Mulch is a material spread over lawns and gardens to protect them from drought and weeds. It comes in various forms like bark mulch, wood chips, and leaves. Mulch conserves moisture in the soil, prevents weeds, and eventually breaks down to enrich the soil. It also insulates plant roots during winter. The optimal times to apply mulch are spring/summer to beautify gardens and minimize weeds, and critically in fall to provide a protective blanket over winter. A layer of 2-4 inches of mulch is recommended.

1. Shhh: An Easy
Secret To A Lush
Beautiful Garden
– Mulch

2. This secret garden ingredient will transform your
lawn and garden from burnt to bountiful
A dry autumn with burnt leaves, as Mississauga
experienced last year, results in drought like
conditions for your garden, lawn and trees, come the
following spring. So what’s a gardener to do? Mulch.

3. What Is Mulch?
At a most basic definition, mulch is a material that
you spread over your lawn and garden to protect it
from the elements.

4. Mulch comes in a variety of formats. Some people
use their fallen leaves in the autumn, but if you want
to mulch year round, in garden beds for example, you
can get bark mulch, as well as mulch made from
recycled wood, in different colours (red, brown and
black) to suit your landscaping design.

5. In the case of the brown mulch, it is made up of
natural pine and cedar so it not only has a beautiful
colour, but also a heady aroma that gardeners favour!

6. What Is Mulch Used For?
Mulch has a variety of important uses. It works to
keep moisture and nutrients in the soil while at the
same time minimizing soil erosion and preventing
weeds from growing. It also breaks down over time,
enriching the soil.

7. Think of it like the layer of leaves that protect a forest
floor in the wild, except your garden has a little help
from you (and your local garden centre)!

8. The weed prevention aspect is an important one for
gardeners as a little mulch can go a long way to
saving your back from endless weed pulling. There’s
a reason you see it in garden beds on city / municipal
property. It’s good for the garden but it also saves a
lot of money in toil, weeding and maintaining the
beds.

9. In the fall, a solid layer of mulch is a blanket between
your garden and the cold and snow. Roots of plants,
trees and shrubbery are better protected against the
elements, by maintaining a more consistent,
moderate temperature below ground. Come spring, it
will also prevent soil erosion from heavy rain
showers and run offs.

10. In the fall, a solid layer of mulch is a blanket between
your garden and the cold and snow. Roots of plants,
trees and shrubbery are better protected against the
elements, by maintaining a more consistent,
moderate temperature below ground. Come spring, it
will also prevent soil erosion from heavy rain
showers and run offs.

11. If you’re looking to grow plants like tomatoes,
compost is indispensable, but so is mulch. Tomatoes
are prone to soil-borne diseases and mulching your
plants at the right time ensures that the soil won’t
splash up onto the plants, during a rainstorm, for
example.

12. What Is The Difference Between All The Types Of
Mulch?
People use all sorts of things to mulch their gardens:
straw, grass clippings, compost, wood chips, sawdust
and so on. There are merits to all of them, and some
downsides to many. Straw, for example, can attract
vermin and may also contain some weed seeds,
which really would defeat the purpose of using it in
your garden.

13. Grass clippings are useful to mix in with mulch if
they’re green because while in that stage, they
contain plenty of nitrogen and other nutrients. As the
grass breaks down in the soil, those nutrients will be
released and be good for your beds.

14. Wood chips and shredded bark are the ideal forms of
mulch, as they don’t come with the downsides of
some of the others and are not only functional but
add a lot of beauty to a gardenscape.

15. When Should You Apply Mulch To Your Garden?
You can mulch anytime of year: many people do it to
beautify their garden beds in the spring and summer,
as well as to minimize weed infestations. It creates a
colour infusion or a lovely base for your grasses and
flowers and will enhance everything from garden
beds to pool decks.

16. The critical time of year to mulch that you should not
miss however is in the fall, where the materials
provide a blanket for your garden, to safeguard it
through the winter months and help the ground retain
the moisture it will need to be lush and full in the
spring.

17. Whether spring or fall, just pile the mulch at the base
of trees, plants and shrubs and if you’re covering a
wider area, like a garden bed, make sure that you add
a substantial enough layer—two to four inches ought
to do the trick—to be effective in both moisture
retention and weed prevention.

18. Where to buy your mulch in Mississauga
The good news is that mulch is one of our biggest
spring sellers so we keep tons in stock. Come by the
store to place your order, or order from
www.gardenbag.ca and we’ll deliver it to you along
with your soil.

19. If you need advice on mulching, composting or other
gardening and landscaping needs, let us know! We’re
happy to answer questions and remember that you
needn’t cart your mulch home with you in the back
seat: we deliver!
http://www.toemar.ca/