Dont plant them in your vegetable or flower garden: Theyll compete with your veggies for water and nutrients and smother your flowers or veggies. 3. However, this type of mulch also doesn't add nutrients to your soil because it doesn't break down or contain organic matter. For clay soil, organic additions improve drainage and aeration and help the soil dry out and warm up more quickly in the spring. If you have sandy soil, organic matter will absorb water so roots stay hydrated longer (which means less watering in dry seasons! Get your straw from a reputable provider so it doesnt come with weed and grain seeds. Want a long-lasting mulch that releases nutrients slowly? Where to mulch: Wood chips work well around trees, bushes, and footpaths. Apply 3 to 4 inches of well-finished compost or manure over the surface of your gardens and landscape beds and work it into the sandier soil. When you use mulch, you dont have to water, weed, or aerate your garden and flower beds as frequently, and you dont have to worry about your plant roots heaving out of the soil due to repeated freezing and thawing. Applying gypsum is easy to do and is a relatively cheap way to improve the heaviest of clay soils. You can buy it in bags or have it delivered by the truckload. Linda Brewer | If you decide to buy compost or other amendments, then it can still be pretty reasonable as you only need to spread a thin layer once a year. 1striper1 said: I have 60K sq. Jamie is the founder of The Backyard Pros. Theyve also got great water holding capacity. The best organic matter for your lawn includes: Adding organic matter to your lawn doesnt have to be expensive. Sphagnum Peat Moss. However, livestock diets often include lots of hay that's full of weed seeds, which may germinate in your vegetable garden. This free compost may not be finished, however, and you will need to let it continue composting before applying. You also can make your own compost.

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Before you buy compost, ask whether the compost contains any heavy metals, such as lead, and whether the compost is safe to use in a vegetable garden. Good quality compost or fully decomposed manure should have a dark brown color, earthy smell, and have little original material visible. Looking for lawn mowing, fertilization, gutter cleaning, leaf removal, yard cleanup, or something else? Apr 2008 | ft. of actual grass. Even if you have loam, you still should add organic matter every year. Follow along to keep your yard up to date! Thanks! Presentation. CORVALLIS, Ore. Adding organic matter is the best way to improve nearly all kinds of soils. backyardproscontact@gmail.com 1. Where to mulch: Tree bark is perfect on slopes, around trees and shrubs, and in perennial beds. Organic vs. inorganic mulch 10 types of organic mulch 1. It's soft, looks natural, helps control erosion, and it smells really great! It can be fairly high in soluble salts but also contains a substantial amount of organic matter. Good quality compost or fully decomposed manure should have a dark brown color, earthy smell, and have little original material visible.

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The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational organization in the United States. Top dress with another layer of compost to keep down weeds and preserve moisture. Elza (Elizabeth) Records | If youre creating your own compost, avoid tossing in meat; bones; foods with a high fat content (like cheese, salad dressings, or oils); diseased plants; tough weeds; or animal waste. Great for all lawns warm and cool season. Mulching is an essential gardening practice that both protects your soil and strengthens the plants and tree roots that grow in it. Growfully Protip The nutrient content of manure is variable but generally very high in all nutrients. + 1 778-244-4107 The ideal soil composition for growing vegetables or maintaining a lawn is 45% minerals (sand, silt, and clay), 50% air and water, and 5% organic matter. Use less if you've grown there for years or if your soil is loamy and fertile.

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You need 3 cubic yards of compost to spread a 1-inch-thick layer over 1,000 square feet.

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    Work in the organic matter to a depth of at least 6 inches.

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    There's nothing glamorous about spreading manure. It works well on turf and around trees and bushes. When beneficial microbes, insects and worms are fed (through organic matter), they in turn aid plants by breaking that organic matter into nutrients they can absorb. That way it will break down before you plant. Your local health department should be able to tell you what levels of lead and heavy metals are unsafe. Always opt for sawdust that has weathered for at least a few months; fresh sawdust (AKA green or raw sawdust) is a notorious nitrogen thief. MORE INFO . After the compost (organic material) has decomposed to the point of becoming rich humus, place the organic matter into a compost shredder and spread it evenly throughout your lawn. Linda Brewer | Whether your lawn is your pride and joy, a status symbol, or the lush carpet your children (or you) run around on, you want your grass to grow in green and thick. Theyre springy and resist soil compaction so you can cut back on aerating your lawn. And if you apply a thin layer, its prone to blowing away in the wind. Its a great amendment for acid-loving evergreens. Then definitely remove them!). The folks at the waste disposal site also may even be able to give you a precise nutrient content if they've performed any tests on the compost.

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    Using sawdust and manure

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    Using organic materials other than compost such as sawdust and manure is fine, but these materials present a few problems that compost doesn't. $ 14.95 Read more An all-natural organic weed and feed for use on lawns. Larger wood chips have a long lifespan (two to three years), while small wood chips decay quickly. Pro Tip: Use aged or cured wood, when possible. Using organic materials other than compost such as sawdust and manure is fine, but these materials present a few problems that compost doesn't. Avoid mulching in vegetable or annual flower gardens. It provides the once-living material that attracts microorganisms, beneficial fungi, worms, and other soil-borne critters that improve the health of your vegetables. After all, a weed is only a plant growing in a place that we humans dont want it to grow. Fluff up your sawdust every spring to keep soil healthy, and break it up when you notice it beginning to form a mat. Compost is every gardeners dream soil amendment. Some manures (such as horse manure) add organic matter and some nutrients to your soil, but they're also loaded with bedding materials (like dried hay) that cause the same problem that adding sawdust causes.

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    If you use manure, make sure it has been sitting around for a year or two, so it's decomposed, and the salts have been leached out. Cocoa bean hulls are an aromatic, attractive byproduct of chocolate that can beautify your flower garden. Test a portion of your area with a light layer of sawdust and make sure plants dont show symptoms of nitrogen deficiency (pale green or yellow leaves and slow growth). Sawdust is prone to caking, which can prevent healthy water infiltration. However, the sawdust also robs the soil of nitrogen when it decomposes, so you have to add more fertilizer to compensate. A well made compost will introduce life into the soil and open it up. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Aerate your lawn as this will improve drainage, air circulation and allow water and nutrients to get down to the roots where they are needed most. OSU Extension Catalog Grass clippings 6. Even if you have loam, you still should add organic matter every year.

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    Organic matter improves garden soil in the following ways:

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    How to work organic matter into soil

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    Work some organic matter into your soil before you plant each season. Straw is highly flammable, so do not apply it near a fire pit. A thick layer of straw mulch is an excellent choice for vegetable gardens, annual beds, and newly seeded lawns. I have maggots in my bucket compost. If you're using unfinished (raw) organic matter like leaves or undecomposed manure, add it to your soil at least one month before planting. A natural by-product of the lumber and paper industries, tree bark comes in many varieties of hardwood and softwood, with sizes ranging from finely shredded to larger nuggets. Its a nutrient-rich mixture of decomposing organic matter from table scraps to fallen leaves to grass clippings and you can make it all by yourself. OSU recognizes the impact that its land grant history has had on Indigenous communities in Oregon. Organic mulch is fantastic for your lawn, and it doesnt have to cost a cent. This article will focus on the main elements that effect lawn growth. Straw is the dry, hollow stalks of grains after they have been harvested. Lime is used to raise the pH level of soils, and clay can have a range of pH levels. Heres some information to help you determine which type(s) of organic matter is best suited to your garden. Break them into smaller pieces and add them to another active compost pile. If your yard has been treated with a harsh herbicide like 2,4-D or Banvel, youll have to wait months before your grass clippings are usable. If you want to give your lawn a sleek, aesthetic design without the weeds and upkeep, inorganic mulch is ideal. The downsides to straw? You also can make your own compost. Avoid applying fresh wood chips in vegetable or annual gardens. Second, and more important, microorganisms that degrade organic matter produce byproducts called glomalin that bind individual clay particles together into aggregates. If you choose fresh bark, apply fertilizer to increase the nitrogen available to your plants. Organic mulch Keeps soil moist Prevents soil compaction Prevents weed growth Encourages extensive root growth Protects trees and shrubs from mowing damage Reduces wind and rain erosion Prevents the spread of soil-borne diseases Adds visual appeal Keeps soil temperatures stable Invites beneficial microorganisms and earthworms Increases soil nutrient levels for lasting plant health Improves soil texture and structure. Visit http//:garden.org. Not just for a few weeks after application, like synthetic fertilisers, but months later. Here are some advantages and disadvantages:

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