.

Firstly, mulch is susceptible to rotting, especially with excess moisture (prolonged rains, heavy clay soil, proximity groundwater etc.) or an excessively thick layer of mulch. Rotting is an extremely negative phenomenon, since it creates a threat of infection of cultivated plants by fungi. In addition, the process of rotting removes nutrients from the soil.

Secondly, mulch can delay soil warming, slowing down the development of winter crops in the spring. If mulching was carried out in the fall, in order to minimize the influence of this factor, after the final removal of the snow cover, the mulch laid in the fall can be removed, or at least stirred up. Then it will no longer be a dense, impenetrable shield and will be able to transmit heat. For the same reason, you should not rush to lay fresh mulch in the spring. It is better to wait until the soil warms up properly.

Thirdly, organic mulch can provide shelter not only for beneficial insects, but also for pests. Including quite large ones, such as mice and even moles. And, for example, slugs often appear in mulch from fallen leaves. There is a similar problem with paper mulch.

Finally, mulching with grass clippings or straw can lead to contamination of the garden with weed seeds. Moreover, weeds can begin to germinate directly in the mulch, using it as a nutrient medium, neutralizing its ability to inhibit the growth of harmful plants.

Spring is the optimal time to mulch most plantings. After the snow melts (in the northern regions) or the winter rains end (in the south), the soil saturated with moisture will begin to warm up in the sun. This is the moment when you can begin preparing for mulching.

First you need to remove as many roots as possible from the field. perennial weeds, and also apply the necessary fertilizer, if necessary. Then you can begin laying mulch, which will protect the plants from overheating and drying out of the soil in summer period. When the time comes to plant seedlings or seeds of cultivated plants, the mulch is pulled apart at the planting site and the seedlings are placed in the resulting hole. However, there is also Alternative option. First, vegetables are planted, and only then wood chips for mulching or other covering material are placed between the rows.

In mid-autumn, when the ground is already saturated with rain moisture, but has not yet cooled down, the second mulching period begins, associated with planting winter vegetables. Before laying mulch, as in spring, you must first remove as many weeds as possible and apply winter fertilizer. The mulch itself can also be laid either over already planted plants or before them. Which of the two options is more preferable is a debatable, if not controversial, question.

The need for mulching for the winter is dictated by the need to protect plants from freezing in case of a winter with little snow. In addition, in the spring this mulch will retain more moisture from melting snow. In spring, autumn mulch can be left as is, or supplemented with a fresh layer to compensate for winter losses.

Flower beds and flower beds, as mentioned earlier, are most often mulched stone chips or expanded clay, which is laid in a continuous layer of 5 to 10 cm.

Trees in the garden, as well as decorative and berry bushes cover with mulch along a radius from the edge of the crown to the trunk, leaving only the space in the immediate vicinity around the trunk bare. As mulch, pine needles, sawdust, less often straw and other materials are usually used, which are laid in a layer of about 10 cm. In the future, trees and shrubs can be watered less frequently (since the evaporation of water from the soil is significantly reduced), but more abundantly (to wet the mulch layer and moisten the soil under him).

As for vegetables, it is most convenient to plant seedlings in a bed already covered with natural mulch or covering film. Under each plant, a hole is simply made in the film (or a layer of straw is pulled apart), into which the seedling is placed. Further watering is done directly into the remaining holes (holes). The same crops that are planted head-on in the ground, for example, onions and garlic, are usually covered with mulch after planting, since the first method would be too troublesome for them.

In conclusion, we note that planting with mulching can be used not only on open ground, but also in greenhouses, greenhouses, greenhouses and even in pots with indoor plants. True, under these conditions the layer of mulch can and should be made much thinner.