Mulching Benefits http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MVECR 17 September 2009 Mulch Benefits Pictures of the yard with comments regarding the mulch. The prime consideration for mulching is moisture retention due to evaporation, to prevent the top few inches of soil from hard panning. If the top layer of soil dries out, essentially a great part of a growing area has become ineffective for plant growth. The plant roots cannot be aerated if the top layer is basically impregnable. Therefore to enhance conditions mulch is used. My garden area is now mulched with wood chips, which are picked up free of charge from the city. Wood chips are relatively loose and water and air can seep through. The chips decompose in about a year and more are added each Fall. In my case wood chips are an ideal mulch. When wood chips are utilized in the vegetable garden, after harvest the chips remaining are rototilled into the soil. A small amount of urea is broadcst to supply some nitrogen to aid decomposition.
The black mulch which I buy for the front garden beds may be cedar. It is dyed black with a benign substance. I have never found out what the dye is made from, and never pursued the matter. The other more common mulch, which is picked up from the city pile, is more often made from softwoods than anything else. There is a bit of evergreen material, but not extensive.
