Homesfornh.com – Mulching is important for every vegetable garden. It helps the gardener to keep the soil moist. Mulching uses organic sources to let it mix into the soil during the growing process. You can add more sources to mulch your plant. The mulching source should be effective to hold water on the surface of the soil, so your plant can save water for longer. To get more knowledge in mulching the plant, we will discuss mulching sources that you can find in your area. The beginner gardener may be questioning why they should mulch their plant. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss Thus our discussion of 9 Organic Mulch Source Ideas That You Can Get Easily. Let us tell you that mulching can retain water at least for a day after the last deep watering. Here, mulching is more effective for plants such as:
- Gives more nutrients to the soil after the organic mulch decomposed
- Keeps the soil moist, then your plant will not dehydrate
- Makes your garden looks neat
- Protects your plant from weeds and some insects
- Helps you to landscape the garden
Using organic materials in gardening is helpful to keep the ecology in the garden area. The soil is healthier and has a long fertile period. Mulching is essential to put in every garden soil. Here, the nine mulch organic sources that you can get in your home. Let’s discuss!
Compost
Compost is made of organic sources like leaves, eggshells, aged hay, vegetable scraps, grass clippings, and animal manure from herbivores. Thus, compost is healthy for plants because it gives nitrogen and carbon dioxide to the soil. Compost can be an organic source for mulching your plants, it can hold water properly and make the soil more fluffy. However, compost is helpful to be organic mulching that you can make free at home.
Grass Clippings
Do you have a green landscape in the front yard or backyard? If you grow lawns for home landscaping, it produces a natural source for mulching every you mow the lawn. Grass clippings are good for mulching the plants. It is nitrogen-rich material to add to the soil. The grass clippings produce natural heat on the soil and keep the soil moist. Grass clippings are easy to get from your front yard or even from your neighbor if there is a lawn for landscaping.
Pine Needles
Pine needles are effective in mulch plants. Some gardeners make use of their pine plants and turn their leaves into mulch. It is an organic source for mulching your plants. You can spread pine needles on the garden to cover the soil. This organic material is free and you can take it from your pine trees. Pine needles are nitrogen-rich because it is organic leaves.
Wood Chips
If you have many wood scraps, you can make organic wood chips to mulch your plants. This organic material can hold water in the soil longer. Wood chips are useful to reduce the heat from sunlight during hot days, so the soil will not drain easily. You can give a deep watering for your plants and arrange the wood chips on the soil if they get through the water.
Autumn Leaves
The Autumn season brings myriad falling leaves to the front yard and backyard. These leaves are useful to be an organic mulch for your garden. Keep all autumn leaves in a big container. You need to use a leaf shredder or lawnmower. This machine is useful to shred the leaves into pieces. Take the shredded leaves into a plastic bag. You can use these leaves to mulch the plants and make homemade compost.
Straw
Straw is another source for mulching. It has rough surfaces but will decay slowly in moist conditions. Straw can heat the soil and keep the humidity in the soil. It protects the soil from the sunlight, even it is good to reduce weeds in your garden area. You can chop the straw to make it easy to mulch your plants. If you have straw in pallets, you can store it for the next planting.
Pruning Leaf and Leaf Shredder
Pruning the plant is beneficial to stimulate the plants’ growth. It helps your plants to grow new leaves and flowers. However, when you prune the plants, collect all the pruning leaves and stems in a container. Chop the pruning leaves and use them to mulch your plants. The fresh leaves are nitrogen-rich that will easy to decompose and fertile the soil. Besides, you can collect them to add nitrogen to your compost pile before mulching the plants.
Rice Hull
Rice hull has many benefits in a garden. This organic material is good for the roots. It can improve soil drainage. Rice hull is water-holding material that will keep the soil moist. Moreover, the rough textures and tiny shapes are sustainable to provide good aeration in the soil. It is a biodegradable material, then it makes the soil more fertile when it is decomposed.
Coconut Coir
A coconut coir or coco coir is a beneficial waste for the garden. Coconut coir has good drainage and water-sustain, then it is a good protector for the moist soil. You can add coconut coir with potting mix to create fluffy soil. Add a thin layer of coconut coir to mulch the plants. This material is doing well to combine with other amendments like perlite and rice hulls.
Thus our discussion of 9 Organic Mulch Source Ideas That You Can Get Easily. Mulching is important to provide moist soil for the plants. A good humidity makes the seeds grow well, even it provides adequate water in the soil. Mulching also protects your plants from weeds like crabgrass. Try to mulch now! We’d love to inspire you to grow a healthy plant in the garden, especially growing vegetables. Happy gardening!
