• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Home Garden Companion

Home Garden Companion

Ilona's Garden Journal

  • Plant Library On The Journal
    • All Season Garden Color
    • Sitemap
  • Garden chores
    • Essential Garden Tools For Beginners
    • Garden Tips and Advice
  • Ilona’s Garden Home
    • Old House Blog
    • Garden Librarian
  • Ilona’s Garden Flavor Shop
  • Privacy Policy

Different Mulches

30.09.03 | Ilona Erwin | No Comments

Mulch
garden fork and mulch

Fingerling potatoes possess distinct flavor was the headline,  and I was looking up how to use the fingerling potatoes I had bought to best advantage. While on the page I saw a notice on cocoa mulch.

…Which led me to thinking about mulches. That is the topic for today’s post.

 

Mulches

Just thought I would use this as a jump-off for talking a bit about mulches. In years such as this, with unusual amounts of moisture, it might be wise to use less, but normally mulch is needed for several reasons.

  • In winter it protects plants, not the least from heaving out of the ground through frost action.
  • In summer it conserves moisture and smothers weeds.
  • At any time, an organic mulch will add humus to the soil. Although at first it takes some of the nitrogen to break down. (That is why you are cautioned not to use unfinished compost, and add a bit of fertilizer to new mulches.)

Cocoas Hull Mulch

I don’t use this stuff myself, and it is not readily available in the North for some reason, but my sister in Tennessee used some. I dislike the smell.

I suppose for those who are making choices they may want to keep in mind its poisonous qualities for the neighbors dogs. Unless of course you have a vendetta against a particularly yappy and digiferous dog. I’m kidding. I’m KIDDING!

Cypress Mulch

Presently we use cypress mulch, but I am not particularly enamored with the look of it. But it does the job at a reasonable price. I have a little short cut I use for mulching. Used Newspapers. Yep, recycling at it s best. I only use this under ornamental plantings, since you have to be careful of the inks used leaching into the ground if you are growing food. But most newsprints with regular black inks are fine for ornamentals. The method is to put thick blocks of paper down and then cover it with the bark mulch. It causes the mulch to last longer and it suffocates the weeds better. It is also an answer to ridding oneself of stacks of newspapers.

Pine Bark

My favorite is pine bark, but we don’t use it much, ever since I read that more insects and diseases are piggy-backed into the garden with this type. I don’t know if that is true, but cypress is more insect repellent. I absolutely love the smell of pine, though. I like to camp in pine woods, and walk under the soft quietness of pines. It is cathedral-like as often described. With its own form of incense. The use of pine bark mulch has a reminder of that fragrance.

There are different choices and theories on when to apply the new mulch. Some feel it attracts rodents to apply it too soon in the fall. Some feel it encourages bulbs to sprout prematurely. I often wait until after Christmas, but last year was caught short by that. This year I will put it on through the fall as I have time and money. That seems to be the wise thing to do, since we are predicted to have a snowy and very cold winter.

We’ll see.

For much more information on mulch: Mulching is an important method for both water conservation and weed control. Mulch for Moisture

=====
Today I saw one of my crabapple trees is re-blooming. It is full of fruit (lost its leaves awhile ago due to fungal disease) and now has a sprinkling of blossoms. Sweet, but oddly out of season.

Related

← Previous Post
Not going to garden, just opinionate
Next Post →
October Day in the Life

About Ilona Erwin

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

DISCLOSURE: I may be an affiliate for products that I recommend. If you purchase those items through my links I will earn a commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. Thank you, in advance for your support! Privacy Policy

Primary Sidebar

Oh, hi there!

I was a garden blog pioneer, and began writing on this blog in 2003. Before that I had begun a garden website that has been at its own domain since 2006, Ilona's Garden.

I still love writing, gardening, and art after all these years, although travel and grandchildren have become a big part of my life, now.

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Visit for a Spell

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Mission

Finding your way home via the garden path

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Portrait of a Gardener

gardener musings
Musings

What’s Wrong With Today’s Gardening?

Modern gardening
What Is Wrong?

Garden Journal

fine garden journal
Journal, Planner and Log Book
buy quality plants

You might also like

seeds

National Seed Swap Day in January

Garden advice

What Makes a Low Maintenance Garden?

Create A Child’s Garden, Grow Love For Nature

Growing Indoor Flowers In December

I Found Out About “She Sheds” And Coincidentally, About Friends

Newest Postings Here

  • Hawaiian Flower Arrangements
  • HELLLOOOO, From The Other Side
  • February Gardening, Last of Winter in the Flower Garden
  • Compilation of Past Mini-Posts of 2003
  • Wayback in Ilona Garden Time

Books, Tools, Tips

Read reviews from the GardenLibarian

Standouts

10 Useful Gardening Tips For Spring

Do You Grow Herbs? 10 Reasons To Love Them

10 Cool Season Annual Flowers To Plant

Standouts

August Gardening: Ten Suggestions

What are your ten top choices for perennial plantings?

ilonagarden

With village lights With village lights
Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄 Christmas decor #christmasspirit🎄
Instagram post 17935013548845771 Instagram post 17935013548845771
Instagram post 17981374354427684 Instagram post 17981374354427684
Instagram post 17865517706595888 Instagram post 17865517706595888
Gift of flowers by my bedside Gift of flowers by my bedside
#mockorange #juneflowers #ohio #mockorange #juneflowers #ohio
Instagram post 18224713828022497 Instagram post 18224713828022497
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Join Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Hazel Theme by Code + Coconut