Pine bark as garden mulch
Pine bark is a 100% natural material. Which type to choose depends on the application. The bark is suitable for landscaping, home gardens, flower beds, gardens and paths. Several types of mulch are used:
- fine fraction (up to 8 cm);
- medium (from 8 to 15 cm);
- large (more than 15 cm).
It is the best material for covering the soil, because the bark slowly breaks down and decomposes, so it will last for many years without replenishment. Pine bark is popular for mulching trees and shrubs.
It contains fungicides that prevent insect pests. This allows the garden to be maintained without additional chemical treatment. The bark serves not only as a shelter from freezing, but also as a decorative design. Rose responds well to pine bark.
The pine bark is laid around the trunk in a radius of up to 70 cm.
Consider the features of the use of different types of mulch.
| Sawdust | 1. Lead to a deficiency of nitrogen in the soil. 2. May acidify the soil. |
Pine bark will not completely eliminate weeds, but will make it easier to care for plants. After mulching, weeds grow more slowly, only single stems germinate, which become frail and weak.
DIY instructions
Covering the soil with bark mulch can be used both in the open-air garden and in the greenhouse. Such protection for plants is easy to do with your own hands. The rules for preparing the material are simple, but still have their own characteristics.
Optimal timing of material collection
To prepare the mulch, they use trees that were felled less than five months ago. It is not recommended to take material from living plants, because it contains a large amount of resinous substances. In addition, the removal of the top layer of the tree trunk may cause its death.
Selection and procurement
You can make mulch yourself from larch or pine. The most aesthetically pleasing mulch is from those tree species that have a light bark. Pine, in turn, is not inferior in terms of decorative qualities and has a longer service life.
Photo:
When harvesting bark to protect the soil in the garden, some features of the selection of trees should be taken into account:
- do not take wood material from old, destroyed plants;
- do not use bark, which, when removed, does not separate well from the trunk and falls apart.
Fallen trees in the forest are not recommended for mulch. Such plants can be infected with fungal diseases.
The use of mulch from the affected bark in the garden bed can cause disease in cultivated plantations.
Treatment
Before making mulch, you should disinfect wood raw materials. Treatment is necessary to protect cultivated plants from possible infections and pests. It can be done independently in two ways:
- In the oven at seventy degrees, heat the bark for twenty minutes. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the temperature, since its increase can lead to the ignition of the wood material.
- Put the bark in a container with water and boil over low heat. This sterilization is performed for ten minutes.
It is not recommended to steam the bark of trees. This process leads to its destruction.
Shredding
The bark should be chopped before laying. You can cut it into particles with sharp scissors or a garden pruner. The size of the pieces depends on the purpose for which the mulch will be used:
Fine fractions - from 1 to 10 mm are used for heavy clay soil, which most needs to maintain temperature and humidity.
Small particles of the bark quickly rot, enriching the soil and improving its structure. Medium fractions - from 10 to 30 mm. This size of the bark not only maintains the required temperature in the ground and retains a sufficient amount of moisture, but also allows you to create a good decorative design.
Large fractions - more than 30 mm. Such material is practically not used to shelter plants; it is used to decorate garden paths or playgrounds. To prevent the germination of weeds, cover the large bark with a sufficiently thick layer. The best option for the protection of cultivated plantations is the pine bark of the middle fraction. This mulch is used for berry bushes and fruit trees. Low apple trees especially require protection.
In low-stem varieties of trees, the root system is close to the surface of the earth. Therefore, such plants simply need to mulch the trunks.
How to prepare bed mulch?
Ready-made mulch can be purchased in specialized stores, but its price is not small. Living close to the forest, you can harvest the bark yourself. ".
Council number 1. Among all varieties of bark, give preference to pine. She will hold out on the site up to three times longer.
Consider the following when choosing a tree:
- Do not remove bark from young trees.
- Old, diseased and fallen trees will not work. There are no useful substances in the bark and pests can start.
- The bark should peel off easily and not fall apart.
For harvesting bark, trees cut down no more than six months ago are suitable. The bark is chopped up with shears or scissors. The size of the fraction is determined according to the scope of use. For vegetable beds and strawberries, they are crushed to a state of fine chips.
The bark is crushed manually or automatically and must be dried.
Organic mulch
Mulching strawberries
The source of this type of shelter can be any organic residues or production waste. In theory, in order to make such mulch, you may not even have to resort to shopping. Often the necessary materials are available directly on site.
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No. 1 Garden compost
Garden compost
Garden compost Most frequently used material. It can be produced with the help of compost pits or heaps, where all kinds of organic residues are accumulated for some time - mowed grass or tops, leaves, thin branches, etc., mixed with the soil.
The main advantage of this material is its neutral reaction and the presence of useful organic substances, increasing soil fertility.
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No. 2 Leaf or herbal humus
Leafy or herbal humus
Leafy or herbal humus The production technology is similar to compost, but only soft residues are used - grass or leaves. It practically does not have fertilizer functions, it has an acid reaction.
The main plus of mulch made from such material is it acts as a good soil conditioner.
Ordinary dry or semi-rotten leaves will also be a good conditioner.
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No. 3 Mown grass
Cut grass
Cut grass The easiest way to mulch. As a grass, you can use almost any plant - from cereals to weeds, such as weeds. The ideal option is the grass after the area has been treated with a lawn mower. The cut material can be simply laid on the beds without preliminary drying. Weeds will not grow under a sufficiently thick layer of such mulch, and the soil will remain loose and sufficiently moist.
Another disadvantage of this type of mulching is that the grass needs to be renewed from time to time. There can be up to 5-6 such updates per season.
Sometimes the grass is pre-dried before mulching, or ready-made hay is used.
You should be aware that freshly cut grass contains a lot of nitrogen and heats up as it decomposes. Therefore, it is not recommended to lay such mulch too close to the trunks of plants, since they can resist from high humidity. You should also reduce the amount of nitrogenous fertilizers or completely abandon them.
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# 4 Straw
Straw
Straw One of the most popular mulching materials. Perfectly retains heat and moisture in the soil. Often used for nightshade pumpkin crops, as well as when growing berries (strawberries, wild strawberries, blueberries, etc.) It decays relatively slowly, one bookmark can “work out” without any problems throughout the season. Unlike cut grass, it does not need to be constantly renewed.
The main disadvantage of straw is its ability to "take" nitrogen from the soil during rotting, which will require feeding the plants with nitrates or urea. Another disadvantage is that straw is an ideal home for mice. Rodents usually damage cereals, but there is food for them in the garden - they can feed on pumpkin seeds and damage the bark of fruit trees and shrubs.
Straw (along with sawdust) is the most optimal mulching for raspberries.
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No. 5 Overripe manure mixed with straw
Rotted manure mixed with straw
Rotted manure mixed with straw Good covering material with poor fertilizing properties. It has a slightly alkaline reaction (reduces acidity), therefore, it is sometimes recommended to use it for deoxidizing soils.
They are often mulched with young seedlings or transplanted plants.
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No. 6 Needles
Needles
Needles A popular covering material (albeit with limited use), especially if there are forest plantations nearby. It has high acidity and requires mandatory pre-drying. In addition, since the acidity of the needles is high, it is used only for acetophils: cranberries, blueberries, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, as well as conifers themselves.
In some cases (for example, on excessively alkaline soils), gardeners deliberately go for the mulch of their coniferous needles, to make the soil more or less neutral. But this should also not be done, since the presence of covering material in the form of needles on the beds, roots and berries can change their taste properties.
For other crops in the garden or vegetable garden, this type of mulch is not used.
Onions and garlic are well tolerated with needles mulching.The harvest of potatoes, carrots and beets, when used as mulch, pine needles begin to taste a little bitter!
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# 7 Cones
Cones
Cones Coniferous cones can also be used as a mulching material, however, given their large size, they have a decorative function. It is allowed to grind pine or spruce cones into chips with its further use as mulch.
A mistake when mulching with this material is to use buds that have not yet opened. This leads to a wide variety of unpleasant consequences: from contamination of the site with resin to self-seeding of conifers.
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No. 8 Sawdust
Sawdust
Sawdust One of the best air conditioners and heat insulators, widely used for mulching shrubs and vegetables. In addition, it is widely used for winterizing plants.
The reaction is acidic or slightly acidic (it depends on the type of wood and its age), but the main disadvantage of sawdust isthat they, unlike grass, do not give up, but accumulate nitrogen, sometimes significantly depleting the soil. To avoid this, it is not recommended to use fresh sawdust. They should be pretreated before use.
The preparation algorithm is as follows:
- Sawdust is poured onto a film and urea and water are added. A bucket of sawdust will need 60 g of urea and 3-4 liters of water
- The next layer of sawdust is poured on top, again adding water and urea. In total, 4-5 such layers are made.
- Next, the resulting mass is hermetically closed with a film and oppression is placed on top in the form of boards or bricks
- After 12-15 days, the sawdust will be ready for use.
The thickness of the sawdust mulch layer is 5-10 cm.
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No. 9 Bark, shavings, chips
Bark
Bark, shavings, chips Coarse mulch, sometimes used instead of sawdust. It has a slightly acidic reaction and the ability to absorb nitrogen from the soil. Therefore, just like sawdust, she will need preliminary processing.
The bark, chips or shavings of coniferous trees will need to be composted before use for a year, deciduous trees - from 3 to 6 months. Sometimes wood shavings are used for decorative mulching of non-calciphilic conifers.
An interesting exception to this group is larch bark mulch. This is not just a coniferous plant, it is a representative of the Pine class, but despite this, its bark is highly recommended for mulching, even without pretreatment.
This material, placed in the trunk circle, will perfectly suppress any weeds and retain moisture in the soil. When decaying, it enriches the soil with nutrients, practically without changing its acidity.
It is not recommended to use walnut or Siberian pine (cedar) shavings or sawdust for mulching. The substances contained in them can change the mineral composition of the soil not for the better. It is believed that larch bark contributes to the formation of the maximum amount of humus.
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No. 10 Peat
Peat
Peat In its pure form, it is used only for mulching acetophiles, since it has high acidity and chemical activity. The main plus of peat is a combination of good covering and excellent feeding properties.
It can also be used for other crops mixed with sand or humus. Decomposes relatively quickly. As a rule, crops are mulched with peat only once per season.
Often used for mulching seedlings or when planting seeds... It is the optimal mulch for use in greenhouses, as it combines the functions of a quickly absorbed fertilizer and a covering agent.
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No. 11 Moss
Moss
Moss Common forest moss can also be used as a mulch as it shares all the basic characteristics of this covering. It keeps the soil moist and protects the area around the stem or trunk from pests. Weeds will also not be able to break through the thick moss layer. The protective functions of moss do not interfere with air exchange processes.
One of the most popular types of moss for mulching is sphagnum. Moss is suitable for mulching tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries. Of all the organic matter, moss is able to maintain soil moisture for the longest time. It is believed that this material will be ideal for crops that do not need to be watered too often.
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No. 12 Eggshell
Eggshell
Eggshell Interesting, but rather highly specialized natural covering material. It has a pronounced alkaline reaction and contains a large amount of calcium. Therefore, it is mainly used for calciphiles or for deoxidizing soils. Used in crushed form.
Instead of eggshells, you can add crushed shellfish.
Eggshell perfectly protects plantings from slugs and snails.
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No. 13 Potato husk
Potato husk
Potato husk Leftovers from peeling potatoes that appear when cooking them for food can be used in the garden in different ways. They are rich in starch and potassium, so they can be used as a natural fertilizer. In addition, potato peelings are used in the country for composting. Due to its fairly thick peel, this material can also be used as a mulching material.
To properly mulch the soil with potato peelings, they must be pre-dried. Fresh cleaning is a favorable environment for the formation of fungus. In addition, the remaining sprouts have a relatively high chance of germination (up to 30%).
Various fruit and ornamental bushes respond especially well to mulching with this material. These include currants, honeysuckle, viburnum, and so on. For nightshade crops (in particular, tomatoes), potato peelings are not recommended.
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No. 14 Nitrogen-containing crops
Nitrogen-containing crops
Nitrogen-containing crops On poor soils, it is recommended to use finely chopped greens of the following plants as mulch:
- comfrey
- peas or beans
- nettle
- clover
- yarrow
- fern
These plants are capable of accumulating large amounts of nitrogen and various trace elements, therefore they are perfect as a mulch that combines the properties of a gentle fertilizer. As a rule, such mulch is used in the same way as peat mulch - no more than once a year. Most often it is used either in early spring or late autumn, in order to provide plants with nitrogen at the beginning of the season.
Sometimes the following technique is used: legumes are grown as green manures, then they are mown, part of the mown green part is crushed and dug up with the soil, and part is used for mulching when planting a new crop.
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# 15 Foliage
Foliage
Foliage Fallen leaves can be used as mulch at the end of the season to shelter the root system of plants from winter frost. This is a very compromise material, since its usefulness is questionable. The only positive qualities can be attributed to its general availability.
The danger of using fallen leaves lies in three factors:
- The leaves filtered the atmospheric air and precipitation throughout the season, dust, dirt and various chemicals accumulated on them. That is, they are more toxic than any other covering material.
- Fallen wet leaves are an ideal environment for the development of fungi and pathogenic bacteria, therefore, their use for crops with weak immunity is not recommended at all
- In early spring, it is the leaves that cause the root system of young plants to grow
Therefore, the leaves are often used not as the main one, and as an auxiliary mulching material, they cover already covered areas. For example, mowed grass is placed on the ground, a plastic wrap is placed on top, and only then a 20-30 cm layer of fallen leaves. And even in this case, the leaves are not left on the beds until the end of winter - at the very first spring thaw, they should be removed in order to avoid overwhelming.
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Terms of soil mulching
Mulch the soil in spring or autumn. Necessarily when the ground warms up. In the spring, they start mulching before weeds appear. If they have already appeared on the beds, then the site is weeded. Before laying the mulch, fertilize is applied, and mulch is poured on top of it in a layer of 5-7 cm. As the weeds grow, they are pulled out without disturbing the mulch layer.
Council number 2. Do not mulch the beds before May, wait for the crops to disappear. If the soil is very damp, then wait until it dries.
Mulching is carried out regardless of the season, even in summer, when sowing new beds. " For the winter they mulch in late or early autumn, it all depends on the goals of this procedure:
- in September, the soil is mulched to preserve beneficial microorganisms in the soil;
- in November or December, they mulch to shelter plants and protect them from frost.
In the fall, the soil is mulched after weeding the site from weeds. Closer to winter, add a layer of mulch. Also increase the last year's layer, if it is less than 3 cm. Pour pine bark in any season, but better in the fall before the onset of frost. Before mulching, the beds are weeded, fertilized and watered.
For flower beds
Wood waste is very useful for garden beds or flower beds, because with their help:
- fertilize the soil;
- mulch the soil;
- decorate the space;
- protect paths from dirt.
To fertilize the soil, use the same methods that are described in the previous section, because regardless of the type of plant (tree, bush, flower), it nutrients and various elements are always needed.
Sawdust can be applied both before planting (taking care not to burn the roots of the flowers), and during loosening, digging or fertilizing the earth.
Wherein you need to pay attention to the acidity of the soil, adjusting it to the optimal level for certain plants.
Mulching flower beds pursues slightly different goals than mulching trees or garden plantings, because the garden should be not only useful, but also beautiful.
Therefore, mulching should not only protect the ground from drying out and frost, but also harmoniously fit into the general background and interior of the site in color.Often, such decorative sawdust used for mulching, paint to change their color and make the flower bed more beautiful.
In addition, mulch helps weed control, because it is difficult for them to germinate through 5-10 cm of sawdust. Moreover, most bulbous plants germinate without problems through the layer of wood waste.
Thanks to this mulching, the flower bed will always be clean and free of weeds, and its appearance will delight the eye.
Pine bark application
If pine bark is used for the first time on the site, then it is better to carry out mulching in the spring. Flower beds, vegetable beds, strawberries or strawberries, a garden are suitable. Pine bark is selected for the garden plot, depending on the size of the fraction. All three types are suitable for mulching. But they need to be used for their intended purpose.
The coarse fraction is used for the garden. More often it is used as a decorative design for paths and areas, rather than for mulching beds. For strawberries and vegetables, medium and fine fractions are suitable. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and carrots are mulched.
The bark of a large fraction is used to cover the flower beds for the winter. It performs the function of decoration and frost protection.
When mulching, it should be borne in mind that pine bark decomposes to a state of humus in three years. Moreover, the small fraction will last two seasons, and the middle one - 3-4 seasons. As the layer decreases, pour in new material.
The decomposed bark turns into humus, and nutrients penetrate into the soil. This improves the development of cultures. Pure pine bark is not used for vegetables, trees, shrubs, peonies and roses. ". There are two options for using mulch:
- Lay a layer of rotted manure on the beds and cover with pine bark on top.
- Mix pine bark with horse manure in a ratio of 2: 1 and lay in a layer of 5-7 cm on the beds. Space is left around the trunks of plants for air exchange.
- Mulch is laid around the bushes within a radius of up to 0.5 m, and around trees - within a radius of up to 1 m.
Mown lawn grass
Mowed lawn grass is a good mulching material. Photo: Gardening Know How
Lawn mowers are not in vain equipped with collectors for mowed lawn grass - foreigners from time immemorial use any lawn mowing for mulching beds. In fact, lawn grass is the same grains that look beautiful.
It is recommended to dry the lawn cut before using it as mulch, so as not to block the oxygen supply to the plants growing in the garden.
How is the soil mulched with pieces of bark?
Before starting the process, prepare the soil. Preparations begin in the spring, as soon as the topsoil dries up after the snow melts. The earth is loosened to a depth of 5 to 8 cm. If the soil moisture is high, then mulching is set aside for later, so that the earth warms up and dries up. There is no need to rush. If wet soil is mulched, it will compact, which will lead to rotting crops.
For mulching, the bark is harvested independently or purchased in a store.
It is best to mulch in May. They start with the following actions:
- Weeds that have germinated are removed, and fallen leaves are scooped up.
- The dry soil is watered so that the crops do not experience a water shortage the first time after mulching and develop normally. After the rains, water will flow to the roots through the mulch.
- Organic fertilizers are applied. Fertilizers are buried to a depth of 20 cm. This is the optimal distance for feeding the roots of crops. If fertilizing is laid to a depth of 2 cm, then the plants will not be able to fully absorb nutrients. Fertilizers can be applied in autumn or early spring before plowing the beds. For this, horse or cow manure is suitable, which must be rotted. For 1 sq. M. the site will require 4 kg of horse or 5-8 kg of cow dung. Other organic fertilizers are also used. It supplies the soil well with peat or compost.It can be mixed with mulch and buried in the ground. For 1 sq. M. plot take 2.5 kg of peat or 5 kg of compost.
- If necessary, apply mineral fertilizers. Nitrogen, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are used. For 1 sq. M. the site is made 30 g of urea or ammonium nitrate, 25 g of ammophos and 20 g of potassium dressing.
- After fertilization, the surface of the soil is covered with bark with a layer of 3 to 8 cm.The thickness of the layer depends on the density of the soil; on clay soils, a thickness of up to 2 cm is chosen, and on sandy and loose soils, the layer is increased to 8 cm. The beds are mulched every 2-3 years. ...
What are the benefits of using mulch?
- Preservation of water in the soil - moisture evaporates from a covered surface much less, there is no need for frequent watering;
- Temperature control - on hot days, the root system will not overheat, and in winter it will not freeze;
- Curbing weed growth - mulching with a 4–6 cm layer prevents unnecessary plants from appearing;
- Improvement of the soil - indoor soil remains loose for longer, permeable to air and water;
- Enrichment with nutrients - organic mulch decomposes over time, saturating the earth with useful components;
- Regulation of the acidity level - introduced pine needles, cones, bark or spruce branches gradually acidify the soil;
- The decoration of the site - mulch under the trees looks neat, which means that the decorativeness of the garden increases.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Question number 1. What is the consumption of the bark?
For 1 sq. M. site consume a bag of bark.
Question number 2. What is the best layer for vegetable beds?
In late spring, the soil is mulched with a layer of 6-8 cm.
Question number 3. Can shrubs and trees be mulched with pine bark?
Yes. Shrubs mulch with a layer of 5-7 cm within a radius of 40 cm, trees within a radius of 70 cm from the trunk. Space is left around the trunks for air to pass through.
Question number 4. Do I need to remove the bark from the garden every year?
If pine bark is used for flower beds and a garden, then it is left on the ground for up to three years. On vegetable beds, mulch is removed as needed. It does not harm plants when it is on the soil surface all year round.
Question number 5. Do I need to add bark throughout the year?
For the winter, it is advisable to increase the layer to 15 cm, and in the spring, after the end of the frost, the layer is reduced.
Wood sawdust (preferably hardwood)
Wood sawdust is a worthy material for mulching, especially if it is hardwood sawdust: birch, aspen, linden, poplar, oak, etc. Pine sawdust should be used in the absence of hardwood sawdust.
The best mulch comes from rotten sawdust that has been in a heap for one to two years. Fresh sawdust absorbs nitrogen from the soil, depriving plants of a valuable macronutrient. If you can't wait, soak fresh sawdust with a solution of urea at the rate of 1 kg of urea (urea) per 150 liters of fresh sawdust. Dissolve urea in 50 liters of water.
Mulching gardeners mistakes
Here are some common mistakes:
- The layer of mulch is laid so that it does not reach the trunks of trees and stems of crops, otherwise rotting will begin.
- The soil is not mulched before May. If you cover unheated soil with mulch, then the pine bark prevents the penetration of sunlight and seedlings will appear later.
- Do not cover dry soil with mulch. The soil is mulched after rain or after abundant watering of the soil, because the small and medium pine bark does not allow moisture to the plants well.
- In sunny areas, a layer of bark is laid on the surface of the soil thicker than in shaded areas.
- Fresh pine bark is not used. It contains substances that affect the growth of crops. Before using it in the garden, the mulch is dried in the sun for a couple of months, and it is better to use material that has been in the forest for more than 6 months.
Most common mistakes in use
When laying mulch, gardeners often make mistakes that negatively affect the development of cultivated plants: Covering dry soil. Moisture does not pass through the coniferous bark. Therefore, rainwater is not able to wet dry soil well, which leads to poor plant development.
Moisten the area with plenty of moisture before laying the mulch. Apply bark in the spring before crops appear in the garden. Wood mulch does not allow sunlight to pass through, which is essential for seedling. In this regard, the first shoots of garden crops will appear much later than the required time. You need to mulch the beds after young plants begin to appear. Failure to comply with the required distance from the coating to the crops in the garden. If you lay the mulch too close, the plant will deteriorate where it comes into contact with it. Also, dense woody material can inhibit the development of side shoots. Correct mulching - more than 35 cm from the bush.
Pine mulch is one of the best soil protection materials in your garden or vegetable garden. With its help, you can create a microclimate necessary for the fruitful development of plants. The best protection is provided only by correctly selected and properly prepared mulching material.
Inorganic mulch
Mulching near-trunk circles of fruit trees
Inorganic mulch Usually, it is divided into aesthetic and practical. The first group traditionally includes various solid materials: stones, crushed stone, etc. The second group is covering fabrics of artificial origin.
Many people do not understand the benefits of aesthetic mulching materials. But everything falls into place when, after a good rain, the soil washed from the flower beds turns out to be on the paths.
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No. 16 Stone, crushed stone, gravel
Stone, crushed stone, gravel
Stone, crushed stone, gravel The main purpose is to give the landings a beautiful appearance. It is mainly used for ornamental plants. They can create obstacles to the penetration of pests, but retain moisture and heat mediocre. Often they are used as an external shelter for already laid material: for example, a layer of stones is placed on a bed of straw or humus.
Mulch made from flat stones or pebbles is good for keeping topsoil from being washed out by rainfall or irrigation water.
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No. 17 Polyethylene film
Polyethylene film
Polyethylene film It retains heat and moisture well in the soil, protects against most pests trying to get to the soil. The disadvantages include poor air permeability, which leads to the root system puffing up.
Another important disadvantage of a coating made of this material is its low mechanical strength. Sometimes polyethylene mulching film can also be made in the form of a multilayer structure, which avoids this disadvantage, but leads to another - a decrease in transparency.
In the case of using polyethylene of dark shades, strong overheating of the upper layer of the soil is possible, therefore it is not recommended to use black film in the southern regions.
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No. 18 Non-woven covering materials
Non-woven covering materials
Non-woven covering materials They are polymer fibers connected in a certain way. Recently, a large number of such materials have been produced. They have different thicknesses and have good thermal insulation characteristics.Some of them are capable of retaining water.
They are used in much the same way as plastic films, with the only difference that they provide better water and air exchange. One of the disadvantages of such materials is their low strength.
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No. 19 Agrofibre
Agrofiber
Agrofiber It is devoid of the disadvantages of polyethylene, since it can conduct air almost unhindered, thereby ensuring respiration of the root system. There are many modifications of agrofibre with different water and air permeability. Moreover, in different directions it may be different.
Most versatile inorganic mulch material... A variety of its types are on sale, differing in color, thickness, ability to pass water, air and light. It has high strength, since it is essentially a woven material.
The only drawback of agrofibre is its cost. In addition, its use for more than one season is not recommended, as the material loses its properties.
Also, in comparison with black film, agrofibre is stronger and more durable, it is less susceptible to temperature effects.
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No. 20 Cardboard
Cardboard
Cardboard Thick cardboard can also be used to mulch garden beds. This lightweight and relatively strong material is easy to work with, and its service life is about the same as that of freshly cut grass.
As a weed control agent, cardboard will be most effective at the start of the season.
Unlike sawdust and other wood materials, cardboard and thick paper are relatively neutral and do not change the composition of the soil. It is especially good to mulch berry plantings or areas with white cabbage with cardboard. To prevent the destruction of the material from precipitation, it is advisable to lay it in two layers.
The main problem for cardboard is precipitation. On average, after the second rain, the material becomes completely unusable.
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