A mulch layer of plant matter looks nice, warms the soil and keeps weeds from thriving. In this article you will find out how to mulch your hedge correctly, which materials are suitable and how you should use them.
Mulch protects the soil from drying out and reduces weed growth
Why should hedges be mulched?
There are several reasons for this:
- Our summers are getting drier. This also affects the hedge plants. The mulch layer means that less water evaporates from the soil and the plants survive dry periods better.
- Mulch (€239.00) improves the garden soil. In order for the substrate to remain vital in the long term, it must be regularly supplied with organic substances.
- The warming blanket saves them the extremely tedious weeding under the hedge.
What is mulch?
The term mulch comes from the late Middle High German word "molwic" and means something like plump and soft. Mulch is natural residue that is used to cover the ground under the hedge.
In the following table we have summarized the common materials and their advantages and disadvantages:
| mulching material | Explanation | benefits | disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| bark mulch | Waste from forestry or sawmills | Medium coarsely ground pine, Douglas fir or spruce bark is very effective at suppressing weeds. The layer thickness should be at least ten centimeters. | There is no regulation or standard as to how bark mulch must be made. Therefore, make sure you buy good quality. Root weeds such as groundweed and couch grass quickly grow through the mulch layer and must be carefully removed before application. |
| hedge trimming | Pruning shredded with a garden shredder. | Occurs when trimming the hedge. | Decomposes slowly due to the lignin contained in fresh wood. Therefore ideally suited as a permanent mulch under hedges. Must not be applied too thickly, otherwise the air circulation of the soil is prevented, which leads to stunted growth. |
| lawn clippings | Clippings that accumulate when mowing | Occurs in large quantities during the summer months and can be easily recycled. Generates plenty of nitrogen. | If the clippings are very damp, they become very dense within a very short time. Rot often develops under this layer, which can damage the plants. For a thicker layer, the material must therefore necessarily wither. Alternatively, apply only thinly and loosen up again and again. |
| leaves | Occurs in large quantities in autumn. | Leaves can simply be left under the hedge as a mulch layer in autumn. | The plants must be free from pests, fungi or communicable plant diseases. Because of the tannic acid it contains, mix it with the chopped up remains of vegetables or grass clippings. |
tips
If you mulch the hedge regularly, you should provide the trees with additional nutrients. Any mulch material will be decomposed by soil life over time. During this process, the microorganisms consume a lot of nitrogen, which has to be replaced by a long-term fertilizer, such as horn shavings (€32.93).