Best Organic Mulch

An Overview of Home-made Mulches

Mulch and compost are the two most important things that you can use for your garden. Every spring begins a new battle to keep your gardens growing green and healthy. Gardener’s worst enemies typically are blight, drought, parasites and diseases and of course the dreaded weeds. There are two basic type of mulch, inorganic and organic. Inorganic mulches are things such as, gravel, pebbles, landscaping fabric and any items that do not decompose. Organic mulch decomposes and is made of all natural substances and is very easy to make right at home.

One of the best defenses for weed control is homemade organic mulch. Mulch reduces water loss through evaporation. Mulch adds nutrients to your soil and helps keep those pesky weeds at bay. An excellent source of mulch that is completely free is tree trimmings. Normally arborists have to pay to dispose of their tree trimmings so they will gladly give you a truckload. Depending on the truck size you might just end up with 10 cubic yards of wood chip for absolutely nothing. What a great savings especially since plants and flowers can get rather expensive. With wood chips you do have to be careful since they will draw termites and other insects. Small chips decompose very rapidly using nitrogen from the soil.

Pine bark is another great mulch and aids in weed control. Pine bark is very attractive mulch. It is dark in color and can be purchased in large particles down to shreds. If you are cutting down any pine trees then take the time to rent a shredder and shred the scraps of the tree for your springtime mulching. One of the weaknesses of pine bark is that it is very light weight and does not hold up well in heavy rains. Another benefit is the odor of pine bark, it is very fragrant. Another part of the pine tree is very useful in mulching and that is pine needles. Pine needles are excellent mulch for staying in place because the needles have a tendency to interlock making them stay better especially on little hills. Trees and shrubs that intake a lot of acid love pine needles as a covering because this type of mulch allows air, water and nutrients to penetrate easily to the soil.

Another type of homemade mulch is shredded leaves. Shred the leaves coarsely using a shredder or your lawn mower. Leaves are easy to obtain and they make attractive mulch. Leaves also improve your soil as they decompose. After the leaves decompose you need to dig them into the soil and add a fresh layer of shredded leaves back on top.

The best use for grass clippings is to leave them on the lawn. Grass clippings will decompose rapidly, adding nutrients back into the soil. A two-inch layer of grass clippings provides weed control if they are not full of weed seeds. It is best to build up the layer gradually using dry grass, not fresh clippings, to prevent the formation of a solid mat. Be careful not to use clippings from lawns that have been treated with herbicides.

If you are luck enough to live by a pecan processing plant you can use pecan shells as mulch. Pecan shells make long-lasting, attractive, dark brown mulch that is effective in retaining moisture in the soil. Pecan shells also decompose slowly so there is less maintenance with this type of mulch.

Once you have decided which type of home made mulch you are going to use you need to get your area prepared to apply the mulch. Weed your area thoroughly before laying the mulch down. Keep your mulch 2-3 inches away from plant and 6 -12 inches away from walls of buildings. Depending on whether you are using fine or coarse mulch will determine how deep you layer the mulch. Fine textured mulch will suffocate the roots of your plants resulting in poor growth. Coarse textured mulch allows good ventilation so it can be as deep as 4 inches.

You can save a lot of money by using home made mulch. By using home made mulch you are able to refresh your gardens and keep them looking sharp all season long. Enjoy every aspect of your gardening it is a direct reflection of you and your home. Using home made mulches it will add to the beauty of you’re landscaping by providing a cover of uniform color and interesting texture to the surface. Best of luck with your gardening this spring.

Can someone give me some good tips to starting a bamboo grove?

I have 5 acres and would like to have several different groves of various varieties. My soil is alkiline. Texas Hill Country. and at the deepest 12-16 inches deep and pretty solid bedrock under that.
I am assumine I have to bring in quite a bit of organic material to help lower the ph. Is shredded brush good enough for mulch?.. please share with me what has worked for you…
I see various websites that have amazing types of runnin bamboo and would like to have guidance as to which varieties will do best for me.
Check out the varieties they have:

I love bamboo also.
I prefer the giant clumping varieties myself.
As you already know, the running varieties can become problems for some people. You mention you have 5 acres but you don’t state what size area you want planted .If you can afford it & still want the running types I would suggest making a buried concrete wall surrounding the planting. You may not care NOW how much area is taken over by bamboo but your mind might change. Or your neighbors down the road! It will be very difficult to control without boundries!

Incorporate as much organic material as you can in your soil. The shredded brush should be fine as a mulch.

All the types I find interesting are fairly expensive. I hope you find a good source. You might want to contact your county extension agent for suggestin a good variety. Some types are more hardy than others.

Good luck. I would love to see a photo of your grove in 5 years!

How to Compost : Learn Organic Garden Composting Online : Choosing a Compost Bin

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BAMBOO ecological COMPOST kitchen pail ORGANIC mulch NU $35.95 Sustainable Bamboo counter top Compost Pail Made of sturdy bamboo 10″ H x 7″ in diameter Hold up to 3.25 quarts (3 liters) of material Stores several days’ worth of kitchen trimmings and scraps Smooth sturdy handle makes it easy to carry to the main compost bin Plastic inner liner prevents bamboo from getting moist Liner is easily removable and has its own handle 2 charcoal filters inside…

Odor-Free Countertop Compost Container $54.99 Store vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, greens and other food scraps until you have time to deposit them into your outdoor compost. Two charcoal filters in the vented lid control odors. Stainless-steel with carrying handle. Dishwasher-safe. 7 1/4″ Dia. x 10 1/2″H 1-gallon; 9″ Dia. x 10 1/2″D 1 1/2-gallonProduct Features• Stainless-steel composter is perfect for storing vegetable …

Easy Gardener 702 WeedBlock Biodegradable Paper Mulch – 3-Foot x 50-Foot $8.76 Easy Gardener Biodegradable Mulch Paper Chemical Free Weed Prevention Made with recycled paper, the Easy Gardener Biodegradable Mulch Paper stops weeds, period. It conserves soil moisture and lets air in. After the growing season is over, just till it into the soil. The Easy Gardener Biodegradable Mulch Paper is great in annual landscape and garden areas to stop weeds. Use in vegetable gardens for…

Tumbleweed 200003 58-Gallon Rotating Compost Bin, Green $149.91 The brilliantly designed center pivoting composter produces up to 60 gallons of compost 4 times faster than any other. It mixes the compost simply by turning the composter on its centered pivoting stand. Accessible from either end too….

Scotts Nature Scapes Color-Enhanced Mulch Deep Forest Brown – 2 Cubic Feet $7.22 2 CUFT, Forrest Brown Color Enhanced Mulch, A Rich Brown Color, Which Is Guaranteed To Hold For 1 Year, Fine To Medium Textured Mulch That’s Easy To Spread & Degrades Naturally, It Is Made From Natural Forest Products, Not Waste Wood, UPC: 0 32247 86527 2….

Gardening Without Work: For the Aging, the Busy & the Indolent $12.33 Gardening that requires only planting and picking seems almost sacrilegious, but with Ruth Stout’s garden methods, weeds and bugs are no more than fading memories. In a neighborly, conversational tone that makes this how-to book on gardening a lot of fun, Stout gives advice on growing various vegetables and flowers, finding the best catalogues and nurseries, avoiding chemicals on plants,…

Mike McGrath’s Book of Compost $3.98 During his seven years as Editor-in-Chief of Organic Gardening magazine, Mike McGrath learned quite a bit about the nature and science of composting. And he’s never stopped studying, because he wants to give the best, most up-to-date information to the listeners of his nationally-syndicated Public Radio show, “You Bet Your Garden.” He offers the fruits of his labors in this illustra…

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book: Secrets of the Famous Year-Round Mulch Method $12.95 A story of things learned, and “un-learned” about gardening. Covers questions people ask, more about mulch than you probably want to know, all about flowers, vegetables and more. A treasure-trove of organic gardening know-how….