With the end of the warm season, many summer residents are faced with the question of what to do with the mulch remaining in the beds and flower beds. Almost all gardeners mulch their beds, trees, flowers, as the layer of mulch prevents evaporation moisture from the soil, loosens the ground, protects plants from sudden changes in temperature, inhibits growth weeds. But after harvesting, the remaining mulch in the beds is irrelevant, so what to do with it?
Leave in the same place
After harvesting, most summer residents leave the mulch to lie in the same place where tomatoes, cucumbers and other garden crops previously grew. But here it should be borne in mind that it can attract various pests, including rodents, looking for a place for hibernation. But if the mulch layer does not exceed the prescribed thickness, and the correct substrate was initially selected, there is nothing to worry about. Mulch will decompose over the winter and become fertilizer for the soil.
If the mulch was used as a shelter for flowers, then it should be removed. But this can be done not in the fall, but in the spring. Since most bulbous garden flowers (such as daffodils, tulips, crocuses) will simply suffer from lack of sunlight. And the old mulch in the flower garden will interfere with the rapid heating of the soil in spring.
Dig up
In autumn, almost all summer residents dig the beds after harvesting. In this case, it is enough to simply dig up the mulch from the ground, and it will act as an organic fertilizer.
Also, the mulch remaining in the garden in the fall can be watered with biological products that will contribute to its rapid processing. But this must be done before the air temperature drops below -5 degrees below zero. Otherwise, the drug simply won't work.
Digging up the garden along with mulch will protect the beds from the invasion of rodents looking for a place for wintering.
Remove and dispose of
If beds with sick vegetables were covered with mulch, then it will have to be removed. Since harmful microorganisms will be divorced in it. If it is left in the same place until spring, then pathogenic organisms will remain in the ground for many years. Therefore, it is important not only to remove such a shelter from the beds as soon as possible, but also to dispose of (burn or bury outside the personal plot).
Compost
After harvesting from the garden, the remaining mulch can be composted (provided that this is not a sawdust mulch). Over time, it will rot and become an excellent organic fertilizer. But it should be borne in mind that mulch is placed in the compost pit in certain layers, since it is divided into:
- green mass. It includes: bird droppings, green tops, grass;
- brown mass. These are straw, dry branches, dry leaves, bark.
It is the green and brown masses that should alternate in the compost pit. So that the required amount of oxygen is supplied to the substrate for rapid decay.
Place her on a warm bed
The advantages of arranging warm beds include:
- fast ripening of the crop;
- no need to fertilize plants;
- no risk of freezing of plants during late spring frosts.
If after harvesting you still have good mulch in the beds, you can safely transfer it to warm beds.
As you can see, mulch can be used in different ways even after harvest. If done correctly, it will bring many benefits to gardeners.
Read also:Grafting garden trees with a drill
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