Mulching

janiner

Experienced gardeners are going to roll their eyes at this question....

Was watching Monty this morning and he said it was time to mulch your beds.

I have never done this in my garden. This is probably why I'm constantly weeding.

I have a few rhododendron in my beds. I read that mushroom compost isn't good for them. Should I get bark then? And once I've weeded, and put the bark down, do I have to ever remove it? Or does it degrade naturally?

Any mulching advice would be great..

Thank you

Nollie

Mulching is a great way to feed your soil, retain moisture and suppress weeds, so less work for you. Best to do it after a good rainfall when the ground is moist, otherwise it will lock in the dryness. Mushroom compost is alkaline so your rhodies won’t like it, an ericaceous compost or pine bark mulch will suit them better. It will rot down over time (and the worms will pull it down into the soil too) so no need to remove it. If weeds pop up through it, just pull them out as usual.

Hostafan1

mulch breaks down over time and the worms incorporate it into the soil. 
Re mulch, and repeat as necessary .

Purplerain

I doubt that anyone will roll their eyes. I have always mulched in Autumn, but I am always open to suggestings so bought approx 160 litres of cheap mpc from Lidl. To that I added some fish blood and bone and a fair amount of grit. Some has been spread on one border so far. I have no idea if it helps but it probably won't do any harm. He is right about the mushroom compost. The bark will degrade eventually.

Lyn

My mulching was complete by December, that gives it all winter for worms to work on it. 
Does anyone else other than Monty put it on in the Spring? 
He used to put it on in the autumn I’m sure, but that was in the programmes a few years ago. 

Hostafan1

I tend to mulch around now, when I've cut all the herbaceous stuff and grasses back after leaving them for the winter. It's when my soil is most bare so easiest to do now.

janiner

Seeing as I have never done it (ever), I guess doing it now, will only help?

Lyn

I do it in the autumn as it protects perenials from cold and frost.

Hostafan1

@janiner, please never be afraid to ask questions, any questions. Nobody is going to roll their eyes. 
Nobody knows everything and there was a time when we all knew nothing. 
Ask away.

chicky

I do my mulching now too, after one big weed and clear up.  Then I don’t really have to do much else til next Feb/March 😀.  We use the council recycled green waste - I have big borders so we get a lorry load delivered.

Purplerain

@Lyn, that has always been my way of thinking. Let the worms do their work over Winter. I am going to wait and see if there is any difference and if not, just do the Autumn mulch in future.