subject: How To Purchase And Distribute Mulch In Your Garden Or Landscaping [print this page] The application of mulch or landscaping mulch is one of the easiest ways to maintain a garden. You are by no means limited to organic mulches like composted manure or shredded leaves. Since organic mulch requires time to produce (through composting) you can just opt for inorganic mulches or synthetic mulches.
While the two terms might seem identical to many, they really are not. Synthetic landscaping mulch are made predominantly from plastic and fabrics while inorganic mulches can include smooth pebble mulches and gravel.
Buying the right type of landscaping mulch
If you want to place some mulch on shrub patches around your home, then your best choice would be plastic mulch (black plastic sheets) or landscape fabrics. These materials are fairly durable and they're available everywhere.
In addition to shrub patches, you can use plastic mulch in areas where you will not be doing much work. If you have to make some adjustments to your landscaping, you would have to remove the plastic sheets first and reinstall some fresh sheets when you're done working the soil.
This takes time (and no one likes doing extra work) so make sure that when you install the sheets or fabric, the area will remain untouched for most of the year. Walkways and areas near large trees are great choices for plastic mulch, too.
Still confused with the best places to use plastic mulch? Ask yourself: does this area require regular applications of fertilizer? If yes, then it's not a good place to use fabric/plastic mulch. On the bright side, using this type of mulch also prevents the growth of weeds. So after installing the sheets, you won't have to do any weeding for some month.
When installing plastic sheets, make sure that you punch holes through the plastic to allow air and moisture to penetrate the mulch. While this material expertly prevents weed growth by smothering seeds and roots, it can also smother your own plants if it is not prepared properly.
Make sure that the drainage for the garden beds are also adequate; otherwise, unsightly puddles will form. Drainage problems are less frequent when you use landscape fabric mulches. Because it's fabric, it absorbs and allows water to flow fairly easily.
Gravel mulches & stone mulches
Inorganic mulches like gravel provide two main benefits: extra heat and efficient water drainage. If you live in a cool region in the country and you want to maintain a garden of tropical herbs and plants, then gravel or stone mulch would be perfect.
Herbs are sun and heat-loving plants, but they also need a lot of moisture to thrive in home gardens. Gravels tend to retain heat but at the same time, prevent the full escape of moisture from the soil.
Like plastic sheets or landscaping fabric, stones and gravel are hard to remove, so be absolutely sure that this is your best choice before buying and distributing them throughout your garden. You wouldn't want to dig up the stones after a few weeks because you don't like the way they look (and they can look rather dry).
by: Stefanie Schoonmaker
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