When taking care of our garden, there are many things that can you can do to maintain and grow it in an even more lush place where you can enjoy being in nature.
For those of you with a green thumb that would like to improve and protect their garden, there are some signs that you might need to consider using mulch, if you are not already.
What is mulch and why should you consider using it
Mulch is the bark of a tree, most of the time it’s a coniferous tree like a Douglas Fir, which are the remains from the milling process when making timbers.
These are sold in garden centers all around the world and have many purposes, from keeping moisture in the ground to protecting plants from insects and invasive species.
Why does it work
Due to the qualities of coniferous tree bark, many insects stray away from stepping on or around them – it’s mostly due to their smell, which to us is a nice sap smell, but to them it’s toxic.
One of the ways these trees protect themselves is through a very strong odor and toxic content of their sap, mostly contained in the bark – this is why these trees can grow so large and live so long.
When milled a lot of the sap remains in the bark itself and little to none is lost, even after several months the bark is retained and can be used for glue and even medicine for humans. However, most of the time it’s reserved for garden usage which has a lot of beneficial effects on the soil and the plants.
There are insects on your plants
One thing that might make you consider using mulch is the presence of insects on the stems of plants, most likely migrating from other nearby plants bellow them. The odor of mulch will be like a deterrent for many species like ants and some caterpillars.
The ground is cracking
When you live in a hot climate, the chance of the ground cracking due to evaporating moisture is quite high, to prevent moisture from rising in the air and it remaining in the soil use mulch.
It acts as a barrier for heat and sunlight and prevents moisture escaping as quickly, not only trapping it in the dirt bellow but also in itself.
There are a lot of weeds
When weeds are prevalent, using a barrier to prevent them from getting any sunlight with deter them from germinating at all. Using any sort of chemical to remove them might harm the plants you are trying to save in the first place, so act carefully.
