We are experiencing the garden at our new house (we moved in last Dec). The previous owners did a fairly good job of looking after the large garden however, there are a number of weeds that we are dealing with. Our thought is to continue to pull out every weed we come across and then cover the soil with some chips as I've heard that this helps prevent weed growth. My questions are
Will this work? What type of chips are recommended? How are chips maintained? Are they ever fully removed to allow for areation of the soil? Are there any plants that don't like bark chips and won't thrive?
Thanks! Alex
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......and find a really big difference in the health of my plants.
That really depends on what you are growing but I believe that adding any composted material and some bone meal around shrubs is a pretty simple way of keeping good soil as it will replace what your plants take out of it. Worms are very efficient soil conditioners as they eat all the leafy material that falls on the ground and in the garden. That is pretty basic and anything else you use is an added bonus. Norm
I really meant bark mulch, not to be confused with the big bark chips you see in playgrounds etc.
Just was wondering about the fertilizing - do you really need to fertilize that often?
For all of the great info. I will definately not use bark now!!!
This is another good reason to avoid bark chips- at least around here! I have found a thick layer of peat moss around most plants works well- There is still a little weeding involved but your plants will benefit. Every spring just dig it in or turn it over and add more...my neighbour lays newspaper over very weedy areas and adds a bit of dirt and peat moss and plants a groundcover or something to fill in the area. Crushed brick around hosta or trees keep the slugs down. I just recently read somewhere that crushed eggshells work even better but I think that may be another topic! Norm
to mention that in the spring when I have just put it on, it smells wonderful!
with bark mulch has been over a long period of time - over 7 years here in Ottawa, and before that, 6 years in Edmonton. I use shredded pine or cedar bark (not chips) because it has smaller particles, shredded, so they stick together and therefore make a very good layer to keep in moisture, keep out weeds and insulate. I put it on at a thickness of about 3 or 4 inches (this may seem like a lot, but it is not).
Over the season, it will degrade and meld into your soil, so you will need to replenish it about every second year. It will not keep the soil from being aerated, you do not need to worry about this. However, it is high carbon material and therefore needs lots of nitrogen to degrade it, so you will need to fertilize (to add nitrogen) the plants that are in that part of the garden regularly during the summer (about once or twice a week). I have perennials and some annuals with flowers, so I use a 20-20-20 balanced fertilizer (see Lisi's posts - she uses Miracle Gro 20-20-20 and it works well for her).
If you plant anything, you can just pull back the layer of mulch and plant the plant, then put the mulch back up to the plant (some people say not to touch the stemm as it will rot) like a blanket to keep the moisture in. Just water normally - I use a drip irrigation system that delivers water direct to the plant at the roots, but you can do the same with a watering can or a hose.
I leave the mulch on over the winter, and rake it in the spring to loosen it up. You will find that it stays cold longer than bare soil, and so your beds will not be ready for spring as early as others. You can also add compost in the spring if you like, either just putting it onto the mulch or pulling some mulch back and putting it around the plants.
You can also use it to cover the surface of pots where you have planted annuals.
I hope you try it and find it helpful. I have found it makes my watering chores easier, keeps the weeds down, and makes my plants happier and healthier ;-))