Experts recommend carrying out an essential gardening step right now to prevent weeds – it doesn't have to cost a penny

EXPERTS have recommended carrying out an essential gardening step right now to prevent weeds and it doesn't have to cost a penny.
It also gives your garden a neat, tidy appearance and can reduce the amount of time spent on tasks such as watering.
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Pesky weeds that are taking over your garden and destroying all your hard work in a matter of weeks - is a gardener's worse nightmare.
But although purchasing a weed barrier to banish these annoying plants may seem like a quick and easy solution - but a good mulch is a great alternative.
Mulches are loose coverings or sheets of material placed on the surface of soil or to cover the surface of compost in garden containers.
There are many benefits to mulching including - helping soils retain moisture, reducing watering, suppressing weeds, improving soil organic matter and nutrients, and even deterring some garden pests.
Mulches can be split into two main groups; biodegradable and non-biodegradable explain the RHS.
Both types suppress weeds by blocking sunlight which is needed to germinate and grow weed seeds, and conserve moisture by reducing evaporation from the soil surface.
When to apply Mulch
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Mulches are best applied from mid- to late spring, when annual weeds have not yet germinated and herbaceous plants are dormant, and autumn, as plants are dying back.
They can be applied around new plantings or to established beds and specimen plants.
New plants that need to establish can be mulched at any time of the year when they will benefit from weed suppression and moisture retention in the soil.
How to apply Mulch
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Beds and borders can be mulched entirely, taking care not to smother low growing plants or to pile mulches up against the stems of woody plants.
My gardening technique can save you lots of time weeding – adding a sweet mulch reduces how much you need to water, too
To be effective, biodegradable mulches need to be between at least 5cm (2in) and ideally 7.5cm (3in) thick.
Lay mulches over moist soil, after removing weeds, when the soil is not frozen.
When creating new beds, planting through mulch sheets is effective.
Single trees and specimen shrubs are best mulched to the radius of the canopy.
As it decomposes over time, a biodegradable mulch will feed your plants and microorganisms in the soil reducing the need for additional soluble feed.
Ground covering Mediterranean plants such as Thymus species may be best left unmulched as it can hold too much moisture around the stems and foliage.
How to apply Mulch to your garden.
Experts have recommended carrying out mulching right now to prevent weeds in your garden.
Beds and borders can be mulched entirely, taking care not to smother low growing plants or to pile mulches up against the stems of woody plants.
To be effective, biodegradable mulches need to be between at least 5cm (2in) and ideally 7.5cm (3in) thick.
Lay mulches over moist soil, after removing weeds, when the soil is not frozen.
When creating new beds, planting through mulch sheets is effective.
Single trees and specimen shrubs are best mulched to the radius of the canopy.
Problems with Mulching
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There is generally no problem with mulches, if they are laid correctly.
However, if they are in direct contact with the stems of trees or specimen shrubs they can cause the stem to soften, making it vulnerable to diseases.
To save water and suppress weeds, the type of organic material you choose is less important than putting on a thick enough layer.
Depending on the quality of the material there is a possibility of introducing weeds, pests and diseases to the garden and, with woodchips there is a slight risk of introducing honey fungus.
Using freshly chipped material such as woody pruning's or grass clippings can encourage the microorganisms in the soil to grow but they may use up reserves of nitrogen, leaving less available for plant growth.
If you have freshly chipped material, keep it stored for a few weeks before using.
Avoid damaging roots of plants by hoeing weeds growing in mulches around permanent plants. Remove weeds by hand and add a further layer of fresh mulch.
Gravel can sometimes mix with the underlying soil if not applied thickly, encouraging surface weeds.
It is not uncommon for the white fungal mycelium of harmless saprotrophic fungi to be found in soil that has been covered or enriched with an organic mulch.
This is nothing to worry about and there is no need to dig out the mulch or white fungal growth.
This is also the perfect time to prep your garden for summer by tackling ten jobs with a cheap 50p hack.
Or why not have a look at the 5 gardening trends set to take over in 2025 – from companion planting to chaos gardening.
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