"Mulch" is a layer of decomposing organic matter in the soil. Mulch occurs naturally in all forests; It is a nutrient-rich, moisture-absorbing bed of leaves, twigs, and branches of the decaying forest, full of fungi, microbes, and insects. Natural mulch serves as a "nutrient bank", which stores the nutrients contained in organic matter and makes these nutrients available to plants. All forms of plant life, from the soil layer to shrubs and trees, thrive, grow, remove organic matter, die and decompose, in a complicated cycle of nutrients.
(cushion) forms a necessary link in the nutrient cycle that is vital to our soils. When mulch is absent for whatever reason, living soil loses its natural nutrient stores, leaches out, and often becomes desiccated. Natural environments without a layer of litter are usually deserted. Non-desert plants grown in bare soil require constant fertilization, nutrient amendment, and water, not to mention the work required to maintain bare soil. you may also be interested in brush clearing
Basic sheet quilting techniques
Once you learn how to use it, you can mulch anywhere plants are grown in the ground. Sheet mulch can be used either to establish a new garden or to plant trees or to enrich existing plantings. In both cases, the mulch is applied on bare soil or on top of weeds. New plantings are planted through the mulch, and a small area is left open to accommodate established plants and trees.
The benefits of mulching justify putting the energy into getting the job done right, using ample materials. Gather all your supplies (as described below) and complete the coverage process in one day. A reduction in maintenance and increased vigor of the plant will reward the initial effort.
How to cover the mulch
Step 1: Layer of concentrated compost
To prepare the site, cut down tall weeds and woody plants with a brush cutter, scythe, or simply trampling the area. Next, proceed to lay the mulch sheet.
Whether you are grinding bare soil or weeds, the first step is to "jumpstart" microbial activity by adding enriched compost, poultry or common manure, worm castings, or the like at a rate of approximately 50 lbs / 100 sq ft. This high nitrogen content stimulates the life of the soil and makes everything work. If the soil is acidic, which is likely to be if the area has been recently disturbed and treated with conventional fertilizers, add a layer of lime or crushed coral. A soil test will indicate the need for pH adjustment or mineral amendments. This is the right time to add the recommended doses of amendments such as phosphate rock and K mag.
Step 2: The Weed Barrier
Today's most cultivated areas are home to untold numbers of weed seeds. There are also weed seeds carried by the wind, animals, and people. Soil-borne seeds lie dormant and wait for the right conditions to sprout. Simply pulling or killing growing weeds won't erase the weed problem - more seeds will sprout almost as soon as the soil is exposed to moisture and light. Therefore, the next step in mulching is to put up an organic weed barrier. This barrier prevents germination and the eventual appearance of weeds through your mulch.Beneath this weed barrier, grasses and weeds die and quickly become food for earthworms. From now on, the worms rotate and aerate the soil, as they do naturally when they are in the correct environment.
Of the four layers of sheet mulch, the weed barrier has no natural counterpart on the forest floor. In the forest, weeds do not sprout because "there is no place for them," which simply means a lack of space above and below ground and a lack of light. By planting an area properly, eventually, there will be no room for weeds. The weed barrier is necessary only for mulch establishment and disappears over time. If your area is planted properly, weeds will not emerge after the decomposition of the weed barrier.
Weed barrier materials that work well are 4-6 sheets of newspaper, cardboard, burlap bags, old natural fiber rugs, worn jeans, drywall, or whatever you can find around. Banana, ape, and ti leaves also work if placed in multiple layers. Overlap pieces of material to completely cover the ground without interruptions, except where there are plants you want to keep. A generous opening is left around these for air circulation around the root crown. Careful placement of the weed barrier will save you the headache of emerging weeds later on.
Step 3: The compost layer
This layer is on top of the weed barrier, it should be free of seeds. Well-conditioned compost, grass clippings, algae, and leaves are ideal materials for spreading over the weed barrier. Any mix of weed-free material at the right moisture level for good compost will do. This should form a fairly dense layer about 3 inches thick.
Step 4: the top coat
Topdressing mimics freshly fallen organic matter from the forest. It must also be free of weeds. Good materials for this include leaves, twigs and small branches, fern or palm fronds, straw, coffee straw, macadamia shells, wood chips, sawdust, bark, etc. The upper layer will slowly decompose into lower layers, and therefore must be periodically replaced. Represents compost reserves. This layer should be about 3-5 inches deep. Many suitable topcoat materials often have a nice cosmetic appearance. Lucky! For this reason, there should be no question in using leaf mulch throughout the crop, from landscaping to gardening to permanent garden crops. In fact, as you use the mulch, the bare ground will start to look ugly and undesirable.
When the soil is modified and a layer of mulch is applied properly, it will never be necessary to turn the soil. Earthworms do the tillage. The only remaining task will be to keep the soil covered when filling in the mulch.
Mulch around the trees
1) Tree plant.2) Modify the soil around the tree in a wide ring shape from a few centimeters from the trunk to 1 meter (3 feet) with a light coating of nitrogen fertilizer, such as chicken manure, and other amendments if necessary. Rake or water in.
3) Spread a permeable weed barrier layer around the tree in a ring, leaving about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter around the tree trunk for it to "breathe." Make sure there are no gaps in the ring shape through which weeds can emerge. Water the weed barrier layer well before the next step.
4) Spread compost and/or mulch about 6 inches (15 cm) thick over the weed barrier, again making sure it is several inches from the plant trunk.
The ongoing process
To make mulching as efficient and easy as possible, use mulch materials that are readily available. With good planning, garden and orchard mulching can become a regular part of maintenance, simply mulch with useful materials such as grass clippings, plant pruning (chipped or roughly chopped), animal beds, etc. Eventually, other chores like watering, fertilizing, and weeding will be reduced. The overall maintenance load in mulched conditions, when performed correctly, is much less than in conventional systems.
Once the plant is properly shredded, its own leaf drop will constantly add to that mulch. But is the natural drop of the leaf enough to hold the mulch? The answer to this depends on the plant species and also how the plant is growing relative to other plants. Certain trees produce huge amounts of foliar matter that decomposes fairly slowly; Some examples are avocado, macadamia, lychee, and many others. These trees can be expected to generate enough mulch on their own once vigorous growth is achieved. Unfortunately, under most conditions, many trees do not create enough long-lasting mulch to support their needs. To explain this apparent deficiency, look once more at the forest. Here, plants are "stacked" vertically in ground-level, middle, and tall vegetation.
There are many ways to produce enough mulch on your site. Grass clippings, for example, represent nutrient-rich mulch material. Deep-rooted, vigorously growing plants that easily return from hard pruning or coppicing will also work. There are several nitrogen-fixing trees that produce large amounts of green matter. Each must be evaluated for the specific site before planting. Other plants that work well are kukui, hau, desmodium, various herbs (such as guinea grass), lemongrass, comfrey, etc. Also, many aquatic plants, such as the water hyacinth, make good mulch materials. As plants that produce large amounts of organic matter are by their nature almost irrepressible, great care must be taken not to let these plants escape your handling and become weeds.
Leaf mulching should not be confused with compost, artificial weed barriers, or green manure. The padding leaves as described here is very different from these, as it seeks to recreate the compost layer of the forest with minimal effort by the people. Properly planned, a garden or orchard system will produce its own mulch in sufficient quantities and people get involved only in putting this material back into the soil where it belongs.
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