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Fax: (403) 287-0550

To Mulch...

Or Not To Mulch,
That is the Question

Submitted by Todd Major, Garden Director of Park & Tilford Gardens

Two of the most commonly asked mulching unless it is applied too deep
questions of our staff at Park & Tilford (i.e. more than 4" in thickness). Then it
Gardens are “What is mulching?” and — smothers plants and they die. Some
“Why should I do it in my garden?” mulches, like mushroom manure,

Mulching is simply the application
of an organic
medium —.
applied on OM
the surface of your

65% of |

shouid not be used more than 1
year out of 3 to prevent soluble
salt buildup and an increase in
pH.
To all those fussy
homeowners who

garden, usually y “Ra: -
3" - 4” thick. .North Shore ones enjoy the look of
The value of —, v- residents. » fy +. sterile, raked,

mulching can- 2

not be underesti-

mated in the gar- &

dens of today. The ™ :

benefits of mulching *

are:

1. Prevents the seil
from rain. damage.

2. Prevents soil temperature fluctua-
tions. i.e. keeps the soil cool in the
summer and warm in the winter

oy

a supposedly
groomed bare earth, I have
_ some advice for you —-
, GET OVER IT!
Although that is shock-
ing to your universe, the
fact is, a mulched gar-
ox]: den is healthier thar:
an unmulcked garden.
.< Good mediums for
mulching are:

Helps to conserve moisture and 1. Compost - best for short term

lessen drought stress.

though ;

Adds nutrients slowly to the soil. 2. Bark mulch - very, very good,

Prevents weed growth. We have
very few weeds here at Park &

available, cheap, long-lasting, helps
to recycle forestry waste

Tilford because we spend most of
the month of November mulching
with the help of Capilano College
students
Provides a home
for good and bad
insects. This is
very important in
controlling slugs,
weevils and other
pests. As one
person said
to me “I
don’t use
that silly
old mulch
because it
attracts slugs
to my gar-
den”. My
responise was
“Rubbish”, as she looked
at me horrified. Pests will come
whether you mulch or not.
However when you mulch you pro-
vide a home to predatory insects
which eat slugs (e.g. those large
black ground beetles which dine on
slugs as if they were escargot). That
lady left our garden rather dismayed
at what I had said.

7. Is an excellent form of recycling.
There are no negative effects to

3. Peat Moss - good, cheap, love it
4. Maaure - good, smell only bothers
fussy people
5. Straw/hay - veggie garden only
6. Leaves - love ’em,

_ shred first,
worms love
them

Essentially

any medium
which is organic
and breaks down

can be used as a

mulch. Rocks are

not mulch - they

are just rocks and

tacky. Plastic is use-

fess and damaging

because it pzevents the

soil from breathing. Landscape cloth is

only for erosion control otherwise it is
useless and ugly.

Well happy muiching, and remem-
ber, the best time for mulching is any-
time. Oh, by the way, if you don’t agree
with what you have read here, please
come down to Park & Tilford Gardens
and ask for Todd Major, Garden
Director and arrogant mulcher.