MULCHING - HOW TO MULCH YOUR LANDSCAPE |
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| Mulching your shrub beds will help
reduce weed growth, hold moisture in the soil and help rainfall and
irrigation water to penetrate the ground more easily. There are several types of mulch you can use:
"Yard" of mulchOne cubic yard of shredded mulch is equal to
27 cubic feet. Therefore, to calculate how many "yards" of mulch you need
to cover a given area, find out the cubic footage by multiplying length x
width x depth (in feet).
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Preparation Once beds have been cleaned-up, it is time to edge the beds. The simplest way to create an edge is illustrated here: Cut an edge with a power edger or sharp spade, then spray the grass and weeds inside the cut with glyphosate. If you desire a "deep edge look" you'll need to remove soil along the edge with a spade or power trencher. |
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Pavement Dig out the edges along sidewalks and driveways so you have enough depth to apply your fresh coat of mulch. You'll also want to remove excess mulch from the area around your air conditioning unit (if it rests on the ground) to allow for the application of new mulch. |
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Applications Now it is time to apply any fertilizer or pre-emergent herbicide you intend to use. Nitrogen fertilizer will help compensate for what is removed from the soil when wood based mulches breakdown. Pre-emergent herbicides help prevent the growth of weed seeds in the soil. Some products combine fertilizer with pre-emergent herbicide. |
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Wheelbarrow Having the right equipment will make your job easier. We recommend a 6 cubic foot wheelbarrow with a pneumatic tire. Small spaces, and areas with difficult access, can be mulched using plastic tubs or 5-gallon buckets. Tip: It is much easier to shovel off a paved surface than tarps or grass, however, some mulches (dyed) may stain pavement. |
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Hand tools Flat scoops work best for shoveling off pavement. We prefer a long handled #2 coal shovel, but we've even seen homeowners using snow shovels! |
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Spreading mulch A pitchfork works well for handling most mulch products, as long as they aren't too finely ground. You will need a shovel for fine textured and decorative stone products. |
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Smoothing out mulch After scooping a pitchfork full of mulch into your landscape bed, use a back and forth motion to smooth out the mulch (as indicated by the white arrows in the photo on the right). Note: The mulch in the photo is double shredded, dyed brown, wood mulch. |
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More about mulching: |
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