Tips for effective mulching in your apartment landscape

Applying mulch to the garden beds and trees is a great way to enhance the landscape of residential apartments. Mulching also helps in keeping the pH levels of the soil in balance while helping in keeping moisture levels under control. Mulching is an essential part of landscaping for every garden irrespective of the prevalent weather conditions. Let us take a look at some ways to use mulching in the apartment landscape.

Choose Mulch Wisely: There is no denying the fact that mulching is a great way to restore the essential nutrients in the soil as well as for the plants in the garden. The key is to understand the various types of Mulch available and choose the best ones for your individual need. Muck just like wine gets premium when it is aged. The intrinsic qualities in good mulch include proper churning so that the mulch pile releases all its heat that can potentially kill any planted seeds or inert matter. There are various cheap Mulch options available like ones from tree waste and Christmas tree leftovers. Always make sure you use pine wood or hard wood shreds in the mulch for best results.

Keep Changing Mulch Types: Mulching is an important process when it comes to making sure all possible nutrients are supplied to the soil and the plant. There is always a thin line between adequate mulching and over mulching. While frequent mulching is safe and it would not harm the trees and plants in any way, it can change the pH levels of the soil. Using too much pine bark in mulching for example can change the pH levels of the soil to higher acidic levels while using hardwood bark mulch can make it more alkaline. The best way to counter the soil pH issues is to alternate between various mulch types.

Avoid Mulch by Foundation: Mulch tends to accumulate and build up around foundations over a period of time. This can allow water to seep though the mulch. To avoid any such issue, it is recommended to keep a space of two to four inches of exposed foundation while applying mulch.

Stay away from Colored Mulch: Agriculture experts recommend that colored mulches reduce the overall benefits and do not help increase the plant life in any way. Moreover, colored mulches are usually soaked in dye or paints. Coloring may look attractive but is not a good idea as far as mulching is concerned.

Create Mulch Border: Mulching must be done carefully, especially in the rainy season and a cap border must be created to avoid washing away of the mulch from the soil to the grass or garden walkways.

Ensure Proper Drainage: Another important point to keep in mind when applying mulch in your garden is to keep sure beds have a proper drainage facility. A lot of people create a trench for water drainage next to the foundation which can be detrimental in the long run.