Mulching your garden borders
Using Mulches to Create a Low-Maintenance Garden
One of the most effective ways to create a low-maintenance garden is by using mulches. Mulching helps to suppress weeds, retain moisture in the soil, and greatly reduce the amount of time spent weeding.
Choosing the Right Mulch
Trees and Shrubs
In areas planted mainly with trees and shrubs, laying weed-suppressing landscape sheeting and covering it with bark or wood chip mulch works very well. This combination allows water to reach the soil while preventing most weeds from growing through.
Perennial Borders
For borders containing perennial plants, organic mulches such as spent mushroom compost or well-rotted horse or farmyard manure are ideal. Always make sure the material is free from weed seeds before use.
Improving Soil Health
Organic mulches are gradually broken down by soil bacteria and earthworms. Over time, this improves soil structure and increases its ability to hold moisture, helping plants grow stronger and healthier.
Feeding the Soil Before Mulching
As mulches break down, they temporarily remove nutrients from the soil because bacteria use these nutrients during decomposition. To prevent this, it’s important to feed the soil before applying mulch. We usually recommend a handful of Growmore fertiliser per square metre.
Soil pH and Plant Choice
Spent mushroom compost is suitable for most plants and soil types. However, it contains relatively high levels of lime, making it unsuitable for acid-loving plants.
If you are growing plants that prefer acidic soil, or if you need to lower the soil pH, well-rotted horse manure or farmyard manure is a better option, as it is slightly acidic.
Ongoing Maintenance
Mulches should be topped up each year to keep them working effectively. Any weeds that appear through the mulch should be removed by hand or spot-treated with a suitable weedkiller.
Dealing with Persistent Weeds
Perennial Weeds
For persistent perennial weeds such as bindweed or couch grass, it is often worth laying landscape sheeting over the soil. Cut the sheeting neatly around existing plants and then cover it with bark or mulch. This greatly reduces regrowth and helps keep borders weed-free.
Annual Weeds
For annual weeds such as chickweed, a simple and effective method is to lay cardboard directly onto the soil before applying mulch or bark. Cardboard from packaging, such as Amazon boxes, works well. It will rot down naturally after 12–18 months but provides excellent short-term weed suppression.
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