Why is Mulching Your Landscape Important?

A picture of landscape with the lawn and a mulched gardenThere are many different benefits to adding mulch to your home’s landscape. Considering adding a new flower bed, planting new trees, or any other areas that are already distinguished flower beds? Mulch will not only help your garden grow, but it will also help enhance the appearance of your landscape.

What is Mulch?

Mulch is a layer of decaying organic matter on the ground. In the forest, this happens naturally and acts as a nutrient-rich, moisture absorbent bed of decaying forest leaves, twigs, branches, fungi, and insects. In residential areas, it isn’t done so naturally.

Types of Mulch

There are actually a few different options you can go with when you decide to mulch.

  • Wood chips are a byproduct of pruning trees and are a result of trying to dispose of bulky waste.
  • Wood bark is the most popular type of mulch. It is removed from trees such as pine, spruce, fir, and redwood.
  • Lawn waste such as grass clippings are used after mowing your lawn and collected to be used elsewhere other than just mulch. Leaves from deciduous trees that fall off in the winter are often chopped up or shredded before application.

Why Mulch?

When you mulch it improves nutrients and water retention in the soil for all sorts of plants. If properly executed the mulch can significantly improve the well-being of plants and reduce maintenance. When plants are mulched, they can withstand more such as resistance to pest or diseases.

Advantages to Mulching

  • Mulching improves nutrients and water retention in soil and reduces evaporation.
  • Prevents soil erosion and controls weeds.
  • Mulch helps keep your plants temperature controlled in the cold and warm seasons.
  • Beautifies any landscape to add a pop of color.

Where to Use Mulch?

You can use mulch in any area on your landscape that has planted trees, flowers, or other outdoor plants. It can be used to distinguish a new flower bed or to enrich already planted flowers in an existing flower bed. Either way, mulch is applied on bare soil or to cover weeds.

Is it time to start your new mulching regimen for the spring season? Hire the professionals at Dolan Landscaping to handle that for you. We will get your landscape ready for the warm weather in no time. Schedule an appointment with us today!

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