I moved into a home with half an acre to garden. NOT! I have two small kids and work so I do not have the time. The gardens consist of small plots with large trees stuck in the middle. By the time summer comes around there are tonnes of ugly perennials with long grren leaves and no flowers. I want to cover up the gardens with cocoa mulch to avoid planting other flowers. Do I just need to cover the area with mulch or do I use that garden blanket type thing I see at garden centres and then put the mulch on top of that?
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
Mulching cuts down on weeds and keeps the root zone cooler and moister. Never use plastic as a liner - it causes drainage problems and is generally yucky [never decomposes]. My fav is to use several layers of newspaper - economical and recycling. Put it down and spray with a shot of water to hold it down on a windy day. Lay down 2 - 4 inches of your mulch - cocoa hulls should smell wonderful. The newspaper will naturally decompose and eventually add nitrogen to your soil. To plant after applying the mulch, just brush back the mulch and then break thru the newspaper with a trowel. Pull back the paper or rip out a small section completely. Plant your new aquisition and surround with the mulch, keeping it away from the base of the plant.
Many things work well as a mulch. Lava rock and bark are probably the worst choices. Lava heats up and can burn roots [especially rhodies]. Chunky bark will spend it's time stealing nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down. This is later returned to the soil - I only use it for paths. I feel well -done compost or rotted manures work the best. They give that unified, clean dark look and feed the soil at the same time.