Residents can learn how to build low-maintenance gardens at a University of Guam Land Grant Extension Service workshop on Tuesday.
The free, hands-on workshop “Sheet Mulching: Turn Your Lawn into a Productive Garden” will teach a simple, low-maintenance gardening practice that suppresses weeds, prevents erosion, conserves water, and builds healthy, productive soil.
It will be part classroom learning and part field demonstration and will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, on the UOG campus.
Sheet mulching is a three-layer system — concentrated nutrients, a weed barrier, and mulch — that can be created entirely from locally available or waste materials, such as cardboard, newspaper, compost, shredded paper, grass clippings, and green waste, a release from UOG states.
“This practice is adaptable to nearly any garden or farm site and is especially valuable for improving Guam’s limestone, clay, and shallow soils,” said L. Robert Barber, an extension specialist of agricultural economics and sustainable agriculture with UOG Land Grant in a release.
Barber will be leading the workshop along with Mark Acosta, extension agent of sustainable agriculture.
Attendees will receive step-by-step guidance on the sheet mulching process from preparing a site to applying the layers and then maintaining the area.
Workshop participants will also gain insight into the full range of ecological and practical benefits of sheet mulching, including:
• Strong weed suppression
• Protection of tree trunks from bush-cutters
• Improved soil fertility and increased organic matter
• Enhanced microbial life, earthworms, and beneficial insects
• Better soil structure, aeration, and water infiltration
• Reduced soil-borne plant diseases
• Increased plant vigor, root growth, and pest resistance
• Lower long-term landscape maintenance costs
This workshop is ideal for home gardeners, farmers, landscapers, educators, and anyone interested in sustainable, low-cost methods of improving soil health.
Seating is limited to 50 participants, and registration is required. Interested residents can register free of charge at https://url.uog.edu/sheet-mulching.
For more information, call (671) 735-2003/2080.
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