One of the most important aspects of pre-planting is the condition of the soil. Mulching is necessary to improve any soil condition there may exist. Not only it will provide with the necessary nutrients to help plants grow, but it will also improve the moisture retention of any soil.
Fertility is also improved when mulch is added to a problem soil, hops which are use for beer making, can be very helpful in improving sandy soil conditions, the humus that the hosp deliver on the grown will improve water retention and fertility, will aid with aeration and will loosen the soil getting it prepare for planting time.
Composting kitchen scraps will provide you with a simple and inexpensive way to create your own mulch, ensure that there is no animal oil, meat or blood before composting kitchen scraps, add egg shells and coffee grounds to aid with calcium and acidity deficiency.
Cocoa hulls is a great mulching material, specially if the deficiency of the soil consists in little to no water retention. Cocoa hulls absorb two times it's weight in water, giving the soil the much needed moisture for plantation. Alfalfa hay, is rich in nitrogen it will deliver the necessary nitrogen content that fruit trees need. Leaves, the best way to use leaves is shredded or mixed with other light materials, leaves have also high nitrogen content and will enrich the soil's condition greatly.
Other materials used as mulch are aluminum foil, to help increase the sun rays, wool and cotton cloth which lasts for many seasons, Newsprint ink does not contain any harmful chemicals, but one should avoid using magazine's glossy paper. Sawdust, great for blueberries, delivers great aeration and ensures good soil acidification for berry plants.
Salt hay, it grows in meadows and lowlands near bodies of saltwater, it is good source of trace minerals it remains stiff on the grown and can be reused the following year, or it can be used year-round. it is very good mulch for strawberries. Rotted pinewood, it is excellent for mulching acid-loving plants. Peat moss is an old standby for gardeners, excavated from natural peat bogs, compressed into bales and marketed commercially. Good for improving moisture retention, it forms a crust over the beds that needs to be broken with a rake as soon as it forms.
Materials for mulching are easy to find, and often can be obtained for free or next to nothing. Many gardeners page through the yellow pages and make a list of promising firms from whom they can obtain materials for mulching, lumber companies, mills, meat packing houses, dairies, leather tanneries, riding stables among other firms.
Once your soil has been mulched, the garden plants will benefit greatly form the nutrients added through mulch materials.
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