The Importance of Mulching for Your Landscape
Many people don’t know what is mulching or how it is used to improve the life of every gardener or landscaper. It involves enveloping the soil surrounding plants to create an environment conducive to crop growth. This encompasses benefits, and the ramifications are profound – influencing crop timeliness, yield, and quality.
Diverse Mulching Techniques and Materials 
The materials employed for mulching span a spectrum ranging from organic residues of plants and decorative components like pebbles to synthetic substances like plastics. Each material boasts its own advantages and drawbacks.
Weed Management Through Mulching
Sunlight is imperative for photosynthesis, the process that sustains plant life. The implementation of plastic mulch impedes weed growth beneath its surface, obstructing sunlight passage. Remarkably, this plastic film has the unique property of reflecting sunlight, further inhibiting weed proliferation.
Enhancing Moisture Preservation
Plastic film’s moisture-resistant characteristics counteract moisture loss. Evaporated water from the soil under the mulch condenses on the film’s underside, subsequently returning as droplets. This leads to prolonged moisture preservation, elongating the time between irrigation sessions. Furthermore, plastic mulches ensure uniform moisture distribution in the soil, mitigating plant stress. The water savings facilitated by plastic mulching can range from 20% to a substantial 75%, especially advantageous in arid regions.
Minimized Fertilizer Expenses
Water’s leaching trait causes dissolved fertilizer to penetrate deep into the soil, often inaccessible to plant roots. The synergy of plastic mulch and drip irrigation curtails deep fertilizer penetration. Consequently, nutrients are consistently and promptly dispersed to plants, fostering robust and rapid growth.
Mitigating Soil Compaction 
The presence of plastic mulch counteracts the compacting impact of rain and sunlight, minimizing soil crusting. This leads to decreased weed growth, subsequently reducing the necessity for mechanical cultivation. Mechanical and chemical weed control can be executed between plastic-covered beds. Moreover, the soil beneath plastic mulch retains its aeration and looseness, fostering increased oxygen levels and microbial activity, thus promoting an enriched root zone.
Soil Erosion Control through Mulching
Ideally, soil erosion should not exceed 4 to 5 tons per hectare per year. Plastic mulch plays a pivotal role in reducing water runoff and erosion by intercepting raindrops and preserving the valuable topsoil layer.
What is Mulching? Explored Benefits and Methods
Did that answer your what is mulching question? If you are located in Charlotte, NC and need to hire a professional to install your mulch, turn to 5 Star Landscaping! I await your call. Contact me at (704) 253-8169 today!