Horticulture Hotline 02/26/18
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
I’m going to continue writing about the benefits of organic
products – mainly mulch since many of you are getting ready to re-mulch beds.
Here are a few general facts about mulch.
·
In the old days, the recommendations were the
more mulch the better up to 6-8 inches. The latest research only recommends 2-3 inches.
·
Always wait to apply mulch in the fall until
after the leaves have dropped from your deciduous trees. In the spring wait for
the late leaf droppers like Live Oaks and Water Oaks to drop their leaves.
·
Be careful not to apply mulch right up to the
trunks of plants, shrubs or trees. The
trunk has a different cell structure than the roots and cannot handle prolonged
periods of moisture. The moisture will
soften the tissue and allow disease and insects to attack the trunk, or the
trunk will send out adventitious roots.
·
The main purpose of mulch is to buffer the
temperature extremes and suppress weeds.
If your soil is naturally wet, it is better to have a very thin layer of
mulch so that the ground dries out quicker. If your soil is dry, a thicker
layer of mulch will help hold the water in the soil longer.
·
When applying mulch around your house, try to
keep an 18-24 inch mulch-free zone from the base of your home. You don’t want
to give termites a way to breach the protective barrier around your house. You might even contact your professional pest
manager to inform him that you have added mulch to your beds.
Now days there are many synthetic mulches (synthetic pine
straw, mulch made out of ground tennis shoes, mulch made from ground tires),
also rocks, and dyed wood mulch that will keep their color longer. These mulches look good but will not add
organic matter to your soil (except the dyed wood mulch).
There are many types of wood mulch (hardwood, double
shredded hardwood, pine nuggets, mini nuggets) that over a period of time will
break down and help the organic content of your soil. Wood mulch will add more organic matter over
a period of time, than the pine straw.
If you like to have your cake and eat it too, you can apply
Cotton Burr Compost at a depth of 2 inches and cover it with pine straw (or
wood mulch) and this would immediately benefit your soil. Every time it rains or your irrigation runs,
your plants would be receiving a tall drink of compost tea chocked full of
nutrients. This combination would also
feed the beneficial micro-organisms in the soil and not tie up any
nitrogen. You can have the neat tucked
appearance of pine straw or wood mulch and get the nutrients from the Cotton
Burr Compost that will immensely improve your soil. The people (and their
plants) that have tried this method have been extremely happy!
Get out your preemergent product of choice, SeaHume, insecticide
for fire ants and mole crickets, mole killer or repellent, and preventive fungicide.
Rats, roaches, fleas?
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
