Benefits of Spreading Mulch During Winter

The quickest and easiest way to protect the health and beauty of your garden in winter is by covering it with a warm blanket of mulch. During any time of the year, spreading mulch is always beneficial for your soil but it is especially helpful in harsh winter conditions.

Creating a Protective Layer

By laying down a layer of mulch you will prepare the soil when spring settles in and insulate it to protect roots from freezing. This being said, you need to be careful when you spread winter mulch to get the most effective results. The best time to lay down winter mulch is when temperatures drop and the soil has started to harden.

Winter mulches also help with tackling soil erosion and compaction from heavy rains. However, it still provides the needed moisture and hydration to the roots and soil since water will evaporate more slowly. Additionally, mulch enhances soil structure as it adds natural matter to help plants develop roots. A layer of thick mulch at the base of your plants will hinder pests from reaching the leaves and blossoms but be careful not to mound it up too high around the base of the plant to prevent the plant from rotting. Organic mulch helps with the suppression of weeds by keeping the soil beneath shaded, loose and moist. Even if weed seeds do manage to rise above it, they can be easily uprooted by pulling.

The Different Types of Mulch

Different types of mulch play a different role in your garden. Organic or natural mulches will rot down quicker but by doing this they contribute to the enrichment of the soil, which is a huge advantage if the soil has low or poor fertility. If you’re looking for winter mulches that don’t easily decompose, the best ones would be pine bark, pine straw or pine needle mulch. The most attractive out of the three though would be the pine bark, this is lovely ‘nuggets’ of the pink bark only, no ‘filler’ wood is added.

Another beneficial quality of mulch is that you can use it to line dirt paths that can turn into mud during the wet season when left bare. The opportunities are endless but the beauty of bark mulch along with its benefits to your garden is that it is fairly cost-effective also.

Need some help keeping the weeds at bay? Our Aftercare Team are on hand to help. Call our team today on 0116 210 0760.