Vineyard mulch options. Soil mulching Pine needle mulch where to apply

Timely processing and proper care of the soil in the vineyard is one of the prerequisites for winegrowers who want to get the maximum possible yield of conditioned and marketable berries from their plantations.

The main task, when processing and caring for the soil of the vineyard, is the creation and continuous improvement of the mechanical composition, moisture capacity, air permeability and soil fertility.

The method of processing and caring for the soil depends on the following factors: climate zone, relief of the vineyard (lowland, slope, hill ...), mechanical and physico-chemical composition of the soil (chernozem, sandy loam, clay ...), water supply (irrigated, not irrigated), depth of occurrence ground water, thickness and saturation with nutrients of the fertile layer and underlying horizons, as well as the general agricultural technology used in the vineyard.

BLACK STEAM

With this method, the topsoil of the vineyard during the entire growing season is kept clean from weeds. This is achieved through multiple machining(cultivation) with the help of cultivators and other agricultural machinery or the use of herbicides.

Cons: compaction of the arable horizon, excessive moistening of the upper soil layer during in large numbers precipitation on "heavy" soils, and rapid drying with little on "light", weathering and washing out of the fertile layer.

Black fallow does not increase soil fertility and requires annual application of organic and mines. fertilizers.

DISCLAIMER (RETAINING)

With this method, grasses are sown in the vineyard between the rows. To do this, you can use various grass mixtures (meadow fescue, meadow bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, French ryegrass, meadow timothy grass, clover, mustard, alfalfa, lupine and other annual and perennial herbs).

Full soil tinning is carried out only on mature fruit-bearing vineyards. On young plantings, only aisles are planted, leaving grape rows 1-1.5 m wide under black fallow or mulch. This method of maintaining the soil requires periodic mowing of the herbage.

Indispensable in vineyards located on the slopes. Tillage prevents weathering and washing out of the fertile layer, improves the mechanical structure of the soil, and increases its fertility.

MULCHING

The most time consuming, but by far the best way to maintain soil in your vineyard. With this method, the surface of the soil is covered with mulch. Inorganic materials can be used as mulch - black film, spunbond, rubber, geotextiles and the like, but it is much more efficient and better to use organic mulch - hay, straw, grass clippings, sawdust, pine coniferous litter, leaves, bark and much more.

Mulching helps in the fight against weeds - a layer of 5-7 centimeters almost completely stops their growth and development. When using mulching, the evaporation of moisture from the soil is significantly reduced and, as a result, the frequency of irrigation is reduced.

The topsoil will always be loose - loosening can be done less frequently. In hot summers, mulching is one of the better ways plant protection - it does not allow the top layer of soil to overheat and maintains the temperature that is optimal for the growth and development of plants.

Autumn mulching is used to protect the soil from weathering, washing out and freezing, which is a guarantee good development plants on next year. In addition to such important qualities as preventing soil erosion, creating a favorable environment for grape plant moisture capacity and air permeability, the development of beneficial soil microorganisms, a decrease in the amount of water for irrigation, a delay in the development of weeds, a decrease in temperature during a hot period, a decrease in air humidity in the vineyard and, accordingly, a decrease in the infectious background, organic mulch is an excellent fertilizer.

Mulching the entire area of ​​the vineyard is quite difficult, for this reason I use both mulching and grassing in my small vineyard. Vine rows 1.5 m wide are mulched. I sow the aisles with various mixtures of herbs. When mowing row spacings, all mowed grass goes to mulching the rows. Everything turns out pretty quickly and easily, I ran along the aisle with a trimmer and immediately raked it under the bushes with a rake. Not a lot of time, but a lot of benefits.

SOIL TREATMENT IN THE VINEYARD

Here you, dear gardeners, got acquainted with the main methods of maintaining, caring for and cultivating the soil in the vineyard. As you can see fundamental differences vineyard soil care and orchard no. I wish you success and a good harvest.

Increasingly popular these days natural farming. In addition to a significant reduction in volume earthworks, the pleasure of receiving high yields various horticultural crops, this method involves the mandatory use of mulch. Can be used as mulch different materials. Mulching with needles is used when growing many plants that are not afraid of acidified soil. For these purposes, not green pine needles are used, but brown ones that have long fallen.

Purpose of mulch

Mulch refers to any type of loose air- and moisture-permeable biodegradable material that is applied to the soil surface. The use of mulch provides:

• keeping the soil moist for a long time;
• growth retardation of many types of weeds;
• maintaining optimum temperature soil;
• creation of humus with gradual decay;
• life support beneficial organisms inhabiting the top layer of the earth.

Growing plants on soil covered with a layer of mulch gives incomparably top scores than without it. The thickness of the mulch should be from 5 to 20 cm. The needles are laid out at some distance from the base of the plant. They only need to cover warm ground.

If you hurry with laying the mulch in the spring, then the ground under it will remain cold for a long time. The effect of such an application will be the opposite - a delay in the development of plants.

If in spring and summer the purpose of mulch is to protect the soil from drying out and the growth of weeds, the accumulation of heat, then in autumn it is protection from freezing of soil organisms living under it.

Many natural materials can be used as mulch:

• coniferous litter;
• hay, straw;
• husks from seeds, buckwheat;
• shells from pine nuts;
• dry last year's leaves;
• sawdust and shavings;
• wood chips from tree bark;
• crushed cones;
• humus, humus, peat;
• freshly cut grass.

Buy mulch from natural materials not easy, it is rarely on sale even in specialized stores. Such materials are quite expensive, after a year they need to be updated, as they decompose in the soil.

Currently, in addition to natural shelters, modern non-woven materials are used:

• spunbond;
• agril;
• lutrasil;
• virotex.

They pass moisture to the ground and delay its evaporation. Their use is justified by the ease of acquisition and use. But creating real humus under such shelter will not work. Such a cover will not provide nutrition for the plant.

When using completely free pine litter, which can be collected in any quantity in pine forests, gardeners receive not only mulch, but also a natural humus factory.

Raking the needles into bags, you can see white streaks of mushrooms under the pine needles. These myceliums provide the soil with enhanced nutrition and protection. Fertility and wild nature, and in the beds, is created by soil inhabitants who actively process thick layer needles.

Soil inhabitants - fungi, bacteria, small fauna that live under the litter, help plants digest and assimilate any organic matter. Plant productivity in such conditions is optimal. After all, if there is no organic matter, there is no soil life, there is no nutrition for plants.

Application of pine mulch

In the horticultural literature, you can read about the limitations in the use of pine needles. It has an acidic reaction and over time, with constant use, acidifies the earth. Not all plants like it. Someone needs such land, someone suffers and gets sick in such conditions.

The way out of this situation is very simple. It is worth remembering which vegetables, bushes and trees love such conditions. Raspberries and blackberries tolerate acid soil well. Slightly acidic soil is suitable:

• for an apple tree;
• pears;
• cherries;
• plums;
• quince;
• gooseberry;
• currants.

Medium acid soil is suitable:

• for strawberries;
• potatoes;
• pepper;
• pumpkins;
• parsnip;
• sorrel.

Pine mulch helps the growth of sunflowers, eggplants, onions, and garlic.

From ornamental plants loves coniferous mulch hydrangea, rhododendron, all heather, roses.

In addition, acidic soil can be neutralized by scattering it on the beds in the fall. slaked lime- 50 grams per 1 sq. m. It is even better to deoxidize the soil with ash, which is a natural supplier of nitrogen.

Pine needles contain natural phytoncides that counteract fungal and bacterial diseases. The needles also include great amount vitamins and minerals, which gradually pass into the soil.

Raspberry

Needle mulch allows you to grow chic crops using biotechnology, which was studied and described by the outstanding Russian land surveyor Alexander Kuznetsov. Its principle is that root microbes and fungal mycorrhiza provide nutrition to plants. Microbes and fungi do not live in the arable layer, only in overripe plant residues.

That is, by covering the beds with raspberries with coniferous litter or any organic mulch, they create conditions for a favorable symbiosis between the plant, fungi and microbes. This symbiosis is a living biological product that enhances the breakdown of organic matter and improves plant nutrition.

Raspberry roots secrete substances necessary for the life of mycorrhiza, and mushrooms enrich the soil with nutrients. Pine mulch is a natural habitat for mycorrhiza.

Its presence allows you to increase the planting density from 5 shoots per 1 sq. m. up to 30-40 pieces.

At the same time, the weight of the berry increased from 4-6 grams to 10-12 grams. Fruiting remontant raspberry instead of August, it starts from mid-July.

In beds that are mulched annually, plants either do not get sick at all or the disease manifests itself weakly. With such agricultural technology, fertilizers are not needed, frequent watering, chemicals for pest control.

Strawberry (strawberry)

When using Kuznetsov's biotechnology, strawberries instead of ordinary berries weighing 40 grams gave out berries weighing 65 grams. The harvest increased by 1.5 times. Mulch, among other things, plays the role of an antiseptic, strawberries do not suffer from any diseases.

Unlike straw mulch, pine needles will keep slugs from getting close to the berries. Mice won't live in it either. The layer of mulch should be at least 5-7 cm high.

Lingonberry, blueberry, cranberry

The cultivation of these crops is gradually becoming fashionable. Small plantations are laid on fenced beds covered with peat. For the good development of plants, they are watered with acid-containing solutions. Sheltering such plantings with coniferous mulch is a mandatory procedure.

Onion and garlic

Beds with these plants are recommended to be covered with pine litter. Needles will not only retain moisture, interfere with the emergence of weeds, their phytoncidal properties will save plants from fungal and bacterial diseases. From mid-May, the beds cover dense layer pine mulch. At the same time, work on watering, loosening the beds is reduced.

It is very good to cover the roots with pine mulch for the winter. berry bushes, fruit trees, grapes and strawberries. Protecting from icy wind and low temperatures, it does not allow the roots to suffocate from a lack of oxygen. Many other defensive structures are becoming winter quarters for rodents. The needles will not allow them to settle in shelters built for grapes and roses.

Many beginner gardeners have already heard that mulched soil significantly improves yields, but still do not know exactly how to mulch. The mulching technique is different, as well as the materials used for it.

Organic materials are by far the most popular, and straw is one of the most available materials. It is laid out on the soil in a layer of 10-15 cm, which later sags to 4-6 cm. Such mulching perfectly retains moisture and reflects the rays of the hot summer sun, under the mulch the soil remains quite cool.

Straw effectively prevents the mass emergence of weeds, prevents tomatoes and cucumbers from getting sick, and strawberries from rotting on the ground and getting dirty. If you cover potatoes with straw, then

She will grow better several times, besides, she is less affected Colorado potato beetles, which later wake up in the cool ground and struggle to overcome the mulch.

Hay does not last as long as straw and is much less effective against the appearance of weeds, besides, it contains a lot of seeds. different plants. But it very quickly turns into nutritious humus and fertilizes the soil. Shredded wood, small chips, sawdust are also used as mulch.

Some believe that this type of organic mulching is ineffective at controlling weeds, but there is an opinion that if you make the mulch layer thicker, this deficiency will be corrected. Materials before mulching should be weathered and aged, it is recommended to water the soil under them beforehand nitrogen fertilizers consisting of infusions of urea, feces or manure. When rotting, wood mulch will absorb nitrogen.

It is better to use a light-colored woody mulch so that it effectively reflects Sun rays.

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You need to mulch the vineyard a season before its laying. Then the seedlings will "sit down" in an already full-fledged, healthy, fertile land and you may never know about problems with their survival and diseases.
Thanks to the mulch, you will forget what weeding is, because there will simply be no weeds. But a structure is formed in the soil: channels that, like a sponge, absorb rain and melt water; tunnels through which air moves and on the walls of which dew condenses; capillaries that draw up nutrient solutions from depths beyond the reach of the most fanatical plowmen.
Perhaps you planted a seedling in the fall and have now opened it or just finished it. spring planting- not important. It is important not to rush with mulching - the earth must warm up so that the roots get a good start and begin to actively develop living space. It is better to start mulching when the air temperature at night does not fall below 10-12 ° C for a couple of weeks. But the best signal to start mulching will give the grape itself: when the eyes open, you can mulch.
Methods for mulching grapes
The easiest way to mulch grapes is cover the space around the seedling within a radius of half a meter, for example, straw with a layer of about 5 cm. In spring, organic mulch is in acute shortage, and for some reason there are never many materials harvested since autumn, so do not try to immediately cover just one seedling with a dense “veil” - it is probably not one, it is necessary that everyone has enough. Then add thicknesses when it grows than to add.
It is more important now to mulch not only trunk circle seedling, but the entire area that is allocated to him "for growth" - that is, the place where it will be and where you will direct the sleeves. How more land you make it alive and fertile, the better, besides, you will immediately get rid of the need for weeding and significantly reduce the likelihood of developing diseases.
The same goes for grapes that you may already be growing. You mark out half a meter on both sides of the trellis, mow the grass, you can loosen the top layer of soil or with a cultivator - just don't dig! And mulch, and you can use grass that has just been mowed here.
If the mulch material is dry, it is useful to sprinkle it with water to activate the biological processes under the mulch. Sometimes it is necessary to fix the mulch so that the wind does not dispel it - most often it is enough to roll it with branches, boards or just water it. Once it's stuck, the wind won't blow it away. And get ready to make up for the shrinkage of the mulch!
The figures show the difference in the development of grape seedlings with and without mulch.

Now about the tricks of mulching grapes, material for mulch
The smaller the mulching material, the faster it will be absorbed by the soil inhabitants, the more intensively it will develop and the sooner it will bear fruit. grape bush. Some do not even spare money for electric shredders - the grape harvest is still more expensive, and not only grapes need mulch.
But relatively large branches, vines, and other coarse organics work great in mulch - they just take longer to be included in the fertilization process. The same organics, only already decomposing, will help speed up their processing. It is easy to find rotten, half-decayed branches and leaves in a forest, grove, forest belt, old garden, on an abandoned neighboring plot. Keep nylon bags of sugar or flour on the farm, and, by the way, a wheelbarrow is a great help for a modern winegrower!
So, we put the “sourdough” on the soil in the form of organic matter, on which the microflora is already working, on top of our branches, vines, stepchildren, leaves and most top layer- hay or loose grass. It would be nice to pour water over all this: in a humid environment, bacteria and fungi from our “sourdough” will spread widely and quickly.
As an activator, you can use semi-rotted compost and manure. If possible, mix it with other raw materials for mulch or spread it in a thin layer over the surface of the soil, and lay out another mulch material on top. Bacteria and other living creatures from the compost environment will quickly master the new living space.
If to speak about food waste, cake after a juicer and churn, silage and other organic matter with a high nitrogen content, it is better to make a “sandwich”: an activator on the soil, our “raw materials” in the middle, and cover with dry materials a few centimeters on top. So the assimilation process will go much faster, moreover, there will be no unpleasant odors and flies.
It is usually not recommended to use sawdust, shavings, bark as mulch, especially conifers trees. Firstly, these materials increase the acidity of the soil (although this can be very useful in regions where soils are alkaline). Secondly, cellulose can cause temporary nitrogen starvation of grapes (the same applies to straw).
However, sawdust and straw can be used as part of the mulch, you just need to mix them with fresh grass, manure, bird droppings, and add at least three parts of "thinner" to one part of the sawdust. You can not mix, but then you need to alternate them thin layers and moisturize, if possible with a solution of mullein, herbal infusion or EM preparation.
In any case, nitrogen starvation is a temporary phenomenon and will pass when your soil living creatures "churn" cellulose and nitrogen returns to the soil. And after three years of chemical-free and plowing-free agricultural technology with total mulching, your “live” vineyard will be able to assimilate with appetite a multi-centimeter layer of sawdust and arm-thick branches in one season.
sawdust and straw- very affordable and cheap materials, most often their price is formed by the cost of delivery to the site. The issue of providing raw materials for mulching is not so simple - look after groves, glades, meadows, abandoned areas where you can "extract" organic covering material.
Grandmother - "God's dandelion" can wheelbarrow several tons of fallen leaves from a grove per kilometer. A scythe, sacks and a bicycle will help increase productivity not only in the vineyard. Do you have a car and a trailer? Generally good - go to the nearest sawmill, for them the removal of sawdust - a big problem, so you will most likely be delighted. And if they are not happy, and even want money for sawdust, calmly turn around and go to another sawmill.
Straw is very good for our business, especially since farms willingly sell it in bales and rolls. But keep in mind that a roll of straw weighs 200-400 kg - delivering it to the site and unloading it without breaking anything can be a daunting task.
In some regions, it is widely used as a fertilizer sapropel- bottom sediments of freshwater reservoirs, which were formed from dead aquatic vegetation, the remains of living organisms and plankton. As a mulch, sapropel can be used in combination with straw and sawdust or without them. Peat is also good for mulching grapes.
By the way, it will be remembered that coal- these are plant remains that have undergone slow decomposition under the influence of geological and biological processes. So if you have a black pile lying idle behind your barn for years, grind the coal with a hammer and add in small amounts under the mulch.
The finer the fraction, the faster you will notice improvements in the vineyard (and not only), coal dust is really good.
Effective microorganisms are able to greatly accelerate and improve the process of forming the interaction between soil, mulch and grapes, as well as quickly start the process of high-quality plant nutrition with the help of organic matter and such “goodies” as “EM-bokashi” (“Urgasa”, “”).
"EM-bokashi" (EM-bokasi) is a culture of effective microorganisms grown on an organic substrate under conditions of stable temperature and humidity. The Japanese invented "bokashi" for recycling kitchen waste, but our people "reoriented" this technology to vegetable gardens, orchards and vineyards.
In our case, "bokashi" are fermented by effective microorganisms wheatbran, and if anything deserves to be called "fertilizer", it's them. Each grain of “bokashi” contains a “division” of agronomically useful microorganisms, which, when “landing”, are introduced into the territory being developed thoroughly and for a long time. With them they have full complex tools, materials and information - antioxidants, enzymes, organic matter, which contribute to the rapid decomposition of organic matter, and also serve as food for the effective microorganisms themselves and the surrounding helpers - to restore and consolidate order around themselves.
The introduction of "bokashi" into the soil increases its biological activity, promotes the formation of structure, suppresses pathogens, enhances plant nutrition, and if you add "bokashi" under the mulch, then all the beneficial effects of mulching, which are described above, will appear within a couple of weeks.
Making "bokashi" is easy- just scatter them on the surface of the soil and mulch. How much to pour? Yes, according to the principle “you can’t spoil porridge with oil”. Although they still cost money, you yourself calculate your budget. Here you can apply the principle of leverage: "winning in strength, we lose in distance." In the sense that more "bokashi" - processes go faster, less "bokashi" - they also go, only longer. In fact, the use of "bokashi" is much more profitable than the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides, and the results are completely incomparable.
You can easily test the effects of bokashi if you run a very simple experiment on two adjacent vines (or vegetable beds). Mulch one bush with the introduction of "bokashi", and the other - without them. After a couple of weeks, unfold the mulch, and where the "bokashi" are brought in, you will see a huge number of earthworms - the soil will literally move. Where there is no "bokashi", there will certainly be worms, but in much smaller numbers. The word "much" here can be illustrated as follows: people sometimes come across in the forest, but there are much more of them in the city. More or less like this.
earthworms For our business, that in itself is great. But in our experiment, they are primarily an indicator of the microbiological activity of the medium. It is known that worms are attracted to decaying organic matter, and it decomposes under the action of microorganisms. For worms, this is a delicious, satisfying “goulash”, and for us, it is a signal that thanks to “bokashi”, soil life boils under the mulch, flourishes and prospers. Which is what we needed. The result will always be the same: little soil living creatures - underdeveloped plants - low yields. That is, as always, like everyone else. And when there is a lot of living creatures, when the earth is alive, there are no problems either with the development of grapes, or with the formation of magnificent clusters, or with the maturation of vines.

What to feed the grapes in the fall?

In autumn, when the entire crop is harvested and the plant is preparing for wintering, it's time to feed and apply minerals. How to feed the grapes in the fall in order to enjoy a rich harvest next year, and is it necessary to do this at all? If the plant is young, then they begin to feed it only for 3 years of life (provided that the soil on the site is in good condition). Top dressing of grapes in the fall is carried out every 2 or 3 years, not more often.

Autumn top dressing of grapes in winter

Stages autumn feeding vine in winter, the following: first, fertilizers are applied, and then mulching is carried out to protect the soil from being washed out by rains, and the roots from subsequent winter colds.

Grapes are a perennial crop with deep roots. Because of this, he may not respond to top dressing, which is applied only to the surface of the soil. It is advisable to apply it to a depth of approximately 6-7 inches. To accurately assess what elements a plant lacks, you can conduct a chemical analysis of the leaves in the laboratory.

A little about nitrogen

Grapes do not need much nitrogen in the soil compared to many other crops. Moreover, high content given element in the soil at the end of the season adversely affects the quality of the berries. Excess nitrogen in the fall can affect the ability of the vine to endure a harsh winter.

However, a lack of nitrogen can lead to lower yields in the following year. But if you are not sure that the plant is severely deficient in this mineral, do not apply it in the fall.

Fertilizing grapes

Make sure that the plant receives in the right amount:

Organic feeding of grapes in autumn

Of the organics, the most popular are compost, cow dung and chicken litter. They improve the composition and breathability of the soil, making it looser. Quickly digested, improve fruiting next year.

Organic fertilizers can be applied by diluting with water and using for irrigation, or by adding them dry during digging the soil before mulching.

Types of organic fertilizers:

1. Manure. For fruit-bearing shrubs, including grapes, it is the best organic fertilizer. It is not recommended to feed the plant with fresh manure, which is rich in nitrogen. AT autumn period grapes do not feel much need for it.
2. Compost (vegetable humus). Decayed grass and leaves contain the entire set of minerals needed by the vine in the fall. Can be combined with mineral fertilizers.
3. Ash. Contains potassium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and other elements. It can be used as an organic replacement for potassium-containing drugs, provided that its dosage is increased by 5-6 times.

Fertilizing grapes with ash

When firewood, straw, branches are burned, ash remains, in which there is a high content of minerals, especially potassium. It also contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, sodium and magnesium are contained in a slightly smaller volume. Thanks to such rich chemical composition ash has long been used for fertilizer garden plots with fruit crops. It is also important that phosphorus and potassium (namely, the vine needs them most in autumn) are available in the ashes in a light, well-digestible form.

A distinctive feature of the ash is the absence of chlorine, to which many are sensitive. fruit crops, including grapes (as well as raspberries, citrus fruits, currants, strawberries, potatoes).

The fertilizer is alkaline, therefore it is recommended for soils with high acidity (sod-podzolic, forest, marsh), as well as for areas where there is very little potassium and phosphorus. It reduces acidity, improves soil structure, promotes the creation of beneficial microflora, which is necessary for good productivity of the vine. The positive effect of applying ash as a fertilizer can last up to 4 years.

It is recommended to add ash not in its pure form, but by combining it with peat or humus. You will get a high-quality organic mixture rich in minerals. It is evenly distributed on the site, preferably in wet weather.

Helpful Hints:

• Ashes should not be combined with manure (dry or diluted), droppings and ammonium sulfate.
• Do not mix ash with superphosphate. This will not lead to fatal consequences, but phosphorus will be absorbed by the plant much worse. This is undesirable.
• Store ashes in a dry place. It easily and quickly absorbs moisture, which is why it begins to quickly lose potassium.

Approximate autumn feeding plan

An excess of nutrients, as well as their lack, has an extremely negative effect on the health of grapes. Therefore, more does not mean better. It is better to feed the grapes in 2 stages.

The first stage is organic, when a small amount of dry manure, compost or manure is introduced into the dug up earth. It will enrich the soil necessary elements and replenish nutrients, which the vine shrub lost during fruiting. It is better to spend at the very beginning of autumn.

The second stage is the main mineral supplement. It should be carried out a few weeks after the introduction of organic matter. If the acidity of the soil is normal, then only potassium and phosphorus can be dispensed with. These elements are perfectly combined and are often used in combination (as part of multicomponent fertilizers ammophoske and nitrophoska).

You can prepare your own potassium phosphate fertilizer, which will be no less effective. To do this, mix 20 g of superphosphate and 10 grams of potassium salt, dilute in 10 liters of water and water the shrub.

If the soil condition is good and this is just another planned top dressing, you can limit yourself to a mixture of ash and peat, without adding manure and chemical fertilizers. From it, the vine will receive all the necessary substances, including potassium. Spread the mixture over the area, or mix with a small amount of soil and mix into the soil near the roots of the vine.

Mulching grapes after top dressing

Before frost, while the earth has not yet frozen, mulching is carried out. This is the final stage in autumn care for grapes. A layer of mulch will reduce the leaching of minerals during autumn rains, and in winter it will protect root system from freezing.

If the mulch is organic (needles, mowed grass, last year's compost, rotted manure, etc.), then it will also be a kind of light fertilizer for grapes. The effect of it is cumulative, since nutrients from natural mulch enter the ground gradually.