Sign up for email newsletters

Sign up for email newsletters

We are amid the proverbial dog days of summer. Not only does the air temperature rise, but the soil temperature increases and quickly dries the moisture out of our gardens. We are watering more frequently to provide our plants with some much-needed relief. Given the statewide drought conditions, some gardeners have water restrictions imposed upon them that make it difficult to keep and maintain their gardens. A good remedy that will moderate the soil temperature and lessen evapotranspiration is the usage of mulch. You will not only lessen your watering time, but also save money on gardening expenses.

Mulch is anything that is placed on top of the soil. It can be organic like straw, wood chips, bark, leaves, seasoned manure, and other former living materials. Mulch can be inorganic such as rock, gravel, pebbles. Rubber and plastics are also inorganic mulch. I am not a fan of these materials; they are not biodegradable, and they are hard to remove from the soil. I prefer to use organic mulch around my trees and shrubs because it breaks up my clay soil and creates a beneficial biotic environment. Beware not to place mulch too close to tree trunks. Leave at least a foot of space around the tree, otherwise too much moisture can accumulate and cause wood decay from fungi. My succulents require good drainage and less nutrients, so I use a dressing of small rock.

A two-to-three-inch blanket of mulch will significantly reduce the soil temperature in the summer and better maintain soil warmth in the winter. Although the best time to mulch is in the spring and fall, gardeners can mulch anytime, especially now in the extreme summer months.

When you mulch, the weeds will have a much more challenging time to infest your garden. The mulch barrier effectively blocks sunlight from the weed seeds and prevents their germination. Now, I am not saying that it will completely eradicate the weeds, but it will reduce their population in your garden. If any weeds there be, mulch will allow them to be pulled out easily.

Another beneficial aspect of mulching is that it can act as a deterrent to soil erosion. Shredded bark can address troubling slope areas in your garden. It blends in with surrounding vegetation, giving the area a natural photogenic impression.

I hearken back to my youth when my father had a raised bed of compost under a pine tree. He would have me bag and bring home sawdust from the local lumber yard. This was one ingredient for his compost mixture. He added dashes of cardboard, newspaper, vegetable cuttings, dead plant remains, and sparse amounts of cow, chicken, and rabbit manure to accelerate the decomposition. He added a few earthworms into the process. He produced a rich compost that he sprinkled around his flowers and vegetables. Yes, compost can be used as mulch, and you can produce your own compost/mulch if you have the inclination.

Great sources of mulch are your leaves and garden clippings from pruning and the like. It is best to shred them before making a mulch cover for your plants. Leaves tend to mat will not degrade as fast if they are not shredded. If you really want to immerse yourself into the world of mulching, purchase a small shredder. I am seriously considering this now that I have authored this article.

Here is a little shout-out to Kinney Nursery and Topsoil in Vina. They carry soil, compost, bark, and other mulching materials to improve your soil.

Hopefully, I inspired some of you gardeners out there to consider mulching. Happy gardening all.

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”

The Red Bluff Garden Club’s next meeting will be Aug. 30 at First Methodist Church, 525 David Ave., Red Bluff. Greeting at 12:30 p.m. with the business meeting at 1 p.m. Mark your calendar now for the October 8th Red Bluff Garden Club luncheon at Rolling Hills Casino.

Red Bluff Garden Club is affiliated with Cascade District Garden Clubs, California Garden Clubs, Inc., Pacific Region Garden Clubs, and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Sign up for email newsletters