What do you do for mulch?
lindalana 5b Chicago
13 days ago
last modified: 13 days ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (6)
Related Discussions
Garden questions since it is too hot to actually garden.
Comments (4)My little Japanese maple, type unknown since my landscape guy took the tag with him, is suffering like yours Faye, with curling leaves and quite stressed looking. This is its first summer and it was planted in late June, so I dare not move it. It is so hot in the little rock garden where it's planted that I can't stand there in the afternoon. I just hope it will make it. The other little plants they put there, some boxwoods and azaleas and a rhodie, all look "ok". They have at least put on some growth in the month they've been out there, but everything is suffering. Our new lawn looks as barren as a lunar landscape. Last night it went down to 59, but right now it's 95. I guess we're all going to have to be patient, but I'm ready for Fall. I hope you get some answers on the disc question. Our front area was terribly compacted by the construction, and I'm looking for some way to help restore it. Best of luck to you on your projects....See MoreWhat type of mulch do you use?
Comments (9)I'm a fan of shredded leaves for a few reasons: 1. It's free and abundant at my house. 2. I REALLY prefer the look of good black earth (coming from the land of some of the richest soil/farmland in the US, soil is beautiful to me). Shredded leaves are a close second. Just looks more natural to me. 3. Putting on 3-4 inches of shredded leaves in the fall lasts all winter and mostly thru the summer. It decomposes and nourishes the soil further. If weeds do pop up, I use the old-time farmer method of weed control method...hoeing. I will have had plenty of shredded leaves left over from the last season, so if I need to top anything off, I've got the excess. As the leaves are further turned into the soil with the hoe water is conserved by the hoeing. By the time the leaves have mostly decomposed and I'm ready to add more mulch, the leaves are falling and I've go more leaves to shred. It's a routine and a cycle for me. PS: I just posted pics on this forum about edging, so my pics are for the edges; however, you can see my shredded leaf mulch (and my hoe!) there. It's what's there from last fall's application. All I did so far this spring was fluff the leaves. I haven't added or done anything else. Gayle Here is a link that might be useful: link to edging post on hosta forum...See MoreWhat mulch and soil amendments do you use?
Comments (25)Thank you all. There's a lot to learn from your comments. I live in an urban residential area and, while I wish I can use some of the creative organic solutions with manure, I'm afraid it's not possible for me given the proximity of our lots. That said, I'm encouraged to learn that horse manure is less smelly because we can get it for free in our area. Great to hear that many of you are using leaves and I keep scratching my head why I haven't thought of it sooner instead of wasting on their cleanup and collection. It sounds that roses are not too selective about the mulch material which will make it fun and interesting to experiment by rotating between them. The only trouble is that whatever decomposes faster and amends the soil also encourages weeds, but underplanting our roses more densely with perennials might be the way to control it....See MoreUsing Mulch Under Oak Trees: what do I do with the oak leaves?
Comments (5)Just now saw this thread, so I'm late to the convo. I'm in 10b south florida and I use one of those battery operated leaf chippers? mulchers? to chew up our oak leaves. We have a literal forest of avocado trees... that grow like weeds in our 'oak leaf amended soil' (much like @sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish) said above. Now that I'm putting in a front garden... I'm going to put them on my rose beds as mulch. I've heard it's great!...See Morelindalana 5b Chicago
2 days agolindalana 5b Chicago
3 hours agolast modified: 3 hours ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESNew Ways to Think About All That Mulch in the Garden
Before you go making a mountain out of a mulch hill, learn the facts about what your plants and soil really want
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESHow to Pick a Mulch — and Why Your Soil Wants It
There's more to topdressing than shredded wood. Learn about mulch types, costs and design considerations here
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESThe Art of Green Mulch
You can design a natural garden that doesn’t rely on covering your soil with wood and bark mulch
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES5 Things to Know About Weeding and Mulching Your Native Garden
What’s the best time to pull weeds? How thick should the mulch be? Here’s the scoop for a healthy landscape
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGarden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter
Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGGarden Musts for March
Some toil in the soil this month will help ensure a blooming garden come summer, so dig out your shovel and bring on the mulch
Full StoryGROUND COVERSGround Force: 10 Top Ground Covers for Your Garden
Protect your soil from weeds and drought this summer with a living mulch of ground covers
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESCentral Plains Gardener's November Checklist
Mulching, seeding, feeding — several small tasks to ensure a winter of activity, and a good spring start.
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESTexas Gardener's November Checklist
Planting and protecting are top priorities in the garden this month, so master the mulch and get those trees and shrubs in the ground
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESSoutheast Gardener's May Checklist
Bask in the blooms and mind your mulch this month; summer means lots to savor and lots to do in the garden
Full Story
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada