To prevent soil from erosion, retain the moisture within the soil, control growth of weeds and to enrich the soil, mulch is very essential. Such a protective soil cover is seen in forests too. Depending on a number of factors, this protective cover can be made for your lawn with pathogens of plants, seeds, weeds, scraps from the kitchen, old shredded newspaper and bark, leaves, clippings of grass, cardboard, hay, sawdust, straw, chips of wood and a variety of other shredded materials. A lot of residue, including manure of animals, is used in the making of this protective layer.
Many of these materials help in the process of composting. Besides these mentioned materials, the protective soil cover could also contain synthetic elements, which however are cited as not too good for the soil. icyviolets.com is the one the best home improvement write for us blog to know more about yard mulch. A lot of people are seen using gravel as well as rock for the soil cover too. Over a period of time organic mulches decay and their usefulness can get affected by dew or rain. Plant growth could get affected if the organic matter decomposes leading to fungi and bacteria. Some of the organic soil covers could block the flow of air and water between the atmosphere and soil. The soil then dries up rapidly.
Some of the soil covers that help in retaining nutrients are peat moss, clippings of grass, wood and bark. Peat moss is very popular as soil protection and very convenient to use. It can be packaged and stored and used whenever required. The pH of surface soil gets reduced whenever it is mixed with needles of pine, and it can also be burned to make a dense cover, preventing water from logging. Some of the plants favor acidic soil, in which case peat moss can be of great help.
Leaves are an excellent source of mulch. During winter, leaves fall off the deciduous trees, which can be shredded or chopped as protective cover. Their biggest advantage is that they allow water as well as moisture to seep into the soil. When lawns are mowed, clippings of grass can be mixed well with compost that is rough, to hasten the process of decomposition. These clippings should be dried well before use. Tree pruning results in wood chips and dust that is very coarse in nature which can be used as soil cover. Chips off tree barks, lightweight straw, old newspaper, throw away cardboard etc. are excellent sources for preparing a perfect cover for the soil.
Knowing how to utilize yard Mulch can get it looking in tip-top shape in no time. You can use a lot of different materials for mulching but knowing how and where to put it is very important. Mulch is the key to a great looking yard.