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Maintaining a home garden in optimal conditions can be a very laborious job that requires constantly monitoring that the conditions are ideal. One technique to facilitate this task is that of quilting or mulching. It is a technique widely used in organic gardens which, among other benefits, gives protection to crops and soil.
If you have a vegetable garden, a garden or simply plants that you want to take good care of, keep reading because in this Green Ecologist article we will see how to make a mulch for plants or mulching. with a very simple step by step and we will also explain the benefits and advantages of using padding
What is mulching or mulching for plants and its benefits
The padding o mulching is a technique used in organic farming in which a physical barrier provides protection to the soil and prevents weeds from developing. This barrier consists of putting on the surface of the soil a layer of different materials, both organic and inorganic, which prevents the passage of light and gives it protection against strong changes in temperature and against erosion.
The benefits of mulching are diverse, including:
- It hinders the growth of weeds in the garden.
- It provides protection to the substrate and the microorganisms that inhabit it against sudden changes in temperature, winds or abundant rainfall.
- Helps keep roots warm in winter and cool in summer.
- It helps to reduce the losses of water by evaporation and gives shade to the soil, which allows to maintain the humidity in the substrate. Therefore, the mulching helps to save water in crops.
- The mulching With organic materials it helps the fertility of the soil, since its elements are decomposed and incorporated into the soil in the form of humus.
- Helps increase biodiversity and biological activity present in the soil.
Learn more Organic farming cultivation techniques in this other Green Ecologist article.
Types of mulch for plants or mulching: organic and inorganic
There are two basic types of padded or mulching for plants and these are organic and inorganic:
Organic padding
This type of mulching uses exclusively organic materials, such as peat, leaf mulch, decomposed manure, straw, compost, sawdust, bark, wood chips, or dried grass clippings. The advantage of these types of mulches is that they also provide improvements to the soil in fertility.
For example, mulch made from pine bark not only protects soils, but also acidifies them. You can also use mulch from shredded branches of plants that are healthy and free from disease. Another way to mulch is to apply a thin layer of dried grass clippings or use the leaves that fall from deciduous trees.
Other kind of mulching Organic wood chips and bark look very good, but at least two years old, since the young bark usually absorbs nitrogen from the soil when it decomposes. Another option, if we are going to use young bark, is to apply some nitrogen mineral fertilizer.
The mulching Organic is always the most recommended, since they decompose and provide additional improvements to the soil, such as the contribution of nutrients.
Inorganic padding
This type of mulching uses inorganic materials, such as gravel, gravel, marble, crushed ceramic, expanded clay, volcanic rock or stones in general. However, these types of materials do not provide the improvements of organics. The padding or muching made with stones They are suitable on sloping terrain and around downspouts.
How to make a mulch for plants or mulching step by step
It is advisable to do the mulching before the tree or plant begins to sprout. In this way, the new plant will take better advantage of the supply of nutrients or the improvement in the soil that will be produced. When we refer to our orchard, flowerpot or garden, the ideal is to do it at end of winter, just before starting the crops, and we can repeat it at the end of summer.
The steps to make a mulching or mulch for garden or plants in general they are:
- Remove the weeds and decompress the soil with a hoe, letting the soil loose so that the materials and supplements that we provide penetrate better.
- Add the material and spread it out on a padding with a thickness of between 10 cm and 15 cm.
- Add microorganisms, which will facilitate the decomposition of organic matter and the absorption of nutrients by the plant.
- Add the nutrients that the plant needs.
- With a rake or cultivator, bury the microorganisms and compost and mix them.
- Water the crop.
So you will be ready mulch or mulch for garden or plants.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to make a mulch for plants or mulching, we recommend that you enter our Garden Care category.
