Mulching is the covering of the soil with (mostly) organic material. This means that the soil’s water cannot evaporate as quickly, and the soil stays moist longer. For the gardeners, this means immense labor savings in summer. An organic floor cover protects the floor from temperature fluctuations. Soil organisms also benefit from this. On the one hand, they are protected by the mulch, and on the other hand, the mulch represents a good source of food for them.
Mulching is an alternative to conventional mowing, where the clippings end up in a grass catcher and have to be disposed of afterward. However, with the mulching mower, the cut and finely chopped up grasslands on the lawn again, where it serves as a natural fertilizer.
Mulching or mowing: the advantages of mulching:
- Fertilizer costs are saved: with mulch fertilization, the lawn receives all the nutrients it needs. This includes 20 to 23 grams of nitrogen, four to five grams of phosphorus, and twelve grams of potassium per square meter. Also, mulching fertilizes the lawn more evenly than a fertilizer, which costs the consumer around 30 euros per 100 square meters.
- Weeds don’t stand a chance: this was considered a disadvantage of mulching for a long time. Gardeners fear that the grass clippings they left behind could cause thatch to form. But the opposite is the case: there was hardly any species shift – but there was with the mowed lawn. The added nutrients from your clippings strengthen the lawn and leave weeds such as moss no space.
- Floor breathes better: And again, a prejudice that has been dispelled. According to critics, the soil would suffocate under the clippings – but the study found that the organisms in the soil of the mulched lawn are 40 percent more active, and the soil thus achieves a higher breathing capacity.
- Mulching saves time: the researchers had to mulch 21 times per season – while mowing only 17 times. However, a mulching process only takes 80 percent of the time of conventional lawn mowing – where the clippings still have to be disposed of. That is why you save some time with mulching over the year.
What is often interpreted as a disadvantage to mulching – formation of lawn thatch or the risk of suffocation of the grass is usually not a problem at all. However, only if it is appropriately mulched. In the case where you seem to find it stressing, you can use the help of a professional example earthdevelopmentinc.com etc. to get a good work done.
