Mulch Ado About Nothing

Mulch Is Much More Than Just Aesthetics

Just as robins and daffodils are harbingers of spring, so are landscapers putting down mulch.

A fresh application of mulch on one’s gardens is a great way to sweep away the gray of winter. Fresh mulch looks great on one’s gardens and simply gives a sense of a fresh start. It can also be one of the biggest tasks of the garden calendar and if you hire a company such as ours, one of the costliest of your maintenance services.

So, besides aesthetics, are there any other good reasons to apply mulch? Does it truly serve a purpose? Those questions can be answered with a resounding YES! In fact, aesthetics is probably the least important of the good reasons to apply mulch to your garden beds.

A quality mulch does a ton of good for your garden plants. If you have made an investment in your landscape, mulching helps make sure your gardens will thrive.

Many Reasons To Apply Mulch

• Mulch keeps plant roots from drying out in dry periods. Mulch retains moisture way better than soil and helps provide the fibrous plant roots moisture between watering and rain.
• Mulch suppresses weeds. A proper layer of mulch helps suffocate out weed seeds and seedlings. Also, given that it is an organic material, as it breaks down it give off heat which extends the weed suppression.
• Mulch keeps roots cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Consider mulch nature’s insulation. It protects the sensitive fibrous roots from cold damage and heat stress.
• Mulch protects tree trunks and roots from damage caused by lawn mowers and string trimmers. A circle of mulch around trees in the lawn protects the trunk from getting dinged and eaten away. The trunk is where the phloem and xylem are housed which move water and nutrients up and down the tree. Without the bark, the tree dies.
• Mulch helps prevent erosion. Bare soil is easily eroded by running water. A good layer of mulch is not and will protect the soil from being worn away. Of course, if the Grand Canyon had been mulched, we might not have one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
• Mulch adds nutrients to the soil as it breaks down. Mulch is organic. In fact, it is made from plants. As it breaks down, it provides some of the same nutrients plants need to thrive.

As you can see, not only does a fresh layer of mulch look great, it has a lot a benefits to offer your trees and gardens. Applying mulch can be done at any time of the year but it is certainly understandable that we all want to see a fresh look in the spring.

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Remember, Allentuck Landscaping Co. is always here to help you design, install, construct and maintain you lawn and landscape.  Give us a call!