Conserving Water with Mulch


Conservation of water is a hot bed topic these days. Not only in rain stricken areas of the United States, most likely in your home town as well. Everyone wants to save on their water bill and help conserve our water supply.

In your garden planning, did you know that you can help conserve water for your plants by using mulch?

Up to 70% of water can evaporate from the soil on a hot day if you don’t have mulch as a protective layer on top.  Mulch is one of the best moisture holding strategies you can employ.  It prevents evaporation from the soil surface, helps suppress water-thieving weeds from growing and many mulches add vital nutrients to the soil at the same time.

Avoid fine mulches that tend to clump and become water-repellent.  Instead, use a coarser mulch which allows water/rain to move down through to the soil.  A depth of 3-5cm in a pot (depending on the size) and even deeper (8-10cm) in a garden bed is ideal.  Apply mulch onto moist soil and water in well.

Bark chip mulch is coarse, holds moisture well and allows water to drain easily to the soil below. Avoid mulches like fresh grass clippings that mat and stop water filtering through.

Be sure to see all the Mulches we have in inventory now at OMG Garden Center for your next gardening project.