Mulching

Environmental Garden | Mulching

Mulching Lawn Mowers

The environmentally friendly way to mow your lawn! Using this technique, mulch is made up from grass clippings from the mowed lawn, which are cut into small pieces that fall back into the soil. There, they can be quickly broken down by microorganisms, which release nutrients from the mulched material back into the soil helping to fertilise your lawn and allowing it to retain more moisture without having to revert to sprinklers or the hosepipe.

Shredders for Producing Mulch

These mulching shredders will help you recycle your garden waste in order to produce the perfect mulch for protecting your flowerbeds and fertilizing your garden.

Composters for Producing Mulch

These composters are made from recycled materials and are an environmentally friendly way of processing your garden waste and turning it into a rich mulch.

Mulching

Mulching is the most effective, organic solution to soil protection and natural soil enrichment.

Mulch is basically a protective cover over soil normally to change soil temperature aiding heat retention during the colder periods of the year or alternatively to keep the soil cooler in the summer months. The soil is organically fertilised as the natural nutrients enter the soil as the mulch breaks down. Mulching also helps combat soil erosion and helps with weed control. Mulch is normally applied at the beginning of the growing period and can be reapplied later if need be.

One of the most common, and often effective, materials for mulch is grass clippings. Though they may not be overly aesthetically pleasing for garden beds it is ideal for the lawn. However many traditional mowers leave clippings that are not cut finely enough for successful lawn mulching whereas a mulching mower finely cuts and recuts the grass clippings and lets them fall back into the soil.

If using materials like straw, bark chippings, twigs and branches then the ideal tool is a shredder like the BOSCH Low noise garden shredders which have been awarded the "Blue Angel" environmental mark. The smaller the chips the easier they are to apply.

One of the most effective and obviously environmentally friendly mulching materials is compost. For composting larger objects you need a chipper/shredder. The sizes of shredders differ according to the job at hand. You may only need a small shredder like the ALKO Silent Power SP3500 or you may need something much more heavyweight like the Eliet Super Pro Cross Country. After breaking down the materials, place then in a composter such as the Ecomax Composter. Composters reduce organic materials by regulating humidity levels and air circulation.

Guidelines to Applying Mulch

Mulch Materials
Material	Amount to Apply	Notes
Bark mulch	2-4 inches	Smaller chips are easier to spread, especially around small plants. Excellent for use around trees, shrubs, and perennial gardens. When spreading mulch around trees, keep the mulch an inch or two away from the trunk. A couple inches of mulch is adequate. There is no need to apply the mulch 6 or 8 inches high, as often is seen.
Wood chips	2-4 inches	Similar to bark mulch. If using fresh wood chips that are mixed with a lot of leaves, composting may be beneficial.
Leaves	3-4 inches	Best to chop and compost before spreading. If using dry leaves, apply about 6 inches.
Grass clippings	2-3 inches	Thicker layers tend to compact and rot, becoming quite slimy and smelly. Add additional layers as clippings decompose. Do not use clippings from lawns treated with herbicides.
Compost	3-4 inches	Excellent material for enriching soil.