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Concerning Mulch - Part Two
By Tammy Clayton, Fri Dec 9th
Copyright © 2005 Tammy Clayton The use of shredded wood mulch exists for reasons unknown tomany of us. It is true and a good point that the mulch does infact control erosion in a new planting prior to the roots takinghold of the soil. The wood mulch does retain more moisture andinsulate the roots from extreme temperatures. Therefore theaddition of a mulch is in deed beneficial for a newly installedshrub and tree landscape. The truth is folks have beensuccessfully growing landscapes and gardens for centuries priorto this modern innovation commonly known as shredded mulch. Sothe mulch is put down initially to aid the plants in adjustingto their new home with less setbacks and repercussions. But therenewal of mulch is where the problems seem to begin. Firstly there should never be more than 3 inches of shreddedwood mulch applied after the installation of new plants. Someseem to think that more is better, this is not true of mulch.Exceeding 4 inches holds too much moisture and can cause plantsto decline from rot and even die because the soil cannot breatheor soak up warmth from the sun to rid itself of excess moisturethat may be present at times. Incidentally, the presence ofmushrooms in a lawn or planting bed is totally due todecomposing wood matter. Whether mulch mixed with soil or an oldtree stump’s roots that reside beneath the current lawn. Rottingwood and moisture have always caused mushrooms to grow. It isbest if one is to cultivate mushrooms to plan ahead andcultivate those that are edible and cut down on the grocery billrather than those that just make a mess in the landscape
What happens to all those additional layers of mulch you add tothe beds because you like the “fresh” look it gives you yard?Perhaps first it would be best to ask yourself, what happened tothe FIRST layer of mulch. The same thing that happens on thefloor of the forest. Over time, every leaf, twig and fallen limbdecomposes to replenish the soil available on the forest floor.The very same thing is happening in your planting beds...themulch becomes soil. When the pretty mulch has disappeared a niceyoung man in a uniform appears after a phone call and puts anice thick new layer where you direct him to do so. The lumbercompany who made money on a waste product is very happy. Themulch company is happy because you paid you bill. The nice youngman in the uniform is happy because he got paid. You are happywith the fresh new appearance of your yard. The one soul who isnot questioned about this practice, is the one that is effectsthe most...the plants! Over time, this freshening of the mulchcan cause unexplainable health problems. On the side of a beer bottled we have a warning
from the SurgeonGeneral warning us not to operate automotive vehicles or heavyequipment and goes on to say that alcohol could cause healthproblems. Have you ever seen such a warning on a bag of mulch orthe invoice you pay that nice young man from? While there issuch a thing as natural death among plants, death withoutexplanation is easily blamed as the trees cannot say: "Hey! I am dying because I cannot breathe anymore because youhave put way too much mulch around my trunk!" Nope, no tree can scream HELP! They can’t tell you I need water,my toes hurt, its hot out here; they are helpless unless we knowinstinctively the problem. They can only get your attention ifyou WANT to hear what they have to say. Selective listening hasserves no purpose when one deals with plants. Where was I? Oh yes, this yearly freshening of the mulch in thebeds...if you were a tree, you would see instantly why this isnot a good thing. Trees have a natural breathing ring (as wellas many types of shrubs and other woody plants) that developsright at the point of their trunk where their "stem" and thesoil meet originally upon their sprouting. When you pull a weed, properly extracting it from the soil, itis going to deposit dirt on top of the mulch. The more soil thatis mixed with the wood mulch, the faster it will decompose andreturn to its’ previous state as soil. Remember what comes fromthe soil returns to the soil; it is a natural revolution no onecan prevent. -------------------- For more great Gardening articles, visit:http://www.LostInTheFlowers.com About the author:Raised by a highly respected & successful landscape contractorin the metro Detroit area, Clayton wanted a career in anythingbut landscaping! Now an award-winning landscape designer,Clayton runs FlowervilleFarms, a mail-order nursery in Michigan. Read more at LostInTheFlowers.com.
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