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Posted: Oct/27/2009 2:48 PM PST
Hi I have a question regarding which mulch to use on beds in the autumn and over winter. I have a few bags of bark mulch left over from summer. I used these on some naked flower beds ( no plantings) to keep the weeds off.. So here is my question, I just put in some tulip bulbs. Can I/Should I mulch the bed with bark mulch or should I use Gardner & Bloome Soil Building compost. I have a few bags of that left over too. I was hoping to use it in spring/summer 2010. Does it make sense to use good compost in winter? Any pro/cons I should be aware off. Will the Bark much make the ground water logged? I live in the Puget Sound (i.e Pacific North West) so we have plenty of rain.  Detail Around Soil Building Compost A premium, all-purpose natural planting and garden soil amendment. Contains all-organic, long-lasting ingredients including chicken manure, bat guano and kelp meal. Helps break up clay soils, improves drainage, promotes healthy root growth and adds valuable micro-nutrients to the soil. Suitable for: • Seed top-dressing for new or existing lawns • Bare-root planting • Mulching Detail Around Bark Mulch Made from Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir. Excellent for flower beds or in tree wells. Conserves water, minimizes weed growth and insulates surrounding foliage. Is an attractive addition to any landscape design. Thanks |
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Posted: Oct/27/2009 3:39 PM PST
My personal preference would be to use the more soil like mix. I have wonderful luck with using well aged compost to top off the plants for winter protection. This way the soil can breathe well and warm up as early as possible too. http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001458.tip.html Mulching Tulips "I just planted a small bed of tulips and mums, I plan to lay generous amounts of newspaper over the tulip and around the mums and then cover with 2-3 inches of wood bark. My question is will the tulips be able to come thru all this in the spring?" "Make sure you wait until after the ground freezes to mulch your tulips. If you do it before the ground freezes, the mulch can become wet and cause the bulbs to rot or keep the ground from freezing. Newspaper and woodchips will work fine for your tulips over winter, but they should be removed in the spring. Newspaper is a good insulator and will help protect your bulbs from cold damage. At the same time, once the danger of frost has passed in the spring, its insulating properties may work against new growth by causing a delay in the soil warming up. Newspaper is also great for preventing the growth of weeds. However, this also means it can prevent wanted new growth. Remove the winter mulch as soon as danger of frost has passed. Mulches other than newspaper should be removed when the shoots are 1-2 inches high. Otherwise, the stems and leaves may become weak. Be warned that rodents love tulip bulbs and newspaper can provide nice little winter homes for them to cozy up and feast on your bulbs. Covering the dirt over your plantings with a small gauge wire mesh can help with this." |
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Posted: Oct/27/2009 6:01 PM PST
Thanks EvonneStoryteller. That makes great logical sense. Until last year, I used good organic compost as mulch on my flower beds (did little for weeds control but my perennials and annuals plants loved it)during all seasons including autumn. Then I saw a segment on TV with Cisco Morrison (Not sure if you know who he is..Major master gardener here in Seattle)and he mention that there was not much use in using compost as mulch in winter due to all the microorganism being inactive due to cold weather, hence the confusion... My biggest concern is all the rain we get and the water logging issue post mulching. We are not going to see much sun here until May..Sigh 
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