Mulch–Choices that Affect the Soil

Mulch is a covering put on gardens and landscape that can benefit the soil. Mulch can be organic material.  Mulch can be inorganic material.  mulch can make a garden look finished.
   Mulch can also make gardening easier.  Mulch can save water.  Mulch can smother grasses and weeds in the garden.  Mulch can keep weed seed from germinating. Mulch can keep soil temperatures stable.  Mulch can reduce and prevent erosion.  Mulch can add organic material to the soil.  Mulch can keep soil borne diseases from splashing onto foliage.


This graphic is one of my favorites when mulch is being discussed.  The benefits of mulch being applied to the garden are many.  The materials that are used as mulch also are many.  Let’s take a look at some of the good choices for mulch 


Wood chips,and  wood bark are probably the most used mulches used in landscaping.  The wood make the landscape looked well groomed, and has all of the benefits of any mulch choices.  The size of the wood chips can be fine grind or course grind.  The larger nuggets tend to move around in the garden, especially if there are hard downpours of rain.  Smaller chips will decompose faster than larger pieces, and will need to be replaced more often.

One of my favorite mulches is pine needles.  Many of our gardening friends in the South US have unlimited supplies of pine needles.  But those of us in the North have to buy bales of pine needless to spread in our gardens.  Pine needles are ‘slightly’ acidic and are slow to decompose.
The acidic nature of pine needles benefits plants that need a low pH to grow.  pH below 7 is considered acidic, and azaleas, rhododendron, and holly need acid soil to thrive.  In fact, most plants, including food crops like a pH in the 6 – 7 range on the pH scale as slightly acidic.
 
Other mulch choices include straw, grass clippings, and cocoa shells.  I really like cocoa shell mulch.  It is dark, decomposes slowly, and – guess what! – it smells wonderful.




When using grass clippings to mulch, especially food crops gardens, be sure they are herbicide-free to reduce contamination of the food you are growing.
 

For many years I have used newspapers as mulch.  This helped reduce landfill contributions of tons of paper. When 5-6 layers are put on grass or weeds, it is a successful in smothering them and makes the area ready to plant in about 8 weeks.  Heavy cardboard works the same way.
Inks of most publications are soy based and will not harm the soil.  However, colored magazine or ads from the newspaper should be avoided, as these inks may contain harmful pigments.

Old tires are being recycled into mulches.  In theory this is a good way to keep tires out of landfills.  However, the rubber contains zinc and leaches into the soil.  I would hesitate using rubber mulches on food crops. 

Another source of mulch is recycled wood from pallets.  Many facilities are grinding this wood into shredded mulch, and offering it to the consumer in multiple colors.

The dyes used in this process are vegetable based and will bio-degrade safely into the soil.  However, some sources I have seen are cautioning  that this wood source maybe contaminated.  Shippers have issues with insects and rodents in cargo, and some of these pallets are saturated with these insecticides and arsenic. 



One other mulch I will ask you to NOT use is cypress mulch.  The problem with cypress is that the gulf coast region is being harvested of these trees, and area eco-systems are being destroyed.  Even small basins and swamps are drying out.  The natural floodwater controls are being affected. More trees are harvested than can regrow so this source is unsustainable.  Wildlife refuge and habitats are disappearing.

 

Gravel and stones can be used as mulch.  They can smother weeds, and look pretty at the base of some plants.  Careful plant choices are required with this type of mulch, however, since rocks can hold a tremendous amount of heat and plants can ‘bake’.  The use of succulents and cactus may be suitable for this type of mulch.  Alpine plants and other rock garden choices will hold up as well.
 


Springtime is typically time to mulch the landscape.  The soil should be fairly warmed up since mulch, while regulating soil temperatures, may hinder the warm-up if put on too cool of soil.  Some food crops, like tomatoes need warmer soils.
 
Another faulty practice concerning mulching is ‘volcano’ mulch.  We have all see this time and time again, only to see this result. The bark of the tree holds moisture and trees are set up to fail from bacteria, fungus, and insects. Never put mulch right up against the trunk and never more that 3” – 4” deep.




Mulch is a key to healthy soil, healthy plants, and environmentally sound gardening practices.  Mulch inhibits weeds – reducing herbicides and hand digging.  Mulch saves water – soil dry out less frequently which requires less supplemental water. Mulch – organic mulch- will gradually decompose and add nutrients back into the soil. 



Spring is Finally breaking in my Zone 6 garden, and mulch is not far behind.  We have Mulch to Do!

What is your favorite mulch?  Let us know.  I love to hear from my readers.  Have a great Spring.

How to Create A Wildlife Habitat

Steps To Get Wildlife Habitat Certification

The National Wildlife Federation has a program that encourages folks to create a natural habitat for wildlife.  If the space is a  small condo patio, or acres of farmland and woods, it can be certified if all of the elements of  a habitat are present. Does the school have an outdoor nature lab?  It can be certified as a Wildlife Habitat. Setting aside land for wildlife use is good for the environment.  It can enhance the neighborhood, and  make others aware that steps are being taken to preserve nature.

Certified Yard

The requirements to get this certification are to provide an environment that can sustain wildlife with food, shelter, and water.

Food Sources for wildlife should be varied in nature, from seeds and berries, to nuts and nectar.  The birds and pollinators will be drawn to a variety of plants such as native berry shrubs and trees to nectar from fruit.  Small animals like mice, squirrels, raccoons, and opossums will also be attracted to these foods.
  



Growing seeds in the form of perennials is also available.  Plants like coneflowers and  black-eye Susan present a great stage for birds and pollinators.



Water features in the yard are vital for wildlife. Ponds are a big attraction, but small fountains, and birdbaths are quite inviting.  Ponds provide a habitat for frogs, and they in turn, eat mosquitoes.




Shelter for wildlife is important for animals to hide from prey, or to protect nests of the young. Shrub rows, evergreens, and even wood piles provide these needs. Trees and Bird houses allow birds a place to build nests.



The Backyard Wildlife Habitat is available with a questionnaire submitted to National Wildlife Federation.  It is easy to make this environment for wildlife and bring an awareness to the neighborhood of your steps to protect the wildlife.  Envision a habitat for wildlife, enrich your life , and enjoy.  

Organic Fertilizer–A Good Choice–Part 1

Good Choice for Our Lives 

This post on Organic Fertilizers is the first in a new series. Each of these seven posts will discuss 1) The Benefits of Organic Fertilizers, 2) The Sources of Organic Fertilizers, 3) Plants Used for Organic Fertilizers, 4) Animals Used Organic Fertilizers, 5) Ocean and Sea Products Used for Organic Fertilizers, 6) Other Sources for Organic Fertilizers, and 7) Minerals Used in Organic Growing,

I have been in the garden my whole life.  My grandparents had an extensive garden and I got to set out bedding plants, water them, and even climb the apple tree to pick as much as I could reach. 


In the early 1950’s, the garden and gardening practices were organic. Grandfather used mulch and decayed leaves (compost) for nutrients.

At that time commercial fertilizers started to come onto the market.  Wow, they were a hit!.  Fast growing plants, dark green color, and the smell ( ! ) let all the neighbors know that we were up on the latest and greatest!


The more I gardened I had the gradual awareness that something in the garden was different from when I was a child.  We were told to buy ‘veggie wash’ products for our food, water sources were having to be monitored for safety, and the cost of everything was going up, up, up. Feeling the need to be more environmentally responsible, I started to make changes in my own yard.  That’s when I discovered some very troubling things.





As Environmental Protection Agency standards came about, I found that many of the polluters were actually recycling. Wow! Could these rules really be helping?  Well, as it turns out many companies with toxic waste to dispose of were not properly handling this waste. Instead, they were using fertilizer production facilities to incorporate these toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, dioxin and mercury.
The way these heavy metals got by this process is that only the top three elements of the fertilizer must be named. Labeling laws made this easy. Therefore the remaining or ‘other’ ingredients could be anything.  Consequently, millions of acres of farmland were spread with these toxins. 

Note : 85.05% of the ingredients in this bag are not specifically named and labeled ‘Other Ingredients.'
Many heavy metals stay in the ground and are taken up in crops used for animal and human consumption. Since chemical fertilizers are generally water soluble, they are taken up by plants rather quickly. And because they are water soluble, they leach out of the soil, into ground water or watersheds that feed our streams rivers, and lakes.

Nitrates are particularly harmful to infants and other health risks are becoming more prevalent.  Since we have only been using these products for about 60 years, we may not have seen the worst yet.
 
Another environmental issue I have with chemical fertilizers is that in the process of creating synthetic nitrogen, natural gas is heated to combine atmospheric nitrogen with the hydrogen of ammonia. The amount of natural gas to make just 200 bags of fertilizer would heat a home for a year.  Fossil fuels in each 40 pound bag is the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of gasoline.
 
Organic fertilizers are made with minimal processing using natural sources.  Using plant parts that are left over from the food industry like the leaves and stems is a good use of all the plant.  Organic fertilizers use animal parts that are left over from processing food with little or no waste.
 
Using materials in this way is a good example of sustainability of this industry. Plants grow each year and animals breed each year so the supply continues.


Organic fertilizers work differently from chemical products. 

 
Micro-organisms in the soil feed on the organic material that organic fertilizers provide.  The micro-organisms create enzymes that allow the nutrients to be absorbed by the plant.  Chemical fertilizers, which are generally water soluble, are taken up directly by the plant and leave nothing in the soil for long-term feeding.  The chemicals can actually destroy colonies of micro-organisms and leave the soil dead.  Organic fertilizers feed the millions of microbes in the soil for a soil that is alive.

Since organic fertilizers feed the soil, the nutrients is more steadily taken up by the plants. Quick start and stop feeding of chemical fertilizers can actually weaken the plant’s health. (Some chemical fertilizers are being manufactured with a time-release formula for an extended feed. The feed is still a chemical one, however.)  Plants on an organic regime are healthier and healthy plants are more resistant to damage from insects and diseases.  This long-term feeding can save money by reducing the number of applications the garden needs each season.



These are 17 nutrients that organic fertilizers provide.  Trace elements are key to a healthy plant.  If even one element is missing, the plant can suffer.( This is evident in the case of blossom-end rot of tomatoes.  The nutritional deficiency of calcium is the cause of this disorder.)  The chemical fertilizers on the market have the N-P-K  in the amounts listed.  But a well balanced diet is not available in the chemical products and the other 14 nutrients are missing. 



One last problem with chemical fertilizers is that damage seen here.  The chemicals were put down too heavily, or were not watered in well and burned this yard. High salt levels are common in chemical fertilizers. The low salt levels of organic fertilizers compared to chemical products is safer, too. Organic fertilizers will not burn plants like this chemical fertilizer did.  Organic fertilizers can be applied at any time.  The microbe activity will be low in colder temperatures, but when the soil temperatures rise, and the spring rains come, the organic material will become food for the micro-organisms and make nutrients available to the plants as they begin to grow.  And again, the natural material decomposes – not like chemical products that dissolve.


Next post will discuss the sources of organic fertilizers.  If you have any questions regarding this article, please feel free to leave me a comment.  I will be happy to address any issues.  Thanks for your time today.

Lawns - Benefits of a Healthy Lawn

Lawn, Yard, Turf, Grass - It's a Good Thing

Much interest has been focused on gardening in recent years.  The vegetable garden, the perennial garden, the cutting garden..... but one aspect of the home landscape, industrial landscape, and urban landscape that we overlook is THE LAWN.

We all have 'it' but 'it' is taken for granted.  In 2004 total acres of turf was estimated at a whopping 46.5 million acres.  The grass industry has available 7500 kinds of grass, with over 50 species being cultivated. Home owners in the US spend $6.4 billion annually on lawn care which includes fertilizers, weed and pest controls, equipment, and water.  With this much money spent on grass, I was interested to see what benefits we do get.

Throughout time recreation as been staged on the lawn.  Badminton, croquet, Frisbee... all need the grass.  Sports like soccer and touch football at a family picnic use grass.  Relaxation is the real game! 

The human factor cannot be overstated. 

(Note the unused chairs!)

Reducing tension and getting a feeling of well-being are benefits of lawns.

Turf has a positive effect on the environment too. 

The front yard offers a cool space. Unlike the concrete walks and street that cook us, grass of eight front yards can actually have the cooling effect of a 70 ton air conditioner. (Our home equipment only has 4 ton capacity).

Lawns absorb water, reducing runoff, and erosion. 

The root system of turf is dense.  It pulls water into the soil, and filters the water that eventually get into the underground aquifer.  According to The Lawn Institute one blade of grass can have 387 miles of roots.  A healthy lawn can have 850 plants per square foot. 

Sodded lawns actually pull in more moisture than seeded  lawns even after after two years of growth. A healthy lawn can actually absorb more rain than a field of wheat by 6x, and 4x better than hay.  

 Healthy lawns - healthy water.

Air quality is also affected by grass.  Carbon dioxide is pulled from the atmosphere and releases enough oxygen to support a family of four.

A 625 square foot lawn provides enough oxygen for one person for an entire day.

Tons of dust and dirt in the air are trapped by lawn each year.

Benefits of a healthy lawn are evident in cleaner water, less erosion, and cleaner air.

At the beginning, I stated the enormous amount of money we spend each year on our lawns.  When asked why they are willing to do all that work and spend that amount of money, homeowners felt that they would recoup the money on the lawn with added value of their property.  In fact, there is a 100% - 200% recovery rate on landscaping, in comparison to money spent on a patio or deck which only returned 40% - 70% of the investment. 

Realtors also put an importance on curb appeal since a well maintained front yard has a perceived value to a buyer. 

The healthy Lawn serves up alot of benefits.  Relaxation, recreation, filter of air and water, and monetary value to the homeowner. 

I couched this article as though we have 'healthy' lawns.  I'll define that concept, and give ideas on how to achieve a healthy lawn next week. 

What benefits do you get from your yard?  Let us know.  And thanks for stopping by.  Claudia