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How To Mulch

What is mulch?

Mulches are spread onto the top of soil to help and aid plant growth and protection.
Mulches help retain moisture in summer months, allow for better drainage during the colder months, deter pests from eating the plants and generally improve the quality of the soil it is used on.

Why mulch?

Mulching is like laying a permanent base food for the plant.  It will not feed the plant directly, but it will help create the right conditions for the plant to thrive.  Wood chip mulch also looks nice and can add that certain something to the design of a garden or landscape.

What is mulch made from?

Mulches are made from varying organic garden and plant waste products.  Any type of plant, tree, shrub or flower can be chipped or shredded to provide a good top layer mulch for your garden.

After all - what could be better for your garden than waste from the garden itself!

How do I use mulch?

Mulching should always be laid onto the garden during the winter months.  This will allow for any winter moisture from rain, snow and ice to be locked into the mulch layer, ready for the spring.

It is also preferable to put mulch onto damp or wet soil.

Ensure that the soil is clean of weeds and unwanted plants and then lay the mulch over the soil, smothering it right up to the roots and stems of the plants.  Make sure to lay around 5 cm worth of mulch - but more than that is preferable.  Use 5 cm a a guide to the minimum amount to lay.

After you have spread your landscaping mulch as desired, water thoroughly to ensure that it gets off to a good start.

How do I make mulch?

Making mulch is easy.  All you need are some waste yard or garden products and a sturdy chipper or shredder.  The chipper shredder unit will break the waste down into smaller particles which will allow you to easily spread it onto the soil.  You can also use an electric shredder to make wood chipped or bark chip mulches.

These mulches are amazingly decorative and are a great addition to any garden or landscape - not just as a benefit to the plants - but as a visual benefit too.

For the small home garden, only a product such as a Bear Cat chipper will be required.  If you are only shredding small plants and bushes then you will not need to spend money on a large model.

The larger model chipper shredders are designed to handle thick tree branches so bear that in mind if you are thinking of using one to make wood chip mulch.