I am very curious to know why I was told to remove mulch around the base of your plants.

I recently saw on TV that if you put mulch around a plant you push the mulch away from the base of plant. I have a mixture of winter dead grass, lots of cutup leaves, and wood chips. I am going to use it this summer. Why did they say to clear it away from the base and is it necessary?

A. Some gardeners recommend this pushing the mulch away from the stem of the plant to ensure that water will get down into the central root system. Mulch, especially dried cut lawn grass, can get matted and lay almost like a blanket. Though this is great for keeping the soil moist right below it and the temperature cool, it can shut off additional water from reaching the roots.

Lay the mulch around the plants as always, and then just take your hands and move a bit away from the circumference of the stem [or trunk]. If you are dealing with a multitude of plants growing together, loosely lay the clippings onto the soil all around them and poke some holes through it so that rain or your watering will reach through the dense mat.

I must say that it is not essential if you do not wish to do it. I think the advisor was fearing the worst. If you see that your mulch of any kind is keeping the water from penetrating, then you can take appropriate action.

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T.A. writes: We live in NW Arkansas, in the Ozarks, and water is short in late summer. I have used oak chips as mulch around my fruit trees. Do mice make nests in the mulch and eat the fruit trees roots? Is oak too acidic for fruit trees? What can I add to the oak acidity to equalize it? Does decomposition of the oak chips cause a problem?

A. Oak chips are fine for all trees. Mice may make nests in the chips, so you may wish to mix leaves in finer size with the chips. Any chipped or shredded wood will be good mulch. The best type is small, medium and large-sized particles all mixed together; chips under 1″ and up to 3-4″ in size. Chips from diseased elm or oak are safe to use. Once chipped, this wood cannot spread Dutch elm disease or oak wilt. Superphosphate is added according to directions to raise the pH of acidic soils. Mulch all new plantings at planting time. Mulch the base of your tree in a circle 2.5-3″ from the trunk. Use hay, straw, compost, bark chips, wood shavings, leaves provided the product is natural and does not form an impervious mat. Ensure that the mulch is applied to a depth that prevents weeds from growing through. Replenish yearly.

Fruit trees find ways to cope with even the most adverse soil conditions as long as you feed them properly and keep organic matter around their roots in the form of mulch. As the mulch decomposes and the soil conditions improve, you will begin to see increased yields and fewer problems with pests and diseases. Make sure that each year the mulch layer is supplemented with additional mulch to accommodate the tree’s increased branch spread.

Wood chip mulch is easily applied with regular garden tools. Simply put down 3-4″ of chips, level off and tamp lightly, pulling chips away from trunk slightly. There is no need to use plastic sheets with rocks. Rocks hold heat and can be detrimental to plant health.

Benefits of mulching with wood chips:

• Saves Labor – no weeding, less time watering
• Saves Water – far less watering needed, and more rain absorption
• Safer – no need for chemical weed killers or herbicides
• Stimulates growth – mulched trees grow faster than unmulched trees
• Makes trees more resistant to disease and insects
• Keeps soil and roots from overheating in hot summers
• Eliminates injury to trunk from mower collisions
• Reduces soil compacting over roots and adds loft
• Nourishes the soil by adding nutrients as it decomposes
• Eliminates the need for tilling and resultant root injury
• Reduces bruising of fallen fruit under fruit trees
• Increase earthworm population resulting in better aeration

Fruit trees need at least two good mulchings (10″ thick) a year, one before the summer heat and one after the mulch has broken down during the wet fall. The mulch will provide the ground and your tree’s roots with shade from the sun, lower the soil’s temperature, give worms food and a place to hide when they are forced to the soil’s surface after a rain, and slow the evaporation of precipitation and condensation at the soil’s surface. In the dryer months, mulch lasts longer and does not break down as quickly as it does in humid conditions.

Compiled from Don Trotter, The Permaculture Institute, and The Minnesota DNR.

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There are lots of challenges to overcome for anyone who tries to create an organic vegetable garden. The cultivation process as such extends over several seasons, but when you finally get results you’ll be able to enjoy homegrown veggies that are not only tasty but very healthy too. From a technological point of view, organic gardening is a return to traditions and to the old agricultural practices present in any culture worldwide.

The size of the organic vegetable garden is not important: it can even range from a few feet on the house roof or balcony to several acres. The first difficulty one may encounter in the attempt to start the cultivation of the plants is the crisis of organic seeds. The problem is that in order to have a real organic vegetable garden, the seeds ought to be free of chemicals or irradiation residues. Therefore, if you can’t find organic seeds in your neighborhood, try on the Internet.

The benefits of an organic vegetable garden are manifold. Firstly when there are no pesticides or herbicides included in the plant cultivation, the crops will not suffer because of the chemicals, the soil keeps its properties for several years and the specific fauna will contribute to the regeneration of the garden. Furthermore, the organic vegetable garden has the advantage of covering the family needs in a very cheap, safe and easy way. In caseyou run a farm in parallel with an organic vegetable garden things get even more profitable.

The manure from the animals can be used as a natural fertilizer that makes the crops even more profitable. Moreover, everything one needs for an organic vegetable garden should be available from local stores; the costs are definitely not high and the necessary items come for very decent prices. Don’t ignore the tips available in gardening books because lots of the tradition is lost and we need to revive it. Consider the following example here: think of the fact that corn and beans grown together as very practical; you won’t need any sticks for the beans because they will climb on the corn stalks.

The organic compost, the seeds and the soil will all have a heavy word to say in the development of the organic vegetable garden. Do not neglect any of these aspects and your home production will be both successful and rewarding on the long run.

Do you want to have a great organic vegetable garden? You should also think about how to disinfect your garden from pest. If you want to clean your garden from pest, just visit squirrel pest control site which provides numerous options of preventive pest control and related information you are looking for.

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What is butterfly gardening? Simply put butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If there is a cat where you are planning to plant your butterfly garden, give it a second thought cats will kill the butterflys.

The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

It is important to find out which plants and flowers will attract the species of butterflies. that live in your area. This infomation can be found on google
To create the kind of environment that they find attractive, you will also need water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A saucer or dish attached to a post or tree will do well also.

As with any garden it is really important to choose the colors of the plants wisely for your butterfly garden. Butterflies do not care what color your garden is, however you do want the colors and textures to blend. Butterflies are attracted to those flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, Valerian, daisies, Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium), Purple Coneflower, Yellow Sage, day lilies and lavender.

Landscapers and pro gardeners draw up plans to help them get the right spacing, look and feel of the butterfly garden. Keep in mind that vibrant colors like red, yellow and orange will really stand out and may even seem showy. These colors have a greater impact against a strong green background. Cool colors such as blue and purple are soothing and toned down and would work better with a white contrast to create the look of freshness and brightness.

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