3 Ways Mulch Helps To Create Low Maintenance Garden Beds
Australians love the outdoor lifestyle, and the backyard is an important part of this. Backyards are more than just a green space, they're a place to play, socialise, and spend time with family. Backyards also need regular upkeep to ensure that they're healthy and attractive.
For some people, gardening is a much-loved and relaxing pastime. For many others, gardening is an unpleasant but necessary chore that cuts into time that could be spent relaxing. If you're a reluctant gardener, then you're no doubt keen to make your garden as low maintenance as possible.
One of the best additions to your backyard for keeping your gardening hours low is to add mulch to your garden beds. Here are three ways that mulch helps to create a low maintenance garden.
1. Reduced weed growth
Few gardening tasks are more tedious, repetitious and ongoing than pulling out weeds. It's common to use weed-killer to keep them at bay on pathways or rocky areas, but using it in garden beds isn't wise because it can harm or kill your plants as well as the weeds.
Adding a dense layer of mulch to your garden beds is a great way to restrict weed growth. The dense layer prevents the seeds from getting the sunlight they need to grow. While mulch doesn't completely prevent any weeds from shooting up, it will dramatically reduce their number and will make weeding a fast and easy chore.
2. Reduced watering
Mulch is also an excellent way to reduce the amount of water that your garden beds require. Firstly, mulch acts like a protective covering over the soil surface, preventing it from drying out in the sun. Secondly, the mulch itself absorbs and retains water, which slowly filters down to the soil after you've watered or after a period of rain.
A healthy layer of mulch means you'll spend less time watering your garden, and it also means you'll need to use less water. With water being an increasingly expensive commodity, reducing your water consumption is good for your garden and also your back pocket.
3. Reduced need for fertiliser
Plants require a nutrient rich soil in order to thrive and remain healthy. Over time, the nutrient levels in garden beds naturally diminishes and will need replenishing. Manufactured fertilisers can help with this problem, but they can be messy, expensive and time-consuming to use.
Because mulch is an organic material, usually made from bark, sugar cane or similar plant matter, it naturally breaks down over time. This composting process adds vital nutrients to the soil underneath and often means no other fertilsers are necessary.
If you decide that mulch is a good option for your garden, contact a local garden supply company that offers mulch delivery.