If you’re looking for an easy way to improve your garden, consider making your own mulch. Mulching helps retain moisture in the soil and can also reduce weed growth. In addition, a layer of mulch will help keep your garden looking neat and tidy. There are many different materials you can use for mulching, including bark chips, shredded leaves, and compost. In this article, we’ll show you how to make mulch using recycled materials from your home. Let’s get started!
Making Your Own Mulch:
To begin, you’ll need to gather some recycled materials from around your home. These include shredded paper, brown leaves, and old potting soil.
– Next, place the paper in a blender and shred it into small pieces (a regular blender will work; if you own a special mulcher then that is ideal). You can also use an old-fashioned shredder for this step; this will allow you to make finer pieces of paper. If you don’t have either of these tools available, no worries! Just tear the pieces of paper into smaller fragments with your hands.
– Repeat step 2 with the leaves and soil (if these are still whole or not broken down enough after blending, run them through a sifter).
– Combine all the ingredients in a bin and mix them well.
– Finally, place your compostable mulch around your plants to help retain moisture and reduce weed growth. When using this method, be sure to use it within 24 hours for best results. You can also try experimenting with different combinations of materials if you wish! Happy gardening!
Choose Your DIY Mulch:
– Grass clippings mixed with shredded paper
– Shredded paper mixed with leaves
– Brown leaves mixed with potting soil
– Peanut shells mixed with shredded paper
– Shredded paper mixed with wood chips
– Soil mixed with grass clippings
– Shredded paper mixed with potting soil
– Brown leaves mixed with bark chips
Collect and Prepare Your Mulch:
– Newspaper or brown paper bags
– Blender or food processor
– Sifter (optional)
– Sturdy garbage bags
– Leaf shredder (optional)
– Weed eater or lawn mower & bagging device to collect grass clippings
– Shovel or spade
– Wheelbarrow or wagon for transporting mulch
How to Mulch Wood Chips:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread out a layer of newspaper onto the ground
– Add a thin layer of wood chips
– Cover with paper/leaves/grass clippings, then spade in around plants or trees.
How to Mulch Grass and Pine Needles:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread a thin layer of newspaper onto the ground
– Add a thin layer of grass clippings or pine needles (more like covering with hay)
How to Mulch Leaves:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread out a layer of newspaper onto the ground
– Add a thin layer of leaves (more like covering with hay)
How to Mulch Potting Soil:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread out a layer of newspaper onto the ground (slightly thicker than for other materials)
– Add potting soil mixed with shredded paper, leaves, or grass clippings; then spade in around plants or trees.
– To determine how much material you need, measure the circumference of the base of your plant. Multiply that number by 3 for a generous amount to add as much.
How to Mulch Trees:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread out a layer of newspaper onto the ground (slightly thicker than for other materials)
– Add a thin layer of brown leaves or wood chips (more like covering with hay). You can also use shredded paper mixed with potting soil if desired. For optimal results, do not let mulch touch tree trunks directly from all sides.
How to Mulch Compost:
– Prepare the area you wish to add mulch
– Spread a layer of compost onto the ground (slightly thicker than for other materials)
– Add a thin layer of brown leaves over the compost and spade in around plant or tree.
How to Mulch Garden Beds:
Prepare your garden bed by digging up the soil and raking it smooth, then mix in an inch of shredded paper or 3″-4″ of wood chips. After spreading out newspaper, add brown/pine needles, potting soil with shredded paper mixed in as desired. Then spade in around plants or trees. If adding mulch to raised beds or planter boxes, make sure that you do cover any square footage where vegetables are growing so that the mulch does not come in direct contact with edible plant roots.
How to Mulch Flower Beds:
Mulching flower beds can be tricky depending on what you have growing within your bed. If your flowers are just starting to sprout, wait until they begin to grow before adding mulch around them for added beauty and protection from weather damage/frost.
-Mulching Roses: Mulching roses will help retain moisture and protect your plant from frost damage. Use brown leaves, wood chips (pine needles can also work), shredded paper, or potting soil with shredded paper mixed in as desired. All these materials should be added as a layer around your rose and spaded into the ground to ensure that roots have enough room to grow. To determine how much material you need, measure the circumference of the base of your plant. Multiply that number by 3 for a generous amount to add as much.
– It is important not to let mulch touch tree trunks directly from all sides; this can lead to rot on bark and attract pests such as carpenter ants and earwigs. Use a thin layer of bark chips, shredded paper/leaves/grass clippings, or pea gravel to cover the bare ground between mulch and trunks. If you have saplings growing near trees, add an extra layer of newspaper underneath the branches so that root systems are less likely to grow into the mulch and compete with your tree for nutrients in the soil.
Conclusions:
-Mulching is a great way to add nutrients, improve soil quality, and protect your plants from extreme weather while also adding curb appeal.
-Use newspaper as a barrier regardless of what you are using for mulch or compost material.
-Be careful not to use too much newspaper on top of the mulch layer for trees and shrubs so that their root systems have room to grow without being suffocated by paper.
