Do you have a dry soil and want to improve its quality effectively without spending tons of money? Did you know that keeping moisture in the soil can drastically save the time you spent watering every day? The solution is very simple – mulching. However, with all the options out there, how do you know what is the best mulch for water retention?
A good mulch will improve the garden soil and suppress weeds. Moreover, it will make your garden look neat and tidy. However, most of the time mulch is used to hold water in the soil. That way you cut down on your water bill and your garden or raised beds will stay damp for longer.
So, what is the best mulch for water retention?
Finely shredded hard-bark mulch, pine mulch and wood chips is the best mulch for water retention. They soak up a lot of water when it rains and hold the moisture once saturated. In high heat the moisture will start to pass through and soak the soil underneath.
You can call your local municipality to see if they have tree mulch which you can pick up at no extra charge. Just make sure that the material is dried and aged, otherwise large amount of nitrogen can leach into soil causing nutrient deficiencies in plants.
If picking up bark mulch at your local tree-care or utility company is not an option, then you can buy a bag of shredded bark. It will not only retain soil moisture but will also help to maintain optimal soil temperature.
In this blog post we will talk about different types of mulch, what can you use for mulching, how it helps to cut down on the water bill and what option last the longest. Let’s dive straight in!
What is mulch?
Mulch is a material that you use as top dressing on your garden beds or soil. It can be a biodegradable or non-biodegradable material. Moreover, mulches can be organic and inorganic. Nevertheless, all mulches suppress weeds and conserve moisture in the soil.
When you are covering the surface with mulch, it blocks sunlight. As a result, weed seeds can’t germinate and grow. That way you can spend less time on tasks like weeding. However, how do you choose the best mulch for water retention from all of these options? Let’s look what are the options out there first.
What are the different types of mulch?
Different types of mulches are most of the time split into two groups: organic and inorganic. The different between two is that organic mulches eventually break down and improve the soil. In contrast, inorganic materials don’t decompose and enrich your soil.
However, they still suppress weeds and are good at water retention. It means that inorganic mulches will last longer. In comparison, you would need to replace organic mulches on a regular basis because they eventually break down.
Organic Mulches:
- Wood Chips
- Shredded Leaves
- Evergreen needles
- Grass Clippings
- Compost
- Shredded Bark
- Sawdust
- Straw
- Paper and Cardboard
Inorganic Mulches:
- Black plastic
- Rock
- Stone
- Geotextiles (landscape fabrics)
- Lava rock
- Crusher dust
Does mulch help retain water?
The primarily function of mulching is water retention. In summer it helps soil to retain moisture and in winter mulching lets rain to penetrate the soil. When you cover the top layer of soil with mulch, less water will evaporate from the soil.
How does mulching keep moisture in the soil?
Covering top layer of soil with mulch ensures that less moisture evaporates from the soil. Also, mulch creates a spongy texture and soil can absorb rain water more easily. Moreover, because mulch protects the top layer of the soil from direct heat, soil looses less water.
Can mulch reduce garden water requirements?
Due to the fact that mulch helps to retain water in the summer and adsorb more rainwater in winter, it helps you to save water. Mulching retains up to 80% of added moisture in soil, so you can significantly reduce garden water requirements.
If you are looking for ways to cut down on water bills, a good idea is building a water catchment system. That way you can collect rainwater which is actually beneficial for plant growth. Also, find out what water systems you can use in your garden or greenhouse.
What kind of mulch lasts the longest?
Bark mulch lasts the longest because they break down slowly. On average, bark mulch can last up to three years. If you want to have a mulch that lasts for longer, go for inorganic materials. Like landscape fabrics and black plastic which are man-made and last longer.
Should I remove old much?
Many gardeners are wondering whether they should remove the old much and lay a new layer in spring. The short answer is ‘No’. You should not remove old much every year because organic mulch decomposes gradually. Lay 2 inches of organic mulch in spring and then just add an inch of fresh layer of mulch next spring.
Broken down mulch adds more organic matter and nutrients to the soil, hence, improving it. Digging it out is extra work and loss of money. What you should do instead is to check how much mulch didn’t decompose from year before. Do it at the begging of spring.
For flowers beds you should have 2 inches of mulch on top of the soil and 3 inches of mulch for shrub beds and around tree stumps. So, if an inch of mulch broke down on your flower beds, you just need to add an extra inch of a fresh mulch on top of it.
That way you can determine exactly how much mulch you need to buy. Saves you time and money. Try mulching with shredded bark and let me know what you think in the comments sections down below!
Happy Growing 🙂
