Why Mulching Can Be A Huge Benefit To Your Garden (Part 1)

A mulch is a protective layer of covering that is left on the surface of the ground for the purpose of protecting and insulating the soil, as well as improving the appearance of your garden. There are many types of materials that can be used as mulch. Some of the most common ones are sawdust, paper, and compost.

If you are not very concerned about giving your garden a pleasing appearance or an aesthetic appeal, then you may use just about any type of material that you can find in your house. Some gardeners use their old polyester clothes that they shred into tiny strips while other people use plain old ground rubber tires (a relatively new concept that has yet to be concluded as effective). The point here is that there are dozens of mulch choices that are available for your garden that fits into your design and budget.

Nature is the first one to come up with the concept of mulching and does an excellent job creating its own. For example, trees have a way of producing a natural mulch by collecting their own falling leaves, strips of bark and twigs, needles, and fallen flowers and fruits, and spreading them all around the ground. You'll also find broken gravels and rocks covering the ground of an unmoved soil.

Mulching, regardless of the type you use, helps by protecting your soil and giving your garden a more attractive appearance.  Below are two important ways that mulching benefits your garden.

1. Mulching prevents soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs when water or wind gradually washes away the surface of your soil. Without proper mulching, heavy drops of water from sprinkles and rain breaks into the surface of the soil and removes it. In addition, water erosion also cuts deformed channels through the flower bed.  Mulching gives the soil a protective layer that traps the water while letting it flow down underneath the soil where it's supposed to go.

2. Mulching helps retain moisture in you garden soil. Covering with a layer of mulch slows down the evaporation process (loss of moisture) to your soil by protecting it from extreme heat of the sun, especially during the hot summer months. Therefore, you spend less time watering, which also helps you save money on your water bill.