Learn All Of The Benefits of Mulching

Did you know there are countless ways that annual mulching benefits the health and appearance of the planting beds at your home or commercial property? Mulching adds a layer of protection to your soils and plants similar to what a forest does naturally. At the end of a season, leaves fall to the ground creating a protective layer covering for tree roots. As these leaves and other natural elements decompose, they provide organic matter that nourishes the soil. Annually mulching is a way to add these additional benefits and sources of nourishment to your soil and plants, enhancing the health and beauty of your landscape year after year. 

Some other important benefits of mulching include:

• Discourages weed growth.
• Helps moderate soil temperature.
• Adds essential nutrients.
• Helps conserve moisture around roots and reduces the amount of water needed.
• Prevents compaction at the base of trees.
• Can help reduce soil erosion caused by winds.
• Will stimulate biological activity near the surface of soil. 

Mulch maintains a more constant soil temperature, provides nutrients for your plants, and helps your soil maintain moisture throughout the summer. Mulching will reduce weed germination and the amount of water needed for the plants. It also stimulates biological activity near the surface of the soil.

Types of Mulch to consider when adding Mulch to your Garden:

Not sure which mulch to use? The biggest factors to consider when selecting your mulch are whether or not you want to match what you already have installed, the texture and color, and your budget. Mulch comes in a variety of colors and is typically available as a chipped product or a shredded, hairy product. The main difference between these two, aside from price, is their staying power – wood chips and bark mulches blow away much easier than a shredded product which tends to stick together and has more weight to it. Whenever possible, we prefer to use a shredded cedar mulch to avoid loss of product due to windy Colorado afternoons. Before applying a fresh layer of mulch, a topping of organic compost can be added to your beds to help add even more nutrients to your garden beds. 

Wood mulch used on top of soil doesn’t lock up nitrogen in the soil because it breaks down over time. Just don’t work mulch into the existing soil as it will use the excess nitrogen in the soil to help break down the mulch during the composting process, leaving little nitrogen left for plant use.

Let the team at LID Landscapes help with all of your mulching needs. Call us at (303) 440-7833 or email us to learn how we can assist with your year-round mulch needs at your home or commercial property.