Mulch blankets the soil and protects from frost , retains water and returns nutrients to the soil . There are many different type of mulch , each with a slightly dissimilar subprogram . Pine and cedar mulch are both woodwind - poker chip mulch , but they benefit the soil otherwise and should be used in unlike parts of your garden .

Benefits of Mulch

Mulch comes in many forms , and do as a protective layer for both the soil and a flora ’s origin . Several inches of mulch added to your soil before the first frost will insulate your plants ' root and control that they make it the wintertime . Wood mulch also breaks down and replenishes the soil ’s nutrients that the plant expend to grow and flower each year . A thickset stratum of mulch around establish plants also discourages smoke growth .

Pine Mulch

Pine is a soft woodwind instrument that breaks down more easy than the hard wood mulch , meaning that it wo n’t last as long as a heavy wood mulch such as cedar . Because of this , it is better used in region that either have a lot of plant turn - over or are replanted each twelvemonth , or in region with a high growth volume of plants where the flora are using a lot of nutrients . In either situation , it is best to add a new layer of pine mulch each twilight as the temperature begin to cool down .

Cedar Mulch

Cedar mulch is a hardwood mulch that does not break down easily . Because of this , it is well used on established plants that grow slowly , and in areas where there is not much plant turn over . Cedar mulch is commonly used around shrubs and produce tree , and not on veg patches . Cedar mulch is also worthy for lining your garden way of life , since it is very long - live and wo n’t go bad down easily when it is stepped on .

How to Apply

Wood mulch is best applied in the fall to protect your flora from heavy rain and Robert Frost . It insulates the ground and preclude a snap freeze from damage your plants ' roots . You should cover all exposed and unplanted land with at least 2 inches of mulch . Do n’t worry about using too much mulch as it will finally discover down and need to be reapplied anyway . In the spring it is good to apply a lighter mulch on vegetable and flower beds that will breach down more easy and return nutrients to the soil as plant use them .

Tips

Pine is an acidic wood , and even though it takes time to break down it may still affect the pH of your dirt , so you should be careful not to put it around any plants that are very tender to acidulous soils .

References

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