Autumn : Mulching For Winter Plant Relief
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With the temperature beginning to drop, now is the time to start thinking about protecting your garden for the winter. This means putting a layer (up to 3” deep) of mulch on the soil. Things that can be used for mulching are; mushroom manure, newspaper with a layer of wood chips on top, stones and rocks of various grades, bark mulch or clean straw if you are near a farm. Compost though, is one of the best materials you can use for this application. Compost is organic matter that is often used to amend soil before planting or as mulch to help stop weeds, hold in moisture and replenish lost nutrients. By mulching in September or October you are reducing the chance that your plants will become diseased or stressed. Stressed out plants don’t grow beautiful blooms – not for long anyway.