7 Genius Mulching Tips To Makeover Your Garden

Even the most novice gardeners likely know that mulch helps grow and protect their plants, and because of this, many choose to reap its benefits all year long. According to Almanac, using mulch in your garden during the winter months helps protect your plants by preventing soil erosion. Then, in the spring, this compost type provides essential nutrients to the soil and is great at keeping weeds at bay and helping your plant get enough water.

With all the benefits that mulching provides plants and soil, using it in your garden seems like a no-brainer. However, simply throwing it into your garden won't benefit your plants much, and in fact, using mulch the wrong way, in the wrong spot, or in the wrong amount can actually do your flora more harm than good. Following a few tips and tricks for using mulch in your garden properly and effectively will help your plants and soil reap all the benefits and protection that this compost type offers.

Not all mulch is created equal, so knowing where and when to use specific types of this compost in your garden is important. Wood chips are perhaps the most common variety since Good Housekeeping notes that it works well and looks good in nearly any part of your lawn or garden (aside from your vegetable garden since it can get in the way of you digging beds every year). Wood chips look best in garden pathways, flower beds, and shrub borders.

Shredded leaves and grass clippings are also popular forms of mulch because they are so readily available in nature, per Almanac. However, wet grass clippings or shredded leaves can accumulate and rot, making a mess and depriving your plant of oxygen and water. Because of this, you should only use dry leaves or grass clippings and air the mulch out or replace it when it becomes too saturated.

Compost mulch is also a great option, especially for those who already collect compost, since it is so easily accessible. Almanac notes, however, that this type needs to be replenished quicker than other mulch kinds, so it may be more effectively used when spread thinly or used alongside other fertilizer types. Straw and hay are also easily-accessible and inexpensive mulching options, though Almanac notes that this mulch type can easily blow away in the wind, so it is best used in areas with other plants to block the wind.

You should add mulch to your garden once in the spring after the ground thaws, and then add a second layer after the ground freezes in late fall, per Angi. Adding the second layer of fertilizer helps add an extra barrier of protection for your plants against the harsh winter elements.

According to Almanac, you should start fresh with all new mulch every year and remove all the old winter compost when it comes time to add it again in the spring. This will help encourage new growth and allow your plants to breathe. However, before laying down new fertilizer, ensure you thoroughly weeded your garden. Good Housekeeping notes that this compost should always be laid after the area has been removed of weeds to ensure that it has a better chance of preventing unwanted weeds from coming through.

So while applying the fertilizer a little thicker in the spring can help prevent weed growth, if your garden is still prone to pesky weeds, double mulching with newspaper can help stop them in their tracks. To double mulch, put your plants in the ground and water them thoroughly before spreading newspaper around the base and topping it off with compost. This added layer of protection will discourage roots from growing through the surface.

Mulch is most effective when laid on top of wet soil, as one of the main purposes of this compost type is to lock in soil moisture. According to SFGate, it is difficult for water to penetrate through it, meaning that unless the soil beneath your compost is already wet, it will have a difficult time getting water.

The same rule applies to fertilizer as it does water, and Angi recommends fertilizing the soil before mulching as well to ensure any fertilizer you intend to use doesn't have to penetrate the mulch. Angi also recommends laying the compost immediately after watering and fertilizing to limit the water and fertilizer's evaporation window.

Mulching immediately after watering and fertilizing can also help prevent soil erosion and runoff, per HGTV, as bare soil is far more susceptible to these issues. In fact, HGTV says that Virginia Tech graduate student David Mitchell discovered that soil with mulch loses about five times less sediment than bare soil does. In addition, preventing runoff and erosion is beneficial to your plants and soil, but also to the environment, as fertilizer overflow can be harmful to groundwater.