Zen Weeding, then Mulching
I actually enjoy weeding. This is fortunate because I, like most avid gardeners, spend a significant portion of my time removing and controlling misplaced plants (weeds). Like pruning, weeding is an activity where I can lapse into a cadence of cutting and pulling. If I can say it, there is almost a Zen attitude of weeding. We garden for the enjoyment that it brings us. To get into the Zen attitude of weeding, we should observe that, whereas agriculture has to be efficient, ornamental gardening does not. There is no product and no harvest in gardening. Zen weeding is the art of understanding that when we take the efficiency concept and urgency out of gardening, all that's left is the beauty of enjoying the time we allow ourselves to be so close to nurturing favored plants and understanding how things grow and die.
Gardening is an act of creativity. Much like painting, the enjoyment is in the act of painting itself and the concern for efficiency is irrelevant. Pulling a weed is a brush stroke, pinching an expired flower is a brush stroke, planting a new perennial is a brush stroke.
Weeding cleans out the infiltrators that detract from the beauty of the plants that we are intent upon growing. Weeds use water, nutrients, light and space that would otherwise be available to our ornamental plants.
But there are also techniques that enhance your garden and reduce the growth of weeds: mulching! It is critical for the health of your beds. What does mulch do beyond improve the appearance of your beds? Mulch…
- protects the plants' root systems
- adds much-needed nutrients to the soil
- slows the erosion of topsoil
- greatly reduces water evaporation
- stabilizes soil temperature and…
- reduces the growth of weeds.
Many woody landscape plants evolved in forests where the soil is typically covered by a moist layer of decaying leaves, twigs, and branches. Mulching trees and shrubs can recreate some aspects of a forest’s soil environment, even in sun-baked landscapes far from the forest.
A tremendous variety of materials derived from plants are used as mulch. These include tree bark, wood chips, grass clippings, pine needles, shredded leaves, sawdust, straw, peanut and cocoa bean hulls, peat moss, ground corn cobs, recycled wood and paper.
Historically, tree bark has been the most popular material for use as mulch in ornamental landscapes. Mulch derived from the bark of mature softwood trees, including pine and cypress, is very resistant to decay. Bark from young softwood trees decomposes more quickly because it does not contain the high levels of lignin, waxes, and tannins characteristic of bark from mature trees. Hardwood bark, because of its high cellulose content, also decomposes rapidly. Many so-called bark mulches also contain wood, which hastens decomposition. Wood chips from pruning and removal of trees decompose faster than bark, but they contain higher levels of nitrogen, especially if foliage is present.
I have purchased 20-yard truckloads of hardwood or shredded bark mulch at times and have been happy with the product. Buying by the truckload is more economical than buying individual bags of mulch but spreading 20 cubic yards (equivalent to 270 bags) requires advance planning and some serious physical labor to distribute the pile.
All mulches have advantages and disadvantages; here is a quick overview:
Partially decomposed compost -- Adds plant nutrients and builds soil structure. Excellent mulch material. Highly recommended for use on annual, vegetable and perennial gardens.
Shredded leaves -- Provides food for earthworms and builds soil structure. Excellent mulch material. Highly recommended for use on annual and perennial gardens. May mat and block rainfall if shredded too fine.
Cocoa bean hulls -- Chocolate aroma when wet. Recommended for annual and perennial beds. May mat and interfere with water penetration. Can blow away in exposed areas. May develop an unsightly but harmless white mold.
Grass clippings -- Completely dry clippings can be applied at 1-2 inches. Can be used on annual, vegetable and perennial beds. Herbicide residues in clippings may injure mulched plants. Use clippings from non-treated lawns or wait three mowings before using clippings.
Pine needles -- Will not cause a measurable change in soil pH. Best used on perennial beds as they will last for two or three years. Removing needles annually from underneath evergreens may eventually cause nutrient deficiency in evergreens.
Wood chips -- Appearance of mushrooms or other fungal growths is common, but not harmful. Has little effect on soil nitrogen when on the soil surface. Best for permanent landscape plantings. Can be used on perennial beds. Once worked into the soil, chips will soak up high amounts of available nitrogen. Compensate by adding a high nitrogen fertilizer when you incorporate it.
Shredded bark -- Additional bark must be added every two or three years. Has little effect on soil nitrogen when on the soil surface. Best for perennial and landscape plantings. Will soak up large amounts of nitrogen if worked into the soil. Compensate by adding high nitrogen fertilizer when you incorporate it.
Straw -- Keeps soil splash off vegetables, which may decrease soil-borne diseases. Chopped straw is easier to handle and turn in at end of the season. Must be free of weeds so it doesn't introduce weed seeds into the garden.
Landscape fabric -- Highly effective with low maintenance for several years after installation. Needs top dressing with more attractive material. I don’t like to use it, however, because inevitably it comes to the surface at spots and looks just awful.
