WORTHINGTON — It’s not too early to think about care of your growing plants and vegetables.
Let’s talk about mulch as one option.
Mulch is any material covering the soil. The purpose and benefits of mulch are weed suppression, moisture control, prevent soil erosion, keep roots cool or warm depending on the season and, if using organic mulch, adding nutrients to the soil.
Organic mulch includes shredded bark, straw, pine needles, leaves, compost, grass clippings, cardboard or newspaper. Organic mulch breaks down over time and enriches the soil.
Inorganic mulch is man-made like landscape fabric and plastic. It does not feed the soil as it wears out.
Here are a few hints about using mulch. (There are many more).
If using grass clippings, be sure there is not any chemical residue on them especially from the first cuttings in the spring. If you use clippings from your yard, you will know; if you use clippings from the local garbage disposal place, you do not know and should wait several weeks in the spring before using them to be sure. Grass will break down over time, so you may need to add more clippings.Black plastic mulch may be too hot as it absorbs heat and may “fry” the roots of a plant in the hot summer and you will lose that plant.Keep any mulch 2 inches away from the base (stem ) of the plant to decrease the risk of disease.
So back to “What’s new in mulch?”
It’s wool. Yes, from sheep. It can be used right off the sheep or in the form of wool pellets (more expensive). Waste wool is being used.
Some benefits of using wool mulch are:
Provides nitrogen, holds water like a sponge and slowly releases it into the soil, a weed suppressant, slow decomposition, slug control, deters deer, keeps soil cool in the summer and warm in the fall which promotes a longer growing season.
What are the downsides to wool mulch?
It has been found that squash cannot lay directly on it as the squash decays, it may not be easy to find, how to keep it from blowing away, it may be heavy to move as in loading or unloading.
I saw it being used last summer around flowers. I do not know the long-term outcome of its use yet. I hope to find out this summer.
In summary, I do use a lot of mulch and it’s mainly grass clippings as they are so easy to find at no cost. Mulch helps to cut down on my weeding time and watering time and the amount of water used.
I hope you will try mulching and, in particular, wool.
Now where can I find a friendly sheep farmer?
Resources: South Dakota State University Extension (Dr. K. Lang; J. Whaley); University of Minnesota Extension; Seedsnsuch; Homestead on the Range
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