Bark mulching: how to do it yourself and rules of use, pros and cons

Modern plant care involves the use of protective coatings for soil. It is recommended to use organic and inorganic materials. Bark mulching remains one of the most popular agrotechnical procedures. This process helps to achieve a number of beneficial effects - to keep moisture in the soil, to avoid the active development of weeds, to prevent plants from freezing.

Why do we need mulch on the site

Mulching is an agrotechnical method that involves covering the soil with organic or inorganic material. This manipulation is carried out when growing crops in open ground or in greenhouse conditions.

Due to this procedure, the following results can be obtained:

• keep moisture in the soil;
• avoid hypothermia of crops;
• protect roots from overheating;
• prevent the loss of useful elements from the earth;
• avoid weed development;
• protect topsoil from erosion;
• decorate the site.

Pros and cons of bark mulch

Tree bark is often used for mulching because of its many benefits.

These include the following:

1. Eco-friendly. Substance does not produce hazardous substances.
2. Durability. The material does not need to be completely changed - just update the top layer of soil.
3. Sustainability. Thanks to this, the bark does not fly apart in the wind.
4. Prevention of moisture evaporation. This reduces the number of waterings.
5. Good moisture flow to the roots. This eliminates the need to move the mulch back before watering.
6. Protect roots from low temperatures.
7. Prevention of weed growth. This helps save time on weeding.
8. The ability to feed and acidify the soil.
9. Excellent decorative properties.

At the same time, bark mulch also has disadvantages:

1. Risk of rot. Most often, this problem occurs when the mulch is too thick.
2. Lack of quick results from soil mulching.
3. Risk of mice and rodents gathering under mulch. Pests can destroy young plants.

When used

Mulching beds is recommended in early spring. Make sure the soil is well moistened first. Of no small importance is the removal of perennial weeds and the introduction of the necessary dressings.

Also, mulching can be done in the middle or at the end of autumn. In this case, it is necessary to remove large weeds and, if necessary, apply winter fertilizers. Renewing organic mulch is recommended once a year.

Wood material is suitable for a variety of crops. It can be used for mulching beds with vegetable crops, fruit trees and berry bushes. Also, the coating is often used in flower beds and flower beds.

Preparation

To use the bark as a mulching material, it is required to remove defective fragments, and then treat it with aseptic or insecticidal agents. Then the bark needs to be dried for 5-15 days in a well-ventilated place.

At the next step, the material needs to be crushed:

• break manually;
• recycle with garden shredder;
• lay out in an even layer and walk over the material with a scarifier several times.

Instructions for use

It is permissible to use different types of bark as a mulching material. Each of them has certain features.

Pine

Pine bark is considered the most common type of mulch. It is this wood that is most often used in carpentry and furniture production. People who live near the groves can collect the bark with their own hands. If the procedure is carried out correctly, it will not harm the trees, since the sap flow goes along the inside of the bark. In this case, the outer part includes only dead cells.

However, it is much better to use fallen bark. In this case, you can not worry that the tree will receive any damage. In addition, the material can be taken at a sawmill or a woodworking enterprise.

It is important to consider that pine bark provokes acidification of the soil. This is due to the activity of microorganisms that provide decay of the material. However, the acidifying effect is subtle.

Larches

Larch bark is considered rarer than pine because it is not used in carpentry and is rarely used to make furniture. Therefore, it is necessary to look for material at sawmills. This type of bark is characterized by high strength. It contains a lot of oils, which reduces the rate of decay. At the same time, the substance also causes acidification of the soil, therefore it is important to properly mulch the beds so as not to harm the plants.

Fruit trees

When pruning fruit trees, branches are formed. You can also make mulch out of them. This material can be used for agrotechnical and decorative mulching of many crops. Coniferous plants are considered an exception, on which the bark of fruit trees has a negative effect.

Other species

To improve the composition of the soil, it is worth using the following materials:

• chips;
• sawdust;
• chopped straw;
• wood chips;
• hay or tops.

When rotting chopped wood, it is possible to achieve high-quality loosening of the soil. At the same time, there are many useful elements in the green mass.

In addition, these materials rot much faster. This is especially true when added to the composition of bird or animal excrement. It is also permissible to use special preparations.

Also, to improve soil structure and increase yield parameters, it is worth making rotted bedding for pets. This is due to the presence of the following components:

• chunked wood that improves soil structure;
• manure or litter, which contains many valuable components and activates the development of necessary microorganisms;
• urea, which compensates for the loss of nitrogen.

Most Common Usage Mistakes

When laying mulch, many gardeners make a number of mistakes. They adversely affect the development of cultivated plants. The main mistakes include the following:

1. Dry ground cover. The fact is that the bark hardly passes moisture. Therefore, precipitation cannot fully wet dry soil. This negatively affects the development of cultivated plants. To avoid such problems, the beds should be well watered before placing the mulch.
2. The use of the bark before the emergence of cultivated plants. Wood mulch does not let in the sun's rays, which are required for the emergence of sprouts. Therefore, the first shoots appear later than the required time. It is permissible to cover the beds with a mulch layer after the appearance of young plants.
3. Violation of the optimal distance between the mulch and the crop. If the material is placed too close, the plant may deteriorate in the area of contact with it. In addition, too dense placement of the material entails problems with the growth of side shoots. To properly mulch the beds, you need to observe an interval of 35 centimeters.

Using bark for mulching is considered a good solution. This natural material helps retain moisture and prevent weed growth.

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