The rainy spring weather has had a bad rap of late as everyone expects to be outdoors enjoying some sunshine.
One thing gardeners (and Watercare) can appreciate however, is that rain does help lessen the water bill, at least when it come to keeping plants alive.
With so much water captured in the soil, now is the perfect time to mulch the garden. Doing nothing means the increasing day temperatures will dry the garden out. Mulching is a great way to discourage weeds. After all, when the mulch layer blocks the weed seeds from getting light, the weeds can’t germinate and weeding before the mulch layer is added, offers plenty of space for the desirable plants to grow into.
The word mulch tends to cover a wide range of products that can be used over the garden: at last count Jarrod and the team at Central Landscape Supplies Avondale were offering nine different varieties of mulch to customers.
‘It depends entirely on what the mulch is to be used for,” says Jarrod. “Many customers love our aged arborist mulch for that more natural look at an affordable price.
We find inner city gardeners like Reharvest’s black decorative mulch as much for its water holding capacity as for its fashionable dark colour. For vegetable gardens we recommend our pea straw and lucerne product in 90 litre bags. This is a lighter product, still holding moisture but able to let sprouting vegetables to grow through it.“
The science of mulch is simple – the mix of large and small particle sizes helps it knit together. When water hits the larger particles, it will run down the sides onto the soil where it’s needed, unlike ordinary hard soil areas where water runs off to the lowest point. Any soil that has been covered with an organic mulch will reap benefits – plant roots remain cool, and earthworms stay nearer the surface because the soil is moist.
Many gardeners don’t appreciate where most garden mulches begin life, but they are one of the best recycling stories around. Ever notice those used up wooden pallets on the side of the road? The untreated wood pallets are chipped up and dyed black, becoming a mulch that the Central Landscape Supplies Group has been proud to sell for over twenty years.
A more recent addition, the undyed Cushionfall mulch is certified for use in playgrounds to keep children safe when they fall. And arborist mulch is exactly that – coming full circle from the pruning of trees and shrubs – with a careful aging process on the way.
To begin your mulching journey, Avondale Central Landscapes is open seven days for getting great mulch advice, booking deliveries, or borrowing a free trailer.
CENTRAL LANDSCAPES AVONDALE, 419 Rosebank Road, T: 09 828 5533, facebook: @CLSAvondale, www.centrallandscapes.co.nz/collections/mulches-barks
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