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What and When to Mulch

Mulching is a by far the easiest and most effective way to protect almost any garden against dry weather and extreme conditions. A well-planned mulch is spread to trap rainfall and store it in the soil where plants can use it over dry periods. Many mulches are used to shade and cool the soil creating alpine or woodland conditions.  Other mulches like
 
Weedmat or black plastic are used to trap the suns' radiant heat in the soil as well as holding in all available moisture like a cover does over a pot of boiling water. Stones and gravel act in much the same manner but to a lesser degree. Organic mulches like compost, aged manure, leaves, straw, hay, silage, sticks, lawn and hedge clippings, sawdust and bark actually feed the top soil while protecting the ground from drying out. All mulches hold down weeds thus eliminating a lot of garden maintenance. Weeds, especially those with runners or deep tap roots, draw a lot of precious water out of the soil.
 
The depth and type of mulch is dependent on the type of plants grown, the microclimate of the garden beds, and to a lesser degree the style and lay-out of the garden. Gardens in windy, exposed coastal situations, hot and dry areas, and lighter soils or soils that drain very quickly often need deep mulching. So do many fruit trees, woodland gardens, and garden beds planted with shallow or surface rooted plants.
 
As a general rule all exposed soil should be covered with some sort of mulch to capitalise on whatever rains do fall. Even gardens planted with hardy natives, South African, Australian or other arid zone plantings need some protection again drying out. Often these arid gardens are covered in weedmat, or less effectively in black plastic, which is then covered with a shallow layer of bark, pebbles, gravel, stones or sand, or other mulching material.
 
This keeps the soil warm and uniformly moist while allowing good drainage which is essential to the success of arid gardens. Avoid deep, heavy, wet mulches in arid plantings. Be sure that any mulch stays off the trunk, canes, or main stems at or near ground level. Rot or borer attack often occur when a heavy mulch builds up against an exposed trunk.
 
Mulching should start immediately if all available winter and spring rainfall is to be captured. Start the winter mulch off fairly lightly at a few centimetres in all beds where sun and warmth are necessary to plant growth and health ( arid, most annual and vegetable plantings). Progressively build up this layer as the season advances.
 
A spring mulch of 20cm or more would not be excessive for such vulnerable plants as daphne, hydrangea, vireyas and most rhododendrons, azaleas, pieris, camellias, gardenia, and any water-loving or woodland tree, shrub, and many annual or perennial plantings. In the vegetable patch the wisest gardeners cover beds with Weedmat or black plastic over winter to heat the soil then either remove this and/or cover the beds deeply with a water-retentive organic mulch for summer. Let the individual character of the garden dictate the mulch but get started!

About us

dale-john 01-100x66 Dale Harvey and John Newton met in Melbourne Aust. in 1981. Since then they both men have supported each others careers while also building and maintaining their own. Read about how they were able to turn their joint careers into one and creating a dream of a better world starting in their own local community.

Media & Publications

host daffodils-100x66The following articles are a small part of the many published editorials on or about both Dale Harvey and John Newton.

Plus the property affectionately nick named by the people of New Zealand, as the
"Quarter Acre” Paradise gardens.

Awards & Credits

HOPE Trust-100x66This is a collection of Appreciation Certificates, Local and Overseas Awards with Acknowledgments presented to Dale Harvey and John Newton over the many years of their joint careers.
Plus the Launch and Registration
of The H.O.P.E. Trust
The Healing of Planet Earth.

Contact Us

Quarter Acrea Paradise
23 Vine Street
Mangere East 2024
Auckland New Zealand

Text: 0274720700
 
Tel: +61 9 276 4827
 
Email: info@daleharvey.com 
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