Lawn Care Service in Woodstock, GA: 6 Common Questions about Mulching

1. April 21, 2017 Lawn Care Service in Woodstock, GA: 6 Common Questions about Mulching Image 1: To Achieve Healthier Plants in Your Landscape, You’ll Need to Mulch Mulch is a plant lover’s best friend. It limits weed growth, maintains soil temperatures, enhances moisture retention, and best of all, it magnifies the beauty of the landscape. Many questions begin to arise when it comes to mulching landscape beds. Your Woodstock, GA lawn care service answers a few of the activity’s most pertinent questions to help you understand its importance and why it should be done. Page | 1

2. What is the best mulch for my garden? The decision to use one mulch type over the other often boils down to personal preference. Most organic materials are able to provide the key benefits of mulching, so cost, aesthetic appearance, and availability often become the deciding factors. That said, there are certain rules of thumb to abide by, such as using fine mulch for formal gardens, or colorful mulch for foliage-heavy landscapes. How much mulch should I apply? Two to three inches of mulch is often enough to maximize the benefits to plants. Too much can make the soil warmer than it should, possibly even prevent air from penetrating the soil. If the landscape still has plenty of last year’s mulch, a thin, 1-inch topping will suffice in most cases. How long will mulch last? Mulch lifespan varies on the type used. Generally, leaf mulch will last a year, while woodchip mulch can last anywhere between two and three years. These estimates assume that the mulch is two to three inches deep. What about using lawn clippings as mulch? Lawn clippings make poor mulch choices because they are prone to matting, which can hamper water penetration. In addition, they are unsightly and emit a foul odor as they rot. Still, lawn clippings are not entirely useless. If you want to reuse your lawn clippings, make sure to compost them first. You may then use the compost as a first layer before applying mulch. Does mulch really take away nutrients from the soil as it decomposes In theory, yes. Over time, organic mulches can reduce the availability of nitrogen in the soil during the process of microbial decomposition. However, there is little evidence of this in real life. In fact in certain instances, mulched plants receive more nitrogen than their without-mulch counterparts. That said, lack of nutrients reaching the soil can be a concern in annual bedding plants because of their limited root systems. What should I do to the garden prior to mulching? Before applying mulch, it is imperative to ensure that the soil is healthy, has adequate organic matter, is properly composted, and is sufficiently fertilized. You will need to water the garden as well to check if the water runs straight off. If it does, you may need to add some wetting agents. Page | 2

3. About Lawn Frogs Landscaping Services Lawn Frogs Landscaping, LLC is a Woodstock, GA lawn care service that has been providing top quality landscape design installation and lawn maintenance services throughout Roswell, Alpharetta, Acworth, Marietta, Woodstock, Canton and the surrounding North Metro Georgia areas since 2004. We use only top of the line, very well maintained commercial Stihl lawn mowers and trimmer equipment that meet or exceed EPA emission standards. Sources: Mulching landscape beds FAQs, MSU.edu Mulches for the Landscape, AllianceforWaterEfficiency.org Page | 3