Mulching

Any material that covers the soil surface around and under plants to protect and improve the area is considered a mulch.  Mulches offer your garden and landscapes many benefits (See below).  Yard wastes such as grass clippings, leaves, and chipped or shredded brush and branches can be used as organic mulches.  Organic mulches are usually applied 3 inches deep over the soil and around plants to achieve the benefits of mulching.

• It covers the soil surface around plants and helps hold moisture in the soil. 

• It moderates soil temperature .

• It reduces soil erosion and compaction.

• It keeps lawn mowers and weed whips away from tree trunks reducing damage that can lead to disease and insect invasion.

• It prevents mud and some disease organisms from splashing up onto leaves, flowers and fruits.

Getting started:

Mulching is as simple as taking the material that you have collected and placing it where you want the mulch.  You can even just let leaves lie where they fall if you want an area mulched where the leaves naturally collect.  

Apply grass clippings loosely to avoid packing and remember not to use grass clippings as mulch if your lawn has recently been treated with a herbicide or pesticide .  

Use raked leaves as mulch beneath trees and shrubs as well as in planting beds. In addition to providing all of the benefits mulch covers provide in gardens, they can also help eliminate some of the hard-to-mow areas in your yard.

Chip or shred tree and shrub prunings to make an excellent mulch material for landscape plants. You can purchase garden-size chipper/shredders at hardware stores and from mail-order garden supply catalogs. They are also available for rent. Some commercial tree services will do custom chipping at the curbside. 

More Mulching Information:

Use the below information to maximize your mulching materials!

University of Wisconsin Extension Publications
Mulches for Home Gardens and Plantings (pdf)

University of Wisconsin Extension InfoSource
Mulch materials
Mulch-wood chip mulches
Uses for leaves and grass clippings
Compost & mulch: oak leaves and pine needles

UW Extension and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Managing Leaves and Yard Trimmings (pdf)