Mulching your garden this summer is essential to having a healthy, beautiful garden. A few wrong moves can quickly lead to plant death instead of the beautiful garden you have in mind. Keep these tips in mind when mulching your garden this summer

1. Less Is More

It can be tempting to dump mulch all over the garden to prevent weeds. However, too much mulch can starve plants of vital nutrients. Instead, make sure that you remove old mulch before laying new mulch. Then, only lay a few inches of mulch in the garden. According to HGTV, most beds only need about three inches of mulch.

2. Kill Weeds First

Mulch will help prevent weeds and protect plants, but gardeners need to do more than that to ensure that weeds don't overtake a garden. First, spray weeds with a weed killer one to two weeks before laying down mulch. Then, pull all the weeds out of the garden, including the dead ones. Ensure you pull the entire root out to ensure weeds don't grow back.

3. Lay Mulch on Wet Soil

You should water your plants, then lay a light layer of mulch around them. This ensures the water doesn't evaporate too quickly, and your plants can soak it up. Laying mulch on top of dry soil can lead to dehydrated plants.

4. Apply Fertilizer First

Gardeners planning to fertilize their soil must do that before adding mulch. Ideally, you should plant your seedlings, water them, and fertilize the soil before adding mulch. Mulching is often one of the last steps in planting your garden.

5. Don't Over-Mulch Trees and Bushes

It's common for people to pack mulch around the base of trees and shrubs. However, it's easy to use too much mulch, leaving your plants struggling for nutrients. Trees do need more mulch than smaller plants, but not around their trunks. Instead, Pennsylvania State University suggests laying the mulch two to four inches thick and extending the mulch bed as far as the tree gives shade.

6. Consider Mulch Delivery

Mulch delivery services can instantly eliminate much of the back-breaking labor that comes along with mulching. You'll also eliminate the need to borrow or rent a truck. Mulch delivery services will work with you to deliver mulch to the location where you need it, making the entire process of ordering mulch more convenient.

Mulching your garden this summer can improve your plants' health if it's done correctly. Use these tips to make the most of the mulch you get delivered. Contact Thomas J Costello Landscape Materials LLC today to order from our mulch delivery service!