Garden

[JustJazzmom]

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@wismiss wrote:

Thanks, JustJazzMom.  I never thought about the county extension office but will use them as a resource.  And, thanks fo the advice about rubber mulch and playgrounds.  What do you use for mulch?

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I buy the pine bark nuggets for the majority of my foundation as they take longer to decompose than mulch (shredded wood). I use cedar mulch -- the shredded type for my rose garden because that is in the center of my backyard. Both are available in plastic bags that cover 2 cu. ft. If you go with a truckload of mulch from someone, and it is fresh mulch, you have to add fertilizer to it so the mulch takes the nitrogen from the fertilizer and not from the surrounding plants. As mulch decomposes that is fresh, it uses nitrogen to break down. 

Also, do a 3" layer of mulch around your plants and do not pile it around your plants' stems or trunks. Leave about a 4" space to allow for good air circulation for your plants. Also do not make your trees look like volcanoes with the mulch either.

When I am putting mulch down among established or new plants, I do not use landscape fabric at the soil surface, but I apply Preen w/o fertilizer and then I add the mulch. Landscape fabric is good for walking surfaces with mulch or small stones above it. Eventually all weed blockers will need to be weeded but the Preen and the landscape fabric deter those weed seeds from germinating for a certain time.

[mousiegirl]

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@JustJazzmom wrote:

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@wismiss wrote:

Thanks, JustJazzMom.  I never thought about the county extension office but will use them as a resource.  And, thanks fo the advice about rubber mulch and playgrounds.  What do you use for mulch?

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I buy the pine bark nuggets for the majority of my foundation as they take longer to decompose than mulch (shredded wood). I use cedar mulch -- the shredded type for my rose garden because that is in the center of my backyard. Both are available in plastic bags that cover 2 cu. ft. If you go with a truckload of mulch from someone, and it is fresh mulch, you have to add fertilizer to it so the mulch takes the nitrogen from the fertilizer and not from the surrounding plants. As mulch decomposes that is fresh, it uses nitrogen to break down. 

Also, do a 3" layer of mulch around your plants and do not pile it around your plants' stems or trunks. Leave about a 4" space to allow for good air circulation for your plants. Also do not make your trees look like volcanoes with the mulch either.

When I am putting mulch down among established or new plants, I do not use landscape fabric at the soil surface, but I apply Preen w/o fertilizer and then I add the mulch. Landscape fabric is good for walking surfaces with mulch or small stones above it. Eventually all weed blockers will need to be weeded but the Preen and the landscape fabric deter those weed seeds from germinating for a certain time.

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@JustJazzmom  Recently, DH dug a large bed, took him weeks of Sundays to double dig and add amendment, and within a week, weeds were growing!  I came to the Garden forum looking for your post on Preen, then ran to amazon and ordered a ton, lol, because I am tired of the months of weeding and pain from bending over an pullling, so hope this works.