Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Wood chips or bark chips.
Wood chips, or bark, is a very attractive mulch and lasts a long time
in the garden. If you like to till your garden each year, you might not want bark chips because they
will often last longer than a single year. Some types of bark, like pine, can slightly change the pH
of the soil. I've also read warnings that a deep layer of bark mulch can encourage rodents, but with
our barn cat and our dogs, that hasn't been a problem I've ever experienced.
Grass cuttings.
Grass cuttings are readily available to most households (just put a bag on your lawn
mower and collect them!). However, grass clippings can't be applied thick enough to suppress weeds
without forming a wet, slimy mass, and they can also introduce weed seeds into the garden. On the
plus side, grass cuttings biodegrade quickly and provide nitrogen to the garden when they do.
Chopped-up leaves.
Another easy-to-find mulch, leaves work well to suppress weeds. Again, some
types of leaves, like oak, can lower the pH in the garden soil. If you don't chop the leaves up they
can form a mat, similar to grass clippings, so run them over with the lawn mower before applying
to the garden.
Leaves from the fall can become an excellent garden mulch. It is recommended to chop them up before
laying down in the garden.
(Photo courtesy of Brannan Sirratt)
Pine needles.
For some people, pine needles are free for the taking, and look attractive in an
informal way. Pine needles, like oak, are a little acidic. I like to add them around my camellia bush
and use them as mulch around other acidic-loving plants, like blueberries and hydrangeas. They do
a good job of preventing weeds while allowing air and water to reach the soil.
