The benefits of mulching in the garden

1. Soil protection

Whatever type of mulch you opt for, wood chips, flax mulch, bark... It acts as a protective layer for your soil and for the roots of your plants.

Once your plants are planted in the ground, the mulch chips deposited on the surface of the soil will strengthen the fragile soils in the face of erosion and compaction.

Mulching will create a natural cover to limit sun and wind damage that can cause your soil to dry out significantly.

It will act as an insulator by protecting your floor from both heat and extreme cold!

The provision of mulch on your soil will help prevent the formation of a crust. Indeed, without mulching and during heavy rains, your soil will become very compact and form cracks, which will make your soil fragile and impermeable, it will then require more attention and investment in terms of watering. .

Another benefit of mulching in the garden, the decomposition of organic mulch promotes the development of underground life by providing nutrients to spiders and earthworms. Did you know that earthworms are good for your soil? They create many galleries that aerate the soil and allow your plants to take root more easily!

2. Better plant growth

As we have just seen, mulch acts as a protective layer for your soil but also for your plantations. The installation of a mulch will therefore offer better growth to your plants, but how is this possible? The mulch prevents the evaporation of rainwater and therefore retains moisture in the soil, the roots of your plants therefore remain at the right temperature and benefit from optimal humidity.

Indeed, the mulch makes it possible to preserve nearly 90% of humidity, unlike 20% for a soil without mulch.

Mulching will avoid the phenomenon of water stress which causes plants to suffer from a lack of water. These ideal conditions allow your plants not to draw on their reserves and to grow stronger and faster.

But if mulching improves the growth of your plants, it is mainly because its organic matter improves the quality of the soil by decomposing. Mulch turns into nutrient-rich humus that will enrich your soil and increase its fertility by creating a natural fertilizer, what more could you ask for?

As you will have understood, placing a layer of organic mulch after your plantations will guarantee them better growth, it will offer them a stable soil temperature and a high concentration of nutrients.

3. Saving time

In addition to being good for your soil and for the growth of your plants, mulching your garden is a real time saver! Why this ?

It will initially limit the development of weeds, without completely eliminating them, it is estimated that 80% of weeds in the garden can be avoided thanks to mulch. It will create additional weight on the surface of the soil and obscure the light which will hinder the development of weeds.

No need to weed by hand or use chemicals, in addition to saving you time it's good for the wallet and the planet!

If you save time on weeding you will also save on watering, since the mulch acts as a thermal insulator, it allows better absorption of rainwater and limits evaporation due to heat. It is estimated that moisture from bare soil evaporates 3 times faster than from mulched soil.

This is ideal for reducing the frequency of watering your garden and making your garden self-sufficient and easy to maintain.

Mulching is a key step in planting your garden with Draw Me A Garden, indeed you will find flax mulch in your ready to plant garden kit!

So now that you know all the benefits of mulching for the garden, on your marks, get set, mulch!