Mulch. Just do it.

Dignan · Apr 14, 2010

How many of you are mulching the soil in your containers? In my opinion, it's a must. Though I'm open to being proven wrong. :tiphat:

My subjective, un-scientific experience has been that it's one of the most useful things I've learned in the past few years.

Mulch the top of your pots with bark fines and don't let your soil run wet-dry cycles. (This is where I fear my science gets iffy and I may stand to be corrected by the soil scientists in our wonderful Organics forum...) The highest populations of microbes are in the top few inches of soil, so if you allow that zone to get wet, then dry, then wet, then dry, you're killing off a good portion (and variety) of microbes each time that have to then re-establish themselves in the top layer when you water again. The mulch keeps that top layer of soil moist and thriving.

Mulch also makes watering thoroughly an easier job because it keeps the top layer from crusting over.

mad librettist · Apr 14, 2010

:

I even got a little bonsai rake so I can mulch with pride!

jaykush · Apr 14, 2010

MULCH MULCH MULCH!!!!! in the summer months i have 6-8 inches of mulch on my plants outside. even in 100+ degree heat they just shine and grow like crazy.

NUG-JUG · Apr 14, 2010

Dignan said:
Mulch also makes watering thoroughly an easier job because it keeps the top layer from crusting over.

Interesting..My soil does that crusting thing, and I never mulch. The top layer is always drying out. I'm going to go get some PBF and mulch today! lol

DARC MIND · Apr 14, 2010

great tip dig
i dont see to many people recommending to mulch, but i do. i usually use composted red wood bark, coir then layer a peace of news paper on top. the paper seems to help bring more life the eye can see to the surface, when lifted i can see centipedes, some soil mites, a pile bug or two and worms who quickly barrow once they see light or my ugly smile? the paper also helps lower gnat numbers who sometimes come with bark or casting.

the crusting on the top just doesnt look right IMO, also when watering crusty soil you can visually see the water just run ontop of the crust and down the sides of the container. i find that moistening the surface every other day helps alot, it doesnt really water the plant but keeps the surface active and a must if you are or feel the need to top feed with OM. i also use mulch alot in the garden and with OD plants, helps retain moister very well in the harsh summers i get here.

Dignan · Apr 14, 2010

I may try switching to coir. Good idea. I use cheap redwood bark, landscaping type, the finest one I can find. I like that the redwood bark is so hydrophobic... protects the top layer of soil while allowing the water you apply to immediately run to the soil.

Some say you will need to add a little N- blood meal or something- to counteract the biological activity happening in the mulch, but that hasn't been my experience.

jay- I mulch with straw outdoors and I've found I can't go too deep. I usually do 3-5" of straw, then just turn it in very gently at the end of the season. By spring, it's pretty much broken down in the soil. It's dry and hot here and I can't believe when I see friends trying to keep a garden with bare soil.

C21H30O2 · Apr 14, 2010

this seems to go against the whole wet dry cycle in growing in favor of high microbial activity. very interesting. time for another side by side lol.

el clandestino · Apr 14, 2010

Thanks. Something to conisider.Iam always looking for new methods.

mrred · Apr 14, 2010

im going do it

jaykush · Apr 14, 2010

yea dig i dont really like straw anymore. i use leaf mold that i make myself. works 10x better and stimulates the soil like crazy. lift up the mulch and its almost pure earthworm castings.

Clackamas Coot · Apr 14, 2010

jaykush said:
yea dig i dont really like straw anymore. i use leaf mold that i make myself. works 10x better and stimulates the soil like crazy. lift up the mulch and its almost pure earthworm castings.

JayKush

The last 2 worm bins that we set up uses leaf mold/mulch, coir and some rice hulls (for aeration). A cup or so of powdered oyster shells and they're eating and breeding like crazy!

I was going to buy some worm cocoons but things are moving along nicely without an addition expenditure.

Leaf mulch is great for worms like you said.

CC

jaykush · Apr 14, 2010

well i wasent lying! lol. did you add the char powder to your bins as well?

Dignan · Apr 14, 2010

My worm bins are full of leaf mold, but leaves aren't exactly plentiful where I am in the high desert, so after getting the compost bin rocking with 'em, then the worm bin, I don't have enough left over for the garden without putting some real effort into going around town collecting them.

Which I think I will try doing this year or next. Thanks!

treefrog · Apr 15, 2010

Most cities have a place/s where people dump their leaves from raking. Good places to collect.

delerious · Apr 17, 2010

treefrog said:
Most cities have a place/s where people dump their leaves from raking. Good places to collect.

I worry about whether the people who dump there use chemicals on their lawns/trees and I feel a little weird walking out of the woods carrying bags of leaves

. I notice a few neighbors bagging up leaves for collection, I think I'll ask if I can have them this year (maybe offer to rake them if I can have them).

big ballin 88 · Apr 17, 2010

Before placing the mulch on top you should be sure to soak it in a dilute, I like using fish hydroylslate. This way you have a time release mulch that doesn't leach your top soil where its important. I think mulch is a big thing when dealing with the artificial environments or high heats of growing. Not to mention i don't have to water every day. I think keeping the soil moist is a big thing for the microlife. A wet-dry cycle makes sense but a proper soil/soiless mixture should be able to hold water yet still be fluffy.

Good idea for a thread. I use shredded pine bark.

dune · Apr 17, 2010

Ok so i been looking at this thread since it got started. Is it worth mulching my indoor 5 gallons? I see a lot of talk for outdoors but is anyone doing this indoors and getting decent results?

Dignan · Apr 17, 2010

dune- Yes. And that's what most of us are referring to in this thread. Indoors.

Outdoors, exposed to the elements, only a fool doesn't mulch.

Indoors, it's not so obvious, but equally useful IMO. It doesn't take much... even 1/4" of mulching will do wonders.

dune · Apr 17, 2010

ty time to go play with the shredder :tiphat:

treefrog · Apr 17, 2010

delerious said:
I worry about whether the people who dump there use chemicals on their lawns/trees and I feel a little weird walking out of the woods carrying bags of leaves . I notice a few neighbors bagging up leaves for collection, I think I'll ask if I can have them this year (maybe offer to rake them if I can have them).

That's a valid concern. However, I don't think it's very common, depending on where you live. Outside of fruit trees, there's no practical reason to fertilize or apply pesticides to trees unless they're hurting. I can see where certain neighborhoods would have more of that type of thing. Fortunately, I don't live in one of those areas!

So, if you live in a rich neighborhood or a gated community where all of the lawns looks like golf courses, without a dandelion to be seen, then you might not want to use their leaves in an organic garden.

Also, just keep at it and in no time you'll get accustomed to feeling weird. You might even start to enjoy it

Mulch. Just do it.

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