Your Grange Gardener – June 2015

“So, tell me, what is it with mulching?” a good gardening friend asked me recently, as we were planting a second crop of salad greens in the 85° that had given us an early May, Rogue Valley warm up.

“Every garden article I read, every nursery I shop at, and you tell me it is the way to keep our gardens alive and healthy, use less time gardening and conserve water.”

“Yup—that is all true. The benefits definitely outweigh any effort required and make mulching eminently worthwhile. In more than 4 decades of gardening, I have become a true believer,” I answered, as we headed to the shade to discuss the matter further.

I launched into a list of mulching benefits:

It prevents evaporation of water from the soil. Plants are healthier when they don’t dry excessively between irrigations.

Mulching reduces weather-induced stress to garden plants by maintaining a more even soil temperature—cooler in the summertime and warmer in the wintertime.

It prevents germination of weed seeds, if your mulch is free of weeds and is laid down deeply enough. It will also impede some existing weeds—but it’s best to lay mulching over an area free of weeds to start with.

Mulching helps to control soil erosion and stops soil diseases from splashing onto plants.

Mulching helps to maintain better soil structure and aeration by preventing compaction. It also can improve soil structure as it decays, adds nutrients to the soil and actually becomes part of the topsoil.

The use of mulches results in garden plants with more robust root systems because additional roots will grow in the mulch around the plants.

Mulching soil around garden plants minimizes crusting of heavy soils found in most of the Rogue Valley. Preventing soil crusting aids water absorption and aeration, resulting in less need for cultivation in the garden.

“Okay,” said my friend, but what do I need to get started with this mulching?”

“Well—here’s the great news about mulching,” I told her, “Mulches can be almost anything!” However, it is true I have worked for Grange Co-op for several decades, and I have some definite favorites in bagged mulches.

One of my favorites is Gardner & Bloome Soil Building Compost that comes in a 3cu. ft. bag. This product is based upon composted, shredded wood waste. As it breaks down, it really does enhance the condition of the soil. I love this stuff!

Shasta Soil Conditioner, available in a 3 cu. ft. bag, is an attractive black-brown, with the consistency and appearance of coarse coffee grounds, and is comprised of bark fines. It has been treated with Nitrogen to compensate for the nutrient drain on the soil as the bark fines break down.

She continued with questions about “how to do it.” I let her know that Mulching is really quite simple in application—with only a couple of absolutes to remember:

The best time to mulch is right after planting. Established plantings benefit from spring mulching, and for winter mulching—wait ‘til frosts have started.

It is best to weed the area first, so you won’t have to use up your back weeding again and again.

Cover the root zone of the plants, but do not pile mulching up against the base or stem of your plants. You will prevent rot from excessively wet mulch, and the possibility of rodents overwintering in the mulch and damaging your plants.

The Azalea, Heather, Blueberry family (Ericacea) is special—these have very wide and shallow roots, that hate mulch around their stems. Keep mulches about 4” away from the trunk or stem, but cover the root zone with a good layer of mulching at least a foot out from the plant’s drip line.

My new mulching convert took her tools to escape the heat of my garden schoolroom, I reminded her Grange Co-op’s garden centers could help her calculate exactly how much mulch she needed to save water and time this season.