Landscaping Orlando FL - Landscape Improvements

It’s springtime and living is easy. It’s also the perfect time to start mulching your garden. This is one of the most important chores every serious gardener should do. Adding a layer of mulch will give you healthier plants and vibrant flowers. You’ll also be dealing with fewer leaves.

How much mulch do I need? That’s one question that plagues every gardener. You should avoid getting stuck with too much mulch. Where would you put it? You also don’t want to do a do it yourself landscape design project only to realize you don’t have enough mulch. This post will help you determine how to figure out the amount you need.

Decide on the Mulch

There are several types of mulch to use. You can use wood chips, pine straw, or compost. It’s best if you determine what plants you’re growing in which area. You can then decide which material is ideal in that landscape.

Measure the Area

Your next step is to measure your garden area. You should do this before you start thinking of how to start landscaping your yard. For yards that are square or rectangular, multiply the length by its width. It’s more challenging for gardens with odd shapes. The best thing to do is divide it into a series of squares. Calculate the square footage of each square then add.

Decide Depth of Mulch

Once you know how big the area is, you should start thinking about how deep your mulch layer will be. Sites that teach how to do landscaping on your own warning that less is more when it comes to mulching. Stick to a 3” to 4” layer for trees and shrubs. Flower gardens and vegetable beds are good with a layer one to 3” deep.

Bags versus Trucks

Once you know how much mulch you need, it’s time to buy. You can buy mulch in bags or by truckload. The former is often measured in cubic feet while the latter is by the cubic yard. If you prefer buying bags, you have to multiply the square footage of your garden by the depth of the mulch layer. Gardeners buying by the truckload do things in a different way. They multiply the square footage of the truck bed by the depth of the mulch layer. This should be in inches. Divide the answer by 324. It will tell you the amount you need by cubic yards.

Do the Math

Spring is around the corner. Homeowners are thinking of how to bring their simple front yard landscapes back to life. Most will start by mulching their gardens.

Mulch is a type of soil covering. You can use various materials for mulch. The most common ones are leaves, wood chips, and gravel. You can also use newspapers, plastic, and landscape fabric. The spring and fall seasons are the best time to add a fresh layer of mulch to your yard. The soil isn’t too hot or too cold during these times.

What is mulch used for? There are many reasons why landscapers insist on the process. Here are some of them:

It Makes Your Yard Look Good

Mulch can make your simple landscaping design look even better. It can add a pop of color to your flower beds. It also makes pathways and the area around trees and bushes look more polished. You can even use it as an accent. You can do this by choosing mulch that complements the house’s exterior. For example, dark-colored mulch will look good against vibrant flowers.

It Helps Control Weeds

No one likes weeds. These pesky greens can ruin the best landscaping design ideas. You can lessen the time you’ll spend weeding if you mulch your garden the proper way. This means you should choose the right type of mulch and use it together with a good herbicide. If you’re using an organic material, make sure it’s weed-free. It's important that you apply mulch at the right depth and spacing. This will prevent any weed seeds from growing.

It’s Ideal for Conserving Water

Mulch is also good for saving water. Adding even a thin layer of mulch to your yard will block most of the sun’s rays from penetrating the ground. It won’t stop irrigation though. The soil will stay cooler longer, so evaporation can drop to as much as 50%. This is beneficial to trees, flower beds, and new plantings.

It Makes Sure Your Plants Grow

Soil temperature has an untold impact on plants. Abrupt changes in temperature are harmful to plants. Cold temperatures can freeze the soil and push the plant’s roots out of the ground. The warming weather thaws frozen soil and leads to damaged roots. Mulching can moderate the soil around the plant’s roots. It keeps the soil warm on cold days and cool during hot weather.

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