|
| Hello everyone,
I would first like to thank you all for all the beneficial information I have received from this website upon purchasing my first home this past November. Now that the weather is beautiful I have started weekend projects working on the outside of the house. I have created/expanded out several of the flower beds in the front of the home (using the lasagna gardening method learned here!) and am now in a quandary as to the best way to mulch. Since it is the front of the home I have planted several evergreen shrubs ranging from Boxwood, Rhododendron, azalea, etc. I am very pleased with the appearance as it is now as I wanted to make sure the beds looked nice even during the winter when perennials went away. However, since I have recently also decided that I wanted to mix a large assortment of perennials in for spring-fall blooming I am not not sure the best approach to mulch. It is May so leaves are around for shredding. I have read numerous posts prior to asking this question but could not find my answer. I read somewhere (can't remember where) that the hardwood mulch sold by most nurseries etc may inhibit perennial growth due to seeds etc not properly spreading. I would like the front yard to have a more nicely finished landscape so I would like to use a non-dyed root mulch. Do you all feel this would be ok to use in a perennial mixed garden without harming the gardens ability to grow/spread? Thank you all for your help.
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| .. I'm not sure how it would work with your aesthetics but you can mulch with grass clippings. They last as long as wood mulch so you'll be adding more every month or so. You will like what it does to your soil. Some folks like straw. Haven't tried it but should last longer than grass clippings. I really like used coffee grounds with grass clippings on top. to sense |
|
| Any plant life, weeds with OUT seed heads will work too. I agree with rott. |
|
| Any plant life, weeds with OUT seed heads will work too. I agree with rott. |
|
| If you mulch, you will prevent plants from self-seeding. That is one of the main purposes of mulching for most people. If you want to have self-seeded plants, just look for them carefully in the spring. You'll find a few, but not so many that they are a nuisance. I use compost for mulch (about 4" deep applied spring and fall) and at least that is how it works for me. Many (most?) perennials increase by root mass, not seeds, anyhow. So depending on what you have planted, it may not even be an issue. |
|
| Straw has always worked brilliantly for me, though for a perennial bed I usually chop it up with a lawn mower first. (Bad use of gasoline.) It looks very nice, and the plants seem to grow and spread. |
|
| Tree leaves are available, maybe your town dump, but you can use wood chips as well, they are just more expensive if not available from a local tree trimmer for free. One of the reason for using mulch is that it can aid in suppressing unwanted, or even wanted, plant growth, or it can encourage plant growth. Perennials do not rely on self seeding to grow next year, although that can be used to grow more of those plants, so wood chips will not prevent them from coming back next year. I have seen some of my perennials self seed in the wood chip mulched beds I have. An article that appeared in a recent issue of Fine Gardening magazine indicated that the dyed mulches might put stuff, Arsenic, Cadmium, etc., in your soil. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soil Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.