If the prospect of free mulch interests you, look no farther than your own backyard. Herbicide-free grass clippings, leaves and pine needles are an excellent source of mulch.

" /> If the prospect of free mulch interests you, look no farther than your own backyard. Herbicide-free grass clippings, leaves and pine needles are an excellent source of mulch.

" />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/21/03

Backyard mulch is free, but has great value

By Wayne McLaurin
University of Georgia

Volume XXVIII
Number 1
Page 19

If the prospect of free mulch interests you, look no farther than your own backyard. Herbicide-free grass clippings, leaves and pine needles are an excellent source of mulch.

It's a tossup as to who will benefit the most -- your plants or you -- when you use organic mulches.

Benefits of mulch

With a 2- to 4-inch layer:

  • The soil won't crust, and precious moisture won't evaporate, potentially cutting your watering needs in half.
  • When the Georgia summer is cooking, the roots will be chilling. The soil temperature will be as much as 25 degrees lower when the air temperature is 100 degrees. So the roots stay healthier and take up water more efficiently.
  • There will be fewer weeds and more earthworms and beneficial microbic activity.
  • The plants will stay cleaner and be subject to fewer diseases, since the soil (many diseases are soil-borne) won't splash up on them.
  • As the mulch breaks down, nutrient-rich organic matter will be added to the soil.
  • Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses become invisible under the mulch.

Compost and shredded bark are good organic mulches, too. You can also use aged sawdust, weed-free hay and straw (Coastal Bermuda hay is best) and processing by-products, such as cocoa bean hulls.

Sphagnum peat moss is good as a soil additive, but not as a mulch. It acts as a water barrier, wicks precious moisture from the soil and can blow away.

Getting the best results

For best results, apply these magnificent mulches to weed- free areas after the soil has warmed. Leave about a 1-inch opening around plant stems and crowns.

The time it takes to mulch plantings is far outweighed by the time saved on the big "W's" -- watering and weeding. The few weeds that do germinate are surprisingly easy to pull.

As you place mulch around your planting beds, take care to pull it slightly away from main stems and trunks. Don't just pile it on -- safeguard the trunk against insects and diseases.

Since organic mulch degrades over time, adding nutrients to the soil, you'll need to replenish your layer occasionally to maintain its thickness.

By using your own free mulch, you'll not only improve your soil at no cost, but will also trim the amount of waste that ends up in area landfills. This is truly a win-win situation.

Wayne McLaurin is a professor emeritus of horticulture with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Wayne J. McLaurin
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.