The soil around the plants should be mulched not only in spring and summer time, but also in the fall, so that the crops safely overwinter.

Mulch laid in the fall rots by spring and contributes to a better warming of the soil, as well as the rapid germination of crops.

But this is only one of the benefits of autumn mulching. What else is mulch good for?

1. The covering material retains moisture well, so plants planted in autumn do not need watering.
2. When rotting, the mulch forms an additional layer of humus that nourishes the plants.
3. Mulched soil suffers less from frost in winter and overheating in spring.
4. Sheltered land does not crust over after watering or rain.
5. Mulch protects plants from sudden changes in temperature.
6. Fewer weeds grow on mulched soil in the spring.

Mulching beds and tree trunks should be late autumn, when upper layer the soil is already starting to freeze. This is necessary so that rodents do not settle in the mulch, looking for a warm place for wintering.

It is important to understand that the desired effect of mulch can only be achieved if you do not spare the covering material. The thickness of the mulch layer should reach 5-10 cm, otherwise the mulching procedure is in vain.

1. Mulching with the bark of coniferous trees

Advantages

This is one of the most durable materials for mulching. bark mulch coniferous trees good for its decorative effect, as well as the ability to stimulate plant growth. Tree bark protects the earth from sudden changes in temperature. In addition, the soil after irrigation does not cake, and an earthen crust does not form on it.

disadvantages

Perhaps the main disadvantage in using this mulching material is the laboriousness of its harvesting. It is recommended to compost the bark of coniferous trees before use during the year. Also, this material is not recommended for mulching tomatoes.

What can be mulched with bark:

• fruit trees and shrubs,
• rhododendrons,
• heather and coniferous crops,
• cranberries, blueberries.

2. Mulching with compost

Advantages

Compost is one of the most the best materials for soil mulching. It is completely safe for plants, reduces the likelihood of infection with diseases, and is also an excellent fertilizer.

disadvantages

As with the bark of coniferous trees, compost must be prepared in advance. Also, a bed of compost can grow more weeds than soil covered with other mulching material.

What can be mulched compost:

• vegetable crops planted before winter,
• fruit trees and berry bushes,
• grape.

What is the difference between compost and manure? Compost is an organic mass obtained as a result of the decomposition of plant residues, and humus is rotted (or rather, rotted) manure.

3. Mulching with peat

Advantages

Peat is most often used as a mulch in autumn time. Peat mulching before winter is especially indicated on heavy soil prone to crusting. In the spring, this covering material contributes to the early heating of the soil, retains moisture and improves the structure of the soil.

disadvantages

It is not recommended to mulch the soil with fresh peat, since it contains a high concentration of toxic substances that adversely affect plants. Only certain types of peat can be used for mulching: transitional and lowland.

What can be mulched with peat:

• vegetables and herbs planted before winter.

4. Mulching with humus

Advantages

Soil mulching with humus is one of the most effective ways increase its fertility. This mulch is rich in useful substances necessary for good growth plants. In particular, humus saturates the soil with nitrogen, which is very necessary for garden and horticultural crops in spring time.

disadvantages

Mulch from humus can provoke the growth of weeds.

What can mulch with humus:

• trees,
• shrubs,
• grape,
• roses and hardy perennials.

5. Mulching with sawdust

Advantages

Sawdust is an excellent fertilizer for any type of soil (especially in combination with compost). They protect the earth from freezing and can enrich nutrients even the poorest soil.

disadvantages

Decaying, sawdust can "pull out" nitrogen from the soil, as well as lower its fertility. Since the sawdust tightly covers the ground from the sun's rays, in the spring all kinds of bacteria begin to develop in the upper soil layer.

What can mulch with sawdust:

• fruit trees,
• raspberries
• currant,
• blueberry,
• cranberries,
• grape,
• bulb flowers,
• winter garden crops.

Use only fresh sawdust whenever possible. Those that long time stored, dumped in a heap, can stick together. Dry them thoroughly before use.

6. Mulching with wood shavings

Advantages

Shavings can be used where the soil is rarely cultivated. wood shavings keeps well if kept in a dry place. Like sawdust, shavings repel slugs.

disadvantages

Unlike sawdust, shavings rot much longer (about 1 year), so it is often used to cover soil that is practically not dug up (for example, on paths).

What can mulch with shavings:

• trunk circles of trees.

7. Straw mulching

Advantages

Straw enriches the soil with nutrients and increases its fertility. And because this mulching material decomposes slowly, it provides mulched crops with long-term protection and keeps the soil warm.

disadvantages

Straw mulch can contain weed seeds, and rodents love to make their winter shelters in it.

What can mulch with straw:

• basil,
• garlic,
• strawberry,
• blackberry,
• potatoes planted before winter,
• grape.

8. Mulching with needles

Advantages

Needles are an affordable material that can be collected in the forest. Over time, mixing with the soil, such a mulch will make it looser and more permeable. For mulching plantings on the site, it is best to use pine or spruce litter - they will help prevent the occurrence of gray rot in plants. dense layer spruce needles reliably protects the soil from freezing and drying out.

disadvantages

Fallen needles emit volatile substances that can adversely affect horticultural crops. Also, needles increase the acidity of the soil, which is very harmful for many plants.

What can mulch with needles:

• strawberries and small strawberries,
• blueberry,
• cranberries,
• hydrangea,
• heather,
• rhododendrons,
• camellia and other plants that prefer acidic and slightly acidic soil.

9. Mulching with dry fallen leaves

Advantages

Dry leaf mulch is a natural covering that nature itself suggested. The leaves quickly decompose and enrich the soil with nutrients. As a result, crops planted in autumn start growing faster in spring.

disadvantages

Leaf litter cannot be used to mulch vegetable crops. In a mild and damp winter, the foliage may begin to rot, which will provoke the reproduction of fungi in the soil.

What can mulch with fallen leaves:

• fruit trees and berry bushes.

10. Mulching with pine nut shells

Advantages

Pine nut shell mulch is not only natural, but also very durable. It perfectly retains moisture in the soil, protects plantings from weeds and looks quite decorative. Besides, good layer shell stimulates the formation of beneficial microflora in the soil. shell in winter pine nuts keeps the soil from freezing. In addition, such mulching material is an excellent antiseptic.

disadvantages

High price. To mulch even small plot soil, you will have to spend a lot. Also nutshell can attract rodents that can significantly damage plants in the ground.

What can mulch with pine nut shells:

• perennial flowers,
• ornamental trees and shrubs,
• coniferous plants.

As you can see, there are quite a few options for mulch, so every gardener and gardener will be able to mulch plantings before harsh winter. You just need to choose the type of mulch that suits you best.

As I already wrote, the leaves are good insulation, so a layer of 5-7 cm in the near-trunk circle of a fruit tree will protect the soil from severe freezing. How larger sheet the more loose the pillow will be. The smaller, the more likely that the leaves are compressed into a dense cake and this is not very good.

These points must be taken into account. And loosening the leaf canopy on the offensive sub-zero temperatures not only destroys a large number of warm wintering pests, larvae and pupae. Such loosening destroys the compacted foliage, giving air access to the root system, retaining the first snow, which also insulates the soil.

In the spring, I really want to remove such sheet mulch as soon as possible. First of all, because we are frightened by horror stories, that all sorts of pests simply teem under it, and spores of diseases are already starting to explode on the leaves. Moreover, the knowledge that under the foliage that has packed over the winter the earth freezes more slowly pushes us to urgent cleaning.

To begin with, pests and diseases can be reckoned with without removing the foliage. To do this, it is enough to pour the leaves with a solution of urea (300 g per 10 l warm water). But it is not worth rushing to remove the leaves precisely because they do not allow the soil to thaw quickly, which means that the tree will wake up more slowly and bloom a little later than unmulched relatives. And under threat return frosts this is pretty good too. Let me take last spring as an example. In my garden, a plum and two cherry plums were well mulched before winter and kept under foliage until the soil in the garden completely thawed, and the same two plums in front of the house turned out to be “bare”. As a result, the "street" ones bloomed 5 days earlier and came under frost - there were 0 fruits. garden flowering was only partially affected by frost and there was enough fruit to eat for pleasure.

So.

Foliage as mulch

The leaves of trees and shrubs decompose for a rather long time and become complete food for plants only after they are processed by worms.

Only leaves without signs of disease and pest egg-laying are suitable for mulching, so in the garden I prefer to use decorative or forest leaves with large leaves as mulch. leaf blades. Oak and chestnut leaves serve longer as mulch. They actively suppress the germination of seeds, therefore they are suitable only for large perennials and in the near-trunk circles of trees and shrubs.

AT middle lane Russian oaks often get sick powdery mildew, but this is not an obstacle to the use of their foliage, because the race of these pathogens is not dangerous to other plants.

For mulching large perennials and shrubs, it is better to take dry leaves, mostly large. They do not cake, protect the soil from hypothermia, and in summer from overheating, preserve the structure and moisture of the soil, and prevent the growth of weeds. The optimal layer of mulch is 5-10 cm. Mulching with leaves is especially important for perennials suffering from bulging roots, as well as crops in which root system superficial.

I use part of the foliage for mulching the row spacing of strawberries, after the foliage gets wet in the rain, I sprinkle it with a little ash and a small layer of garden soil.

Remember that the mulch should not fit snugly against the root neck, otherwise, under adverse conditions, this most vulnerable place in the plant may become blocked and rot. Do not mulch small herbaceous perennials with foliage.

The ideal leaf mulch is shredded.

Lawn owners carefully scrape fallen leaves from the grass in autumn. They are partly right - leaf litter can cause the grass cover to rot. I do otherwise. In fact - I mulch the lawn with leaf litter. But ... I do it competently. As soon as a lot of leaves appear on the lawn (say, they hide the grass by 50%), in dry weather, take the lawn mower out. I remove the grass catcher from it, adjust it to the highest cut and start mowing. The crushed foliage lays down on the lawn in a thin, even layer, and after rain settles to the roots, where over time it turns into an excellent organic fertilizer. In fact, I remove the leaves from the lawn only at the very end of autumn. When it is simply impossible to injure grass that has grown by 8 cm with a lawn mower.

Many have noticed that I often write: to collect foliage in bags. Yes, this is the best for me. convenient way further use of fallen leaves. In dry weather, the collected leaves in bags lie until the moment when they need to be used. For example, fall asleep perennials cut and prepared for winter as mulch, insulate near-stem circles of shrubs or a garden bed prepared for spring. Yes, and it is more convenient to pour the leaves from the bags into the compost heap in layers. Here you certainly won’t forget to sprinkle them with garden soil: poured out of the bag, leveled it over the entire surface of the compost bin, sprinkled it with earth, took up the second bag. Most often I use large plastic black garbage bags. I carry the filled ones closer to the places of future use of foliage, I definitely cover it so that water does not get inside.

The sequel is being written...

Mulch is an indispensable element of plant care. It retains soil moisture, and over time turns into nutritious humus. Mulching trunk circles fruit trees provides natural protection and beautifies the garden.

All gardeners struggle with weeds. But, exposing the soil, they expose it to other dangers: erosion, drying out, weathering, freezing. Therefore, the soil is subject to mandatory coverage. Covering material for mulching trees and shrubs should perform the following functions:

1. protect soil from erosion;
2. retain moisture, reduce the frequency of watering;
3. protect the root system of the tree from being washed out by rain;
4. support optimum temperature soil;
5. prevent the spread of weeds;
6. help increase the number useful substances in the soil;
7. improve appearance site.

There are many various materials capable of fulfilling these tasks in one way or another.

Where can I get mulch material?

Most mulching agents can be found on your own yard, in its immediate vicinity, or at home. There are two broad groups of fruit tree mulches: organic and inorganic. The first ones include:

• cut grass;
• autumn leaves;
• weeds removed from the beds without seeds;
• sawdust, shavings, wood residues;
• straw, hay;
• bark;
• compost, humus;
• paper.

The main types are not organic mulch for soil around trees:

1. non-woven covering materials;
2. crushed stone, gravel;
3. marble chips.

When and how is mulching done?

A suitable time for the procedure is spring, when the soil has warmed up enough and its top layer has dried out a little.

• straw, hay, grass - 100-150;
• nettle - 50;
• shavings, wood chips, sawdust - 70;
• bark from 50;
• conifer needles 30-50.

In a climate with cold winters, autumn mulching of tree trunks is relevant. This measure will help protect the roots from freezing and saturate the soil with beneficial bacteria.

The protective layer must be placed around the trunk, retreating from it by 10-12 cm, so that unnecessary child roots do not begin to form in the wet substrate. The size of the circle should be approximately equal to the diameter of the crown, if the tree is large - at least 1.5 m.

3 mistakes when using mulch in the garden

So that the procedure does not turn from useful into harmful, you need to know about common mistakes:

1. by the most available material autumn leaves that have fallen from fruit trees may appear. In no case should they be used as mulch immediately and untreated: the foliage always contains fungal spores and pest larvae.
2. Do not cover unheated soil with mulch: the protective layer will absorb heat and significantly delay the awakening of the crop.
3. It is not allowed to mulch bushes and trees in wet weather with a thick layer: microbes, fungi and slugs will divorce under it from dampness.

If the layer of mulch has caked and compacted, it should be stirred up, and the soil under it should be slightly loosened.

Mulching trees with organic materials

All natural species Mulches add nutrients to the soil.

• Mowed grass perfectly protects and enriches the ground, but excessive coverage can burn the roots of the tree.
• Fallen needles increase acidity, therefore it is advisable where this figure is low. Its prickly structure will protect against rodents, but the oils that are released can have a negative effect.
• Shavings and others wood waste also need pretreatment. They can reduce the nitrogen content in the soil, therefore, for two years, sawdust and shavings are kept in heaps, mixed with sand, dolomite flour and nitrogen fertilizers.
• Hay can quickly turn into humus and saturate the soil, but it is dangerous because mice, slugs and other unwanted "guests" can breed in it. In addition, there are always weed seeds in hay, which will later have to be fought.
• Tree bark is the most durable organic material. It is often sold in tinted form. This will enhance the decorative effect of the garden, but you should make sure that the dye does not contain toxic substances.
• Paper and cardboard are used as the bottom protective layer, covering them with grass or straw on top.
• Compost is the only mulching material that has no drawbacks. To all its well-known advantages, one can add the fact that this product can be made on its own site from existing waste. Great option- compost from wood chips and sawdust.

Mulching trees with inorganic mulch

Synthetic materials and stones are not able to nourish the soil. Among their advantages, decorativeness and durability are noted, as well as the fact that pests do not settle in them.

Mulching the garden by weeding

This is the name of the way to protect the soil, which consists in growing lawn grass on it.

The method is suitable only for mature trees, young trees need free trunk circles.

The lawn involves the use of a lawn mower, the best way- with the function of chopping the cut grass, which will serve as mulching for the lawn itself.

How to water mulched soil?

Watering trees through the mulch layer is very effective. There is no soil crust under the mulch layer, the soil is not overheated by the sun, so water is better absorbed. The evaporating liquid remains under the protective layer, forming dew and creating a kind of cycle. Due to these circumstances, protected soil is watered much less frequently. This manipulation is carried out by introducing liquid under the root of the plant, if possible without affecting the covering material.

How to fertilize on mulched soil?

Organic mulch itself is a nitrogen supplement, but phosphorus-potassium fertilizers should be applied in spring and summer. They are mixed in dry form with mulch, with subsequent watering the mixture is absorbed.

When using inorganic materials, trees are fed in the same way as without shelter.

Features of mulching various garden crops

The process of sheltering varies depending on the type of plantings.

Mulching apple and pear trees

Trunk circles of apple and pear trees are mulched with the same materials as other fruit trees.

Cherry mulching

Ungrafted cherries over time create a lot of growth that is difficult to fight. One measure could be mulching with straw or other organic matter. From the heat, the soil cracks, new shoots immediately form in the cracks. You can reduce the number of unwanted sprouts by mulching the ground around the tree with inorganic materials.

Shrub mulching

Shrubs need shelter just as much as trees. Of the varieties of mulch, you can use sawdust, bark, and better - compost or humus.

How are coniferous plantings mulched?

Conifer plantations are mulched in spring and autumn to retain moisture in the soil. The recommended material is tree bark. If stones are used, then it makes sense to put agrofibre under them.

Shelter near the trunk area is a careful attitude to plants that will thank for it high yields. Protection from pests and adverse weather conditions will serve as an additional argument in favor of mulching.

If you have already done mulching in this way, then the recommendation is simple: rake off the mulch with your hands, cutting off the small roots (stem tissues) that can form in such a mound. By the way, it is because of them that the tree dries faster.

Ideally, the circle of mulch should look like a donut with a hole in it. 12-15 cm should be retreated from the trunk and lay out mulch around the tree 10-12 cm thick. The thickness of the layer of dry grass may be less, as it is more difficult for air to pass through.

The diameter of the mulch circle should be about the span of the tree's crown; it is on such an area that the root system is located underground. If you do not have the opportunity to mulch the desired area, then it is possible to mulch on a smaller area, but not less than 1.5 m in diameter of the circle. But you need to know that the root system of a tree is 2 or even 3 times larger than the crown. Therefore, than large area you cover with organic mulch, the more nourishment the roots will receive.

Lastly, it is better to use an organic mulch that promotes soil and tree health than a non-organic mulch.

Article Author: Love

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Experienced vegetable growers and gardeners will not need to prove the usefulness of such an event as mulching for a long time. It is not at all difficult to imagine that mulch is about the same as a blanket for a resting person - in any weather and at any temperature you feel more comfortable under it. Apply mulching on different soils and in different climatic zones, the process is to cover the surface of the earth in the beds with the help of artificial or natural materials. The entire area of ​​​​the beds or only the aisle can be mulched.

What is soil mulching

Mulching is not at all an invention of agronomists; people made conclusions about its necessity and effectiveness by observing natural nature. After all, in a forest or in a meadow, under bushes, trees or grass, you can never see open ground - it always has a layer of leaves, needles, dried grass.

Such a shelter reliable protection, capable of preventing the drying of the soil, its cracking, hypothermia of the roots during severe frosts in a snowless winter. Under the mulch, the formation of a soil crust does not occur, and during heavy rain the earth is not washed away and the roots are not exposed. Naturally, the shelter does not allow sunbeams act directly on the soil and accelerate the evaporation of moisture, it also creates an obstacle to the growth of weeds.

By mulching the beds, you can significantly reduce the amount of watering, and frequent loosening of the soil can also be abandoned.

Since the usefulness of the procedure is beyond doubt, it makes sense to consider how to mulch the soil and what materials are best to use. It should be noted that there are many options, everyone will be able to find an economically viable solution, which, moreover, is easy to translate into reality on their own.

You can learn more about mulching by watching the video:

Use for mulching artificial covering materials

Material for soil mulching can be natural or artificial.

Gardeners recognize that it is convenient to use to cover the soil:

• ruberiod or roofing felt,
• polyethylene films, black or multi-colored,
• lutrasil.

When using these covering materials, the following technology is used:
the canvas is spread on the beds, mark the points of cutting holes,
seedlings are planted in the prepared holes.

A little trick - longitudinal or transverse slots, unlike round or oval ones, will help to protect the soil from moisture evaporation to a greater extent, while they will not create an obstacle to the penetration of rainwater.

For mulching beds of cucumbers or zucchini, you can use a black film. The same is used for mulching strawberry plantations - the berries will not have contact with the ground and will be clean.

Interestingly, for beds with tomatoes it is better to use an opaque film of red color, and for cabbage beds - white. Red provokes accelerated maturation tomato, and white - will prevent excessive heating of the soil, the temperature regime is important for the growth of cabbage.

Therefore, the mulching film should be selected according to the following criteria:

• opacity,
• the ability to fit snugly to the ground, i.e. elasticity,
• proper strength.

The use of a film for mulching will increase the soil temperature by about two degrees, which is quite important in the conditions of a short summer in the northern regions, and will also make the daily temperature drop softer. On hot days, on the contrary, the film will help reduce the temperature.

Film way:

• will allow organizing the protection of plants from excessive cold and heat,
• save plants from drought,
• save you time on loosening the soil,
• will save money on the purchase chemicals for the destruction of weeds, in particular sow thistle, loach, couch grass,
• will provide the roots with enough oxygen,
• prevents soil compaction from precipitation, for example, after growing strawberries in the area under the film for several years, the soil will remain loose,
• on strawberries and strawberries, the development of gray rot practically stops.

Film mulching also allows you to increase the fertility of the soil:

• under it shoots weeds rot, enriching the soil with nitrogen,
• useful microorganisms under the reliable cover of the film develop more actively,
• the percentage of humus in the soil increases.

With the onset of frost, the mulch film creates protection for the earth, which in turn prevents the freezing of plant roots, this moment is especially important for dwarf apple trees and strawberries, which do not differ in particular frost resistance.

The disadvantage of artificial covering material is its non-decomposition and inability to provide extra food soil. Therefore, experienced gardeners prefer to lay mulch of natural origin on the ground, for example, humus, and then cover it with a film or nonwoven fabric.

Types of organic mulch and its correct use

When choosing a covering material, summer residents often prefer natural ones, which are capable of:

• suppress the growth of weeds,
• decomposing, enrich the fertile soil layer,
• keep moisture in the soil
• protect the roots from freezing or overheating.

But to obtain the desired effects, you will need to know how to apply this or that type of mulch.

Watch a video about mulching materials:

soil mulching with grass

You can get material for mulching by mowing lawns or mowing wild herbs, removing weeds, or pinching tomatoes. It is the ragged stepchildren that should be used for mulching cabbage - the pungent smell will scare away the pest of cabbage - whitefish.

If in the southern regions it is possible to mulch the beds even before planting, then in the northern regions, well-heated soil is covered with grass, in which the plants have already sprouted and grown stronger.

How effective is compost mulch?

Compost in all respects is an ideal covering material, suitable and safe for everyone. vegetable crops. Compost provides some protection for plants from diseases and organizes high-quality top dressing for them.

In addition, laying a compost heap from tops, leaves, shavings and paper, all kinds of organic waste solves the problem of waste disposal. You can get high-quality compost in just one year, with the correct laying of the compost heap.

When is the best time to use straw?

It is best to use straw to cover the ground under potatoes and tomatoes.

Her thick layer will create a reliable barrier between pathogenic fungi in the soil and plant leaves, this will prevent the development of leaf spot, anthracnose and early rot. Straw will also prevent a massive defeat of potatoes Colorado potato beetles. Straw has a beneficial effect on garlic, strawberries and blackberries.

mulch from tree bark and other woodworking waste

Since tree bark belongs to the category of waste from the woodworking industry, it is not difficult to get it. This is one of the materials that allows long-term use - the bark is able to repel water, so the decomposition process in it is very slow. It is beneficial to use the bark, if necessary, to mulch the ground around shrubs and trees.

If the bark is from coniferous plants, then it is not recommended to use it on tomato beds, the release of fragrant volatile substances will be bad for tomatoes.

Among other advantages, bark mulch has enough decorative look, it can be used as a decoration for flower beds - it is both beautiful and useful for plants. AT modern design the crushed bark is often used as a decoration material.

No less in demand are other waste products from woodworking enterprises - sawdust and wood chips. Mulching the soil with sawdust is rational if this area of ​​​​soil is not dug up and is rarely subjected to cultivation. The fact is that the rotting of wood chips usually lasts for a couple of years.

Mulching with wood chips is often used in beds with raspberries, areas with garlic or tulips planted for the winter.

An excellent result is obtained by mulching strawberries with sawdust, but in no case should you use caked material. In any case, such sawdust will need to be straightened before use. thin layer and dry well.

It is used for mulching even needles, mainly on strawberry beds and eggplant plantations.

Sometimes gardeners refuse to use needles, fearing that it causes an increase in soil acidity. However, in practice it has been proven that mulching with needles for two years did not lead to a change in acidity.

how to use fallen leaves

They are also a good mulching material, they can be used on cabbage or bean beds. The leaves are used in growing crops such as peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, but it will be possible to lay the mulch if the mail is warm enough.

Leaf mulch - perfect material for laying on flower beds:

• during severe frosts, it will reliably protect the roots,
• during the first spring thaws bulbous plants do not have time to germinate, this will save them from frostbite.

• reeds and humus,
• peat crumbs and waste obtained during the cleaning of pumpkin or sunflower seeds,
• cardboard and freshly cut grass,
• straw and wrapping paper,
• sawdust with fresh grass.

The layer of mulch can be from 3 to 10 cm.

features of paper mulching

Newspapers, cardboard or kraft wrapping paper can be used in sheets or in shredded form, but the layer of paper must have an appropriate thickness, at least corresponding to a four-fold newspaper sheet. Such a shelter can provide protection against germinating weeds, to increase efficiency, a layer of paper is covered with straw or hay, you can also cover it with earth.

There is an opinion that printing ink can be harmful, but scientists have proven that none of the components of the ink used in modern printing houses, can not cause any harm to the garden or vegetable garden.

Using sheets of cardboard or kraft paper instead polyethylene film will increase the temperature of the soil by 2-3 degrees in a couple of days. This fact is very important in the process of preparing the soil for planting seedlings.

It has been noticed that paper mulching of beds with legumes and raspberries has a significant impact on increasing yields.

Do I need to mulch the soil in the greenhouse

Modern agronomy recognizes that soil mulching in greenhouses gives positive result, in particular:

• reduces the amount of water used for irrigation and reduces the number of irrigations themselves,
• allows you to refuse weeding and at the same time maintain satisfactory air permeability of the soil,
• helps to get rid of weeds,
• reduces the risk of diseases of cucumbers and tomatoes,
• makes the ground temperature more stable with noticeable changes in air temperature.

As mulch in greenhouses, the same natural materials, which are used for open ground, the laid layer should have a thickness of at least 5 - 8 cm. It is recommended to leave a small amount around the stem itself. free space- watering the plants will be easier.