I’ve never been a big fan ofNew Year’s Resolutions. I understand the intention to start a new year with healthy goals, yet they rarely last longer than a couple of months for most individuals. Instead, I am personally more successful with season resolutions.
This year, as I toil away in the garden, my new garden resolution is to mulch more. My focus for the past few weeks has been on planting, planting, planting. Unfortunately, that means the weeds are taking over!
Mulch, mulch, mulch, but what kind? Instead of spending money on mulch, I am using grass clippings. I do use apush reel mowerfor parts of my yard (actually, my kids use it). For the larger yard, I use the gas mower with bag, then empty it around freshly weeded plants in the garden. As long as you only use organic fertilizers in your lawn, this will be beneficial to your garden.
用剪下来的草覆盖也有助于缓解我对我的燃气割草机排放的污染的生态罪恶感。根据美国环境保护署(EPA)的数据,割草机造成了美国5%的空气污染。我需要一台电动的。
What are the benefits of mulching?
The benefits of mulching go beyond reducing weeds to greater root development and water conservation.Savvy Gardenerexplains:
Benefits of Mulching
- When applied correctly, mulch has the following beneficial effects on plants and soil:
- Mulches prevent loss of water from the soil by evaporation.
- Mulches reduce the growth of weeds, when the mulch material itself is weed-free and applied deeply enough to prevent weed germination or to smother existing weeds.
- Mulches keep the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, thus maintaining a more even soil temperature.
- 护根物可以防止土壤喷溅,这不仅可以防止土壤侵蚀,还可以防止土壤传播的疾病喷溅到植物上。
- Organic mulches can improve the soil structure. As the mulch decays, the material becomes topsoil. Decaying mulch also adds nutrients to the soil.
- 护根物可以防止土壤表面结皮,从而促进水分的吸收和进入土壤。
- Mulches prevent the trunks of trees and shrubs from damage by lawn equipment.
- Mulches help prevent soil compaction.
- 护根物可以为地表提供均匀的颜色和有趣的纹理,从而增加景观的美感。
- Mulched plants have more roots than plants that are not mulched, because mulched plants will produce additional roots in the mulch that surrounds them.
There are so many reasons to keep this new garden resolution to mulch, mulch, mulch. I am focusing on the large plants that are difficult to weed, such as squashes and melons, as I begin this resolution.
Actually, I prefer the term “intention” over “resolution”. It gives more focus and empowerment to my premeditation and actions in the garden this season.
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