Getting Creative With Landscaping

From keeping the soil moist and cool to discouraging weeds and improving the soil's fertility to enhancing the aesthetics of the garden bed, mulch has so many uses in home gardening. If you're looking to buy mulch supplies for your garden, it's important to know that not all mulch is created equal. There are two main varieties of mulch – organic and inorganic – available on the market. 

Here's what to know about each type of mulch before making a decision on which one is right for your gardening needs.

Organic Mulches

These mulches include living material or formerly living material, such as shredded leaves, grass clippings, composted animal waste, old newspapers, sawdust, wood chips and pine needles, which decompose readily over time, returning nutrients back to where it came from – the soil. 

Some organic mulches, such as fall leaves and grass clippings can be created at home, thus may cost nothing to use. Others, such as wood chips and sawdust, are normally a byproduct of other industries and can be purchased in bags. 

The different varieties of organic mulch have different uses. For example, composted animal manure is suitable for use in new plant beds. This kind of organic mulch has a high nutrient content, thus does the job of improving soil quality really well. If you are more concerned with preventing weed growth, newspaper mulch may be a better choice compared to composted animal manure.

Inorganic Mulches

Unlike their organic cousins, inorganic mulches don't decompose but can break into smaller pieces over time. As they don't decompose, these mulches don't help with improving soil quality. As a result, they are ideal for soils that are rich in nutrients.

Inorganic mulches can remain in the soil for an infinite length of time. This minimises the need for frequent replacement. Some common examples of this type of mulches include plastic sheeting, fabric linen, gravel, rocks and rubber mulch. 

Like organic mulches, the different varieties of inorganic mulches have different uses. For example, rubber mulch, which is made from recycled tyres, provides excellent thermal insulation and does a better job of protecting plants from heat than wood chips and other organic materials. 

Landscape fabric is suitable for use in discouraging weed growth, as it lets the air and water in.

Do you need mulch supplies delivered to your home? Get in touch with a mulch supplier near you to arrange the delivery of your mulch.