Mulch is a powerful landscaping tool that saves water, protects plant roots from temperature fluctuations, adds nutrients to the soil and prevents weed growth. Applying mulch is a labor-intensive process and the way that you apply mulch matters more than the quality of the mulch you purchase.
What Is Your Goal?
Before you can start mulching, you need to choose a mulch that is appropriate for the circumstances. When selecting mulch, consider:
- Purpose: Are you using mulch to control weeds? To prevent moisture evaporation? To cover an area?
- Availability: Do you have a compost pile or grass clippings that could be used with mulch?
- Biodegradability: Do you want your mulch to become a part of the soil? Or, would you rather your mulch not decompose, like tumbled glass or plastic mulch?
- Aesthetics: Will the mulch be visible from the street? Is function more important than appearance?
A skilled landscape maintenance company like JFC Grounds Maintenance can help you select the right type or types of mulch for your yard and skip the guesswork.
Prepare Your Yard
Next, you should prepare the area where you will be placing mulch. All weeds should be pulled before placing mulch down. You should also balance the pH of your soil and dig out all beds before application. Depending on your preference, you can add newspaper, cardboard or landscaping fabric beneath the mulch. If you want to install borders or edges, this would be the appropriate time to do so. A landscaping company will make sure that your edges are sharp and stunning.
Where to Place Mulch
- In your garden beds, around the base of trees and near the base of plants
- At least 4-6 inches away from tree trunks and plant stems
- 2-4 inches deep
Why Should You Leave the Job to JFC Grounds Maintenance?
Choosing to partner with a grounds maintenance company for the spring season is a great idea, as the landscaping choices that are made during the spring will determine whether or not you have a lush, healthy yard for the rest of the year. On top of taking care of bed preparation, edging and mulch installation, we can also tackle any other spring landscaping tasks you desire. Give us a call today at (410) 655-2887 to learn more about our planting, grounds maintenance and lawn care services.