by Bridget Webber

Created on: July 10, 2008   Last Updated: July 30, 2008

Spring mulching can protect your soil, balance soil temperature caused by the climate, reduce pests and weeds and help the soil remain healthy whilst retaining water. With all of these positive effects that can be gained by mulching you may want to rush ahead this spring and mulch as soon as you can, but it is sensible to learn first about the mulching do's and dont's that will help your garden to gain the very best from the mulching process, and to avoid the very worst.

MULCHING DO'S

Mulching in the spring is a good idea, rather during other times of the year, as the soil will still be wet after the winter rain and by mulching you can retain some of this water for your plants.

However, have a think about what you are planting first as the soil will still be cool, which can be cause negative results if you want to grow flowers which will benefit from the soil being a little warmer. If this is the case then do leave mulching around flowers for a few weeks longer to give them the best start possible.

Do use sheet mulch if you are growing vegetables on a fairly large scale rather than for individual plants. Sheet mulch is made from biodegradable material and so is a better alternative to plastic mulch.

The reason that it is best for larger scale gardening is because it is far quicker and less expensive than other forms of mulch, of which you would need vast amounts to cover a large area.

With sheet mulch you make little slits for your plants to go through in the sheet itself. This helps to prevent weeds and pests, whilst cutting down on water evaporation leaving the water for the plants instead.

Do use organic mulch if your primary goal is to add nutrients to the soil, whilst still retaining the benefits above. Organic mulch may come from a variety of materials such as cocoa shells, bark, manure, sawdust, wood-chips, grass clippings, leaves, hay and straw.

If your lawn is dry with yellow patches then do add mulch to it once a month until it has improved. The best way to do this is to simply remove the lawnmower clippings catcher from the back of the lawnmower as you mow and let the clippings rest on the lawn instead of collecting them up after mowing.

If you mulch your lawn in this way then wear old clothes as you do so, as some of the clippings will land on you as you mow without the catcher in place.

Do use rock and gravel for mulching where your goal is to provide warmth for you plants for longer than usual and to prolong the growing season. The rocks and gravel will

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