Ed's Head on Mulch

For the longest time folks have dealt with the problem; how much water is enough? Most of the time they are asking this question while looking at a dying plant. The answer is never easy for a nurseryperson, because the nurseryperson needs to be standing in front of the plant to give an honest answer.

Consider this Sad Example from a Retail Store near you
Nurseryperson: How often do you water the plant?
Consumer: Oh I give it plenty of water.
Nurseryperson: How does your soil drain?
Consumer: Oh, it's clay.
Nurseryperson: It could be you are watering too much.
Consumer: Oh no; I water everything in the yard with the same amount of water and this is the only thing having trouble.
Nurseryperson: How many times a week are you watering?
Consumer: Oh...every other day, but only for about 15 minutes.

This is a common exchange in the nursery.
And, at this point, the nurseryperson is about to show what they are made of,
because the next real question is: How is anything surviving in your yard?
That's way too much water for a swimming pool, let alone a plant.

The most common reason people lose plants is too much water.

To some home gardeners, the remedy for a drooping plant is more water or a good dose of fertilizer. The reason it is drooping may be the excess amount of water or the excess amount of fertilizer.

Now, I admit there are cases where the drainage is so good that standing over the plant with a hose may not be enough.

This is the exception, not the rule.
If you want the exceptional to be the rule, Use Mulch. (At least you’ll be headed in the Right Direction...)

Even the person with fast draining soil can benefit from the use of mulch:

Mulch slows evaporation & extends the time between watering.
So, unless you know that the sandy soil you grow on is draining fast,
a good dose of water or fertilizer is not likely to be what an ailing plant needs.

So, What does that Plant Need?
and What will Help to cut down the overuse of water and fertilizer and improve the success of your plants?

Mulches and top dressings need way more aggressive promotion.
Mulch (for our purposes) is compost that is not completely devoid of larger particles.
The use of mulches and top dressings is an important way to cut down water needs.

By covering up the surface of the soil with mulch, you cut down on the amount of evaporation taking place at the surface.
The root zone stays cool, which also cuts down evaporation and extends the time between watering.
Mulch can improve the soil around the plant, thereby cutting down the overuse of fertilizer.
Mulch is simple to apply and simple to maintain, a simple remedy to an age-old problem.

Look into getting mulch at your local nursery or call around your hometown. Many cities have mulch for very cheap or even free. (They haul all those leaves off the streets & parks & put them Somewhere ... )

Don't forget that you can make your own mulch !!
There are many different systems for the home gardener and many different web sites: find the one right for you.

To make your mulch took pretty, you can use top dressing: Bark (small preferred) Straw, Alfalfa, Coco Bean Hulls, Wood Chips, and Oak Leaves are just a few of the materials you can use. You can find top dressing packaged in bags at your local retailer. (If what you see isn’t pretty enough, ask them what else they can get ;-)

Mulch is good for the environment.

By using mulch you help cut down on the waste going into landfills.
With the concern over nitrates in the water and soil, the use of mulches prepares us for a
future when high nitrogen fertilizers are not encouraged.

Finally, and maybe most important, is the need for Water Conservation.

Immigration and sex are still popular.
The population will grow.