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Archive for the mulch tag

Will adding mulch increase the soil depth of a bed?

January 25, 2022   •   Leave a Comment

If I keep adding mulch to my garden beds, will it not eventually increase the soil depth in that bed? And if it does, what happens to all the surface roots if I remove the mulch (soil)?

Adding about 2 inches of mulch to our garden beds prevents moisture loss, improves the soil condition, and prevents weeds from germinating. Natural wood mulch, composed of fine wood chips, ground up leaves and twigs, encourages worms and microorganisms to break down the material into nutrients which plants can absorb through their roots. This relationship between the soil organisms, decomposing organic material and plants creates a self-sufficient ecosystem if we, as the caregivers, don’t ruin it.

When you clean your garden beds in spring, lightly cultivate the surface material into the soil bed. How much light and water a particular bed gets can speed up or slow down the composting of the mulch. Some beds may need an inch of new mulch each year around mid-June or when temperatures heat up. Other beds may be slower and may only need additional material every other year. Application is not an auto-pilot garden chore.

Do not apply more than what is recommended. More is not better for preventing moisture loss or weeds. Thriving plants have deep roots in the soil rather than roots close to the surface. Overloading on mulch gives the plant a false sense of where the real soil is and can keep the hair-like roots away from microorganism activity. 

Related: How to improve your clay soil

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: adding mulch, decomposition, mulch, wood mulch

Can rabbit manure be used as mulch around plants?

March 11, 2021   •   Leave a Comment

We have a pet house rabbit that is litter trained. Can the manure and litter (made from recycled newsprint) be used as mulch in a perennial bed or around trees and shrubs?

This sounds like a gold mine since rabbits are vegetarians. But it comes with significant cautions. Rabbit manure is higher in nitrogen than even chicken manure. It also contains phosphorus. Nitrogen is great for leaf production. The phosphorus is good for fruit and flower production. So consider exactly what you will be enhancing with its application. Average N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) analysis of composted rabbit manure is 2-1-0.8, which is relatively low compared to other commercial products. In order for the manure to be useful, it must be hot composted, preferably for a year, to reduce the probability of transmitting any pathogens lurking in the litter. A hot compost pile should measure at least 150 degrees in temperature.

Composting the litter changes the material into a form plants can better use. It also allows odors to dissipate. After the year-long composting, it should be applied to the soil in late fall and worked in. Preferably, it should not be used as mulch and never uncomposted, as the high level of nitrogen can actually burn and damage plants, even with the newsprint base. Since it has to be worked into the soil to be effective, you might find this easier with your perennial bed in fall than disturbing the roots of trees and shrubs.

Related: Bunny honey – Using rabbit manure as a fertilizer

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: litter, manure, mulch, perennials, rabbit, shrubs

How much mulch is required to cover my garden?

April 29, 2011   •   

I want to cover a 12 foot by 25 foot area with 3 inches of mulch. How many yards should I get?
The first thing to decide is how deep you want your mulch, which you have determined to be 3 inches (or 1/4 foot). Then use this formula to calculate the cubic yards: (length x width x depth)/27. For your 12 x 25 foot area: 12 x 25 x .25 = 75. 75/27 = 2.77. So, you need 3 cubic yards. Of course, this formula will work for any material, such as topsoil, compost, mulch, etc.
Need to figure out how much mulch you need for your project? Try out the handy Michigan Gardener soil and much calculator.

Filed Under: Ask MG Tagged With: calculator, mulch, yards

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