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Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods

www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn. Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods. Maximize Mulch. What Is Mulch?. Mulch is a layer of material placed on top of the soil. Its purpose is to: Conserve moisture by shading the ground from the sun and blocking natural evaporation of soil water.

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Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods

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  1. www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods Maximize Mulch

  2. What Is Mulch? Mulch is a layer of material placed on top of the soil. Its purpose is to: • Conserve moisture by shading the ground from the sun and blocking natural evaporation of soil water. • Retard weed seed germination by blocking light on the soil. • Cover difficult-to-mow areas. • Improve soil as natural mulches break down.

  3. Sources of Mulch • Bagged or in bulk from retailers • Utility mulch • Ask power companies & arborists • Local agricultural industries • Bark, bagasse, chicken litter, gin trash, pecan shells • Recycled from your own yard • Pine straw, leaves, grass clippings

  4. Utility Mulch

  5. Improve leaf mulch appearance by mowing over it to reduce particle size

  6. How to Use It • Apply a 3- to 4-inch layer around trees, shrubs and flowers. It will settle to 2-3 inches deep. • Pull mulch away from the base of woody plants. • Don’t build ‘volcanoes’ around trees, but spread evenly out to the drip line. • Check depth twice a year and replenish as it decomposes.

  7. Don’t Bag It • Grass roots take up nutrients to build leaves. • Return those nutrients to the grass by using a mulching mower to drop finely chopped grass blades back onto the soil. • Overly long clippings may be used as garden mulch or composted for top dressing material.

  8. How Much Do I Need? • Measure the area to be mulched in sq ft (length X width). • Convert the desired depth to feet (ex: 3” ÷ 12” = .25 ft) • Multiply depth by sq ft of area to be covered (ex: .25 ft X 100 sq ft = 25 cubic ft. • Convert to cubic yards by dividing by 27, and you can order by the truckload (ex: 25 cubic ft ÷ 27 = .926 cubic yards) • Order .926 (1) cubic yard of mulch to cover 100 sq ft with 3 inches of mulch.

  9. A Little Advice • Although shells and stones may look nice, retain moisture and block weeds, they will never break down and provide additional nutrients. • Cypress mulch might be coming from endangered wetlands. Don’t buy it unless you know exactly where it came from.

  10. Questions?www.lsuagcenter.com

  11. www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods Maximize Mulch

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