When the warm season arrives, many homeowners know the drill: time to mulch! Mulching is an important aspect of landscaping. Not only does it look great, but it helps your trees, shrubs, flowers and more thrive. As you plan to handle some of your outdoor yard work, it’s important to understand the importance of mulch and the role it plays for your yard. Learn about the basics of mulching, ideal times each year to mulch, and dos and don’ts by Denver tree pros.
Basics of Mulching
Mulch is the first level of defense a plant, tree, shrub, etc. has against the elements. It enhances everything that you do for your trees and shrubs. This is what it needs to get the proper amount of water and let it soak in. In addition, it also helps to keep weeds from sprouting. It allows for protection from compaction, weed eater/mower damage, moisture conservation and consistency, and temperature consistency.
Fewer weeds to pull is a win, right?
Mulch is also great to help your plants maintain the proper temperature. While you have a variety of types of mulch to use, organic ones are the best. This can be tree bark, shredded wood or compost manure. Compost manure should be hand tilled in to a depth of 4-6” and be sure that you are using well aged compost. Using organic mulch and not a synthetic mulch will help provide nutrients to your landscaping. There are also many benefits provided by mulch to the landscape and environment as the mulch breaks down. Read more about mulches for home grounds.
Ideal Times per Year to Mulch
Late spring and early summer is an ideal time to mulch your landscaping. As you plan on purchasing mulch for the landscaping in your lawn, take into consideration how much you need. Know that you do not need to add a lot of mulch to your shrubs, trees, etc. While mulch plays an important role as a barrier and giver of nutrients, too much of it can suffocate your plants. You only want two to three inches of mulch. And keep in mind the amount of mulch or needle debris that currently exists under your trees. Do not pack it down either. Three inches is the maximum you should do on your tree, shrub, and perennial beds, which you can discuss with a local arborist to see exactly how much you need. Prior to mulching, make sure you remove any existing mulch. It’s also important to remove any other debris or weeds. From there, you can add on the new layer.
Another reminder when mulching is to leave some room between the mulch and where the trunk or base of a tree of plant starts. Give it one to two inches around the base that’s mulch-free. Prior to mulching, do edge around the area you will be adding in the mulch. This will help reshape the area and will look great!
When it comes to handling mulch for your lawn this season, American Arbor Care has excellent lawn care and fertilization services to help your landscaping flourish. No matter what your needs are, we can help. Give us a call today at 303-639-8584 to get started on ways we can help!