Thursday, May 20, 2010

When planting new plants, what do you do with the mulch from last year? Do you sow it into the dirt or remove

We bought a house last year that has 2 plots for flowers out front. The plots had a few plants in it, and lots of mulch, to keep down the weeds. I understand taht. But this year i want to plant NEW plants, what do i do with the mulch? Scrape it out? sow it into the dirt? pour new dirt on top? I just dont know. Please help.

When planting new plants, what do you do with the mulch from last year? Do you sow it into the dirt or remove
I would get rid of the top layer scrape it away and get rid of the bottom layers because what is happening is the mulch is creating heat and the amount of moisture creates mold which can be toxic to some plants and possibly to you,(found out the hard way) when doing this make sure you wear the appropriate attire, glasses, gloves, and mask. once you get rid of the old scrape away some of the soil (just a Little) put down some miracle grow top soil then cover back up with the original much that you had put off to the side, and then put down at least 1 to 2 inches of new mulch (same for the old mulch).
Reply:Oh goodness... no, no.. Don't throw it out, instead enhance it with mew mulch... mix the old with the new. Believe me, the old mulch is not that old being just one year...





Good luck and happy gardening..
Reply:Re-use the old mulch and top off with new. If it gets to be too deep then spread a shallow layer of the mulch over the yard. It will add a lot of nutrients to the grassy areas. I have a small farm and get a mountain of chicken litter. Besides the garden and planting beds I sprinkle the litter in piles all over the pasture. The chickens scratch it in for me! Better than having a thousand migrant workers!


And my hay field production has doubled.
Reply:We just scrape it away as we plant and then scrape it back. When all of the planting is done, we dress the whole bed with new mulch.
Reply:You can till it in with the soil, it's all biodegradable and will break down to add nutrients.
Reply:I always remove the old mulch and save for later. Replace the plants and water them in good, then place the old mulch around the plants. Finish by topping off the old mulch with some new mulch, sit back and enjoy


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