newbie soil and mulch management questions

12 years ago

Hi,

Couple of soil and mulch questions. Please pardon my ignorance. :)

We "inherited" some "gardeners" with our house two years ago, and they generally just mow and dismember things, as far as I can tell. Every now and then, they till up the soil around my iceberg roses and anywhere else soil is visible. I assumed this was desirable for aeration or some other purpose unbeknownst to myself, but recently a landscape designer told me it's a bad practice, because it disturbs the layers of microorganisms living in the soil, essentially creating what she termed "homeless refugees". Sooo...who's right? Should I stop the lawn dudes from doing this? (I'd love to care for the yard myself but with a baby it's just not possible right now.)

Secondly, I'm trying to understand the specifics of soil amendment and mulching. (This question scares me because I think I might need a whole textbook on the topic.) I keep reading advice on say, Annie's Annuals, about topdressing with compost once or twice a year, but - if there is mulch in place (which was recommended by the landscaper) then how would I get the compost down? Does the mulch break down and then I apply compost over it all? Do I scrape away old mulch annually and then topdress? Skip the mulch altogether? - that seems easiest. I remember my mom (not especially a green thumb) mulching around trees and ending up with unsightly mounds of mulch piling up over the years - it didn't seem like the mulch ever really broke down and got absorbed or whatnot. So I'm leery of mulch, honestly.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

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Comments (3)

dowlinggram
12 years ago
Your landscape designer is right but not entirely. Tilling is unnecessary if you have good soil and it is overkill. They are probably doing it to control weeds if they do it more than once.

The soil has to be loosened a bit but that is better done with a hoe or hand cultivator and it only needs to be done in the spring when you amend the soil with compost.

Mulch is a good thing. It keeps the moisture and nutrients in the soil and keeps down weeds. In the spring I rake--with a lawn rake-- the mulch into a pile at one end of the bed. Then I go through the soil lightly with a long handled hand cultivator. I spread on an inch or so of compost and level it out and mix it in with my cultivator. Then I rake the mulch back over the soil and work on the section where it was stored the same way. I then spread new cedar bark mulch over all until I have about an inch of mulch in total. Except for pulling a few weeds as they crop up and watering when needed that's it until the next spring.

If I plant anything in the bed I scrape away the mulch, plant and then put the mulch back around the plant

It really doesn't take long to do and the hardest part is lugging the compost and mulch to the bed
cetacea33
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you so much!! That really helps. I'm sure it's obvious to people who have gardened or had someone to learn from, but I just don't know these basic things. Off to google " hand cultivator"...lol! Glad you mentioned the specific tool, that is exactly the kind of info newbies need! :)
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
I think you may agree, this info is worth a few minutes of your time.

Hand trowel should also lead you to the right tool.

Mulch is a relative term. I don't buy mulch, but keep beds mulched with organic matter. Unless there is nothing growing on a spot, or light reaching the ground, mulch isn't necessary on every square inch. Sometimes ground covers serve the same purpose. Naked ground that gets light - anything will start to grow there. Shaded ground tends to have very few weeds, and doesn't dry out as quickly. Older gardens tend to have been shaded over the years by growing trees, and a balance has been reached with ground covers around larger shrubs, making maintenance as easy as possible. At this point, the garden becomes a tapestry of different shades of foliage, shadows, relaxing peace. The 'cottage garden' and 'perennial flower bed' are the stuff of open, sunny areas, and take a lot more work, on an ongoing basis.

Shrubs that need to be trimmed yearly were not, IMO, situated correctly to begin with. Who wants to dedicate their time (or money) to such a thing? I appreciate a formal garden as much as anyone, but only to visit.

What kind of garden are you trying to maintain - or change to, as the case may be?

Most things in gardening don't have a 1-size-fits-all answer, due to climate variables, different compositions of local soils, peoples' schedules, budget, wildly different desired outcomes. Info/opinions are gathered, decisions made. Then you sit down with a cool drink and critiquÃÂ© what you've done, start making plans for next year...