Weeds are at good an vexatious invariable of gardening , and at worst , a potential industrial plant killer . They put up shelter for pests like cutworms and slugs and steal valued nutrient away from your crops . you may pull them upby hired hand or with a hoeor spraying chemical all throughout your garden , but those methods have plenty of drawbacks of their own . Why not try a new method acting and plant living mulch ? Not sure where to start ? We have all the answers !
What is living mulch?
Living mulch is anatural weed control methodthat expend little plant life to block weeds from growing . subsist mulch takes up the space that weeds need to grow and it shade the dirt so sparkle ca n’t reach the weeds ' seeded player .
choose the correct works is important , though . Your survive mulch should be short and stay depleted to the ground to supply shelter to the soil . It also take to be depressed maintenance , so it does n’t take nutrients from your other plants . The most commonly used plant are herb andcover crops .
Here’re some of the best industrial plant to habituate :
What are the benefits and drawbacks of living mulch?
Living mulch has the same benefit as other mulch types , namely that it inhibit weeds and assist the grunge retain water . However , you also get the benefits provide by the plants themselves ! Many popular cover crops ( such as clover , vetch , and alfalfa ) , bestow nitrogen to the land . Other plebeian living mulch plants can be glean along with yourfruits or veg , making this a great way to increase the number of plants you may grow in a circumscribed blank space .
Keep in judgement that no method is completely flawless . If the living mulch does n’t all get over the ground or grows too tall , gage can still come out up around or beneath it . to boot , any extra greenery in your garden can provide shelter for pests , and that unluckily includes life mulch . If you oft haveproblems with cutworm , poke , or other similar cuss , you may want to use nonliving mulch .
misfortunate works option can have other problem . plant that grow slowly , use up resources , or pass around uncontrollably are n’t suitable choices for living mulch . industrial plant that grow slowly leave the soil exposed for weeds to develop , while plants that diffuse and utilise too many resource can become skunk - like themselves .
How to grow living mulch
The plants used for live mulch are easygoing to mature . Here ’s what to do :
gradation 1 : opt a industrial plant that ’s suitable for living mulch and for the time of year .
Along with the other requirements discussed earlier , it ’s important to choose plants that are in season . Do n’t pick a works that hates the cold as your late declension living mulch .
Step 2 : engraft your seeds .
you’re able to plant living mulch at the same prison term as your other plant or after your other plants have already grow . For some of the commonly used living mulch plants , you may simply scatter the seed over your soil , but others will take more heedful planting and spacing .
Step 3 : Water them in .
If you scatter the seeds instead of planting them , water the ground before laying the seeds for the best effect .
footmark 4 : Watch for weeds and pest .
Until your mulch is established , you ’ll need to keep weed and protect it from pest . Be careful not to pull up your mulch as it germinate ! If you ’ve had number with peculiar pestis , you may want to take precautions . Whatever pesticide or pest control method acting you typically use should be o.k. .
Living mulch may not be the best method acting for every gardener , but it might be right for you ! Why not give it a endeavor and see for yourself ? you could even use multiple unlike plants as populate mulch at the same time , so feel innocent to mix and match plants to find the combination that play best for you .
