The dream of every gardener and gardener is to get a rich harvest, with as little effort as possible. One of the cheapest, but at the same time, effective ways to increase the fertility of the soil is mulching its mown grass. Very often mown grass is thrown away or burned, but it can be used as mulch. Whether it is possible to mulch with freshly mown grass, how to mulch properly and what is needed for this - we will understand together in our article.
What is mulching?
Mulching is not anything other than covering the soil with a variety of materials that help protect it from drying out, preventing weeds from growing and creating fertile conditions for earthworms. As a result of this simple admission, the gardener-gardener has only to take care of harvesting. All other garden work is no longer necessary: under the layer of mulch, moisture lasts longer, which significantly reduces the need for watering the beds, the weeds grow much worse, and the earthworms, which are actively bred in favorable conditions created for them, grow loose. Of course, beds covered with a layer of mulch, do not look as neat as without it. But this minus against the background of other advantages of mulching is so insignificant that they can be completely ignored.
Mulching the soil with grass
When mulching soil with grass, the following rules must be observed:
- Freshly cut grass before using it for mulching, it is necessary to dry slightly beforehand. Fresh grass for mulch is not suitable, because it lies very dense layer, it is poorly permeating the air, and easily rot.
- Mulch should be laid on previously weeded and watered beds, while leaving the root zone and plant stems free to protect them from decay.
- The best time for mulching grass is spring, because it is during this period that plants need nitrogen, in large quantities, contained in grass. Laying mulch is only necessary on well-warmed soil, otherwise it can slow the growth of plants. Summer crops can also be mulched with grass in June. The timing of the mulching of the soil with mown grass depends on the region: in the northern regions it is carried out after the plants have risen and grown stronger, and in the southern ones - before planting.
- Mulch from grass should be laid in a layer of 5-7 cm. With a smaller thickness of the layer, the grass and soil under it will quickly dry out, and the main task of mulching grass is precisely to keep the earth constantly moist.
- Over time, under the influence of microorganisms and earthworms, a layer of mulch from grass will become smaller. Therefore, it must be periodically renewed, applying fresh grass on top of the old one.
- Mulching tomatoes with grass should be carried out immediately after transplanting the seedlings in the open ground, while leaving the stems open and renewing the layer of mulch as needed.
- Mulching strawberries with grass is produced during the formation of the first ovaries. The grass is laid in a layer of 5 cm in the aisles between
beds. This will save delicate berries from splashing the earth during watering and rains, as well as from rotting. - Under perennial plants, mulch from mown grass is not removed, but left for winter in beds. From annual plants, mulch is embedded in soil or placed in a compost pit for further decay.
- It is not necessary to wait for a sharp increase in the harvest in the first year after the beginning of mulching the beds with grass. The first notable results will appear in 2-3 years, not earlier. In the first year, mulching will only significantly reduce the amount of time spent after weeding or watering the beds.