You’ve probably seen mulch in your flower beds, vegetable gardens, paths, and landscaping. But do you know how to fertilize your lawn with mulch? Organic mulch can break down like fertilizer and provide nutrients to your lawn. The best part is that you can make a lot of this mulch at home or buy it easily.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of using mulch fertilizer on your lawn. If you’re not sure whatmulch is, don’t worry. Let’s look at that too.
What is mulch?
Mulch is an organic or inorganic material applied to the soil surface to protect or improve the soil surface. For example, mulching can conserve moisture or prevent weeds.
Organic mulch is made from compostable plant-based materials such as lawn clippings and leaves. Inorganic mulch is composed of non degradable materials such as rocks or landscaping fabric.
Mineral mulch does not help your lawn because it does not break down the grass. This is primarily useful in decorative situations or areas where you want to control growth (e.g., around ornamental plants). However, grass framing can look nice in contrast to the surrounding landscaping.
Organic mulch can provide benefits that inorganic mulch cannot. Organic mulch provides nutrients to the soil because it can decompose. That’s why it’s perfect for lawns. When applied correctly, it provides benefits without hindering or restricting grass growth.
Mulch vs Fertilizer
Is mulch the same as fertilizer?
It’s not exact, but it’s redundant. Fertilizers are organic, inorganic, natural or synthetic substances that provide nutrients for plant growth. This means that mulch can be used as fertilizer if it provides nutrients. However, mulches that are merely ornamental or that inhibit the growth of undesirable plants are not fertilizers.
Types of grass cover
What types of mulch can I use as lawn fertilizer?
Here are five types of organic mulches that break down and provide nutrients to your yard.
Mowed
This is the simplest way to mulch and fertilize your lawn.
Mulching
Mow your lawn with a lawn mower to break the grass into small pieces. Perfect! Make sure the cuts are no longer than 1 inch. This is more likely to happen if you mow on a schedule and never cut more than 1/3 of the blade at a time.
You may have heard that mowing the lawn contributes to thatch buildup. But that’s not true. Thatch is caused only by living or dead roots, shoots and stems deposited on the surface. Grass clippings, on the other hand, decompose quickly. There are several reasons why lawn mowing is not suitable for mulching.
Remove clipping in the following cases.
➢ Too long (more than 1 inch).
➢ Wet
➢ Flocculation (can suffocate grass)
➢ With diseases
If you have excess cuttings, you can use them to mulch other plants in your yard. However, if you have recently applied herbicides or pesticides, you should not use them elsewhere.
Pro tip: Clean excess clippings from curbs, gutters and storm drains. Rinsing loose clippings can have a negative impact on water quality.
Advantages
➢ It’s easy.
➢ Disassemble quickly.
➢ Reintroduces nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil.
➢ Improves soil texture and quality.
➢ Introduce more organic matter to the soil.
➢ Reduces some weeds.
➢ Stay hydrated.
➢ Moderate soil temperature.
Disadvantage
➢ May look unattractive.
➢ Poor compression resistance.
➢ Can spread disease.
➢ It will not work if the mowing time is too long or there is too much moisture.
➢ If it is unsafe to use the mower without the packing attachment, it cannot be used.
➢ If clippings get into gutters or storm drains, they can negatively affect water quality.
➢ Cuttings contain weed seeds that can spread throughout the lawn.
Chopped leaves
Don’t pick the leaves yet. You can fertilize your lawn by cutting it with a mulching lawn mower or shredder. Just like when you mow your lawn, you can use the extra leaves to mulch other plants.
Leaves from different plants may have different effects. For example, oak and beech leaves are acidic and can affect soil pH as they decompose. Soil pH measures acidity and alkalinity. If your pH is too high or too low, it can affect your lawn’s ability to absorb nutrients. Most grass types prefer a pH of 6 to 7.
Test your soil to see where the pH is and whether acidic leaf mulch will help or hinder your lawn. But it shouldn’t have a dramatic effect. If you need to change the pH, it is best to resort to soil amendments.
Advantages
➢ Easy to obtain and inexpensive.
➢ Disassemble quickly.
➢ Provide shelter for beneficial insects in winter.
➢ Oak and beech leaves can add acid to alkaline soil.
Disadvantage
➢ If you don’t cut it, it may fly away.
➢ Poor compression resistance.
➢ Can make acidic soil more acidic.
➢ Wet leaves can suffocate grass.
➢ Can spread disease.
➢ Can attract rodents.
➢ There is a risk of fire.175
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