What is mulch? What are the benefits and applications?

What is mulch? What are its benefits and applications? Can mulch be made from tree waste?

Mulch is any natural or synthetic material that covers the soil surface in the garden and open and green space. Mulches have many advantages, including reducing the level of water evaporation, increasing soil moisture storage, reducing or preventing weed growth, preventing extreme temperature changes in the soil, reducing compaction and reducing soil erosion, reducing soil compaction, and protecting multi-plants. years from freezing and increasing the cleanliness of the garden or open and green space. Choosing a specific mulch depends on accessibility, cost, the plant to be mulched, and the season. Mulches must be used correctly. If it is too thick or if inappropriate materials are used, it can cause significant damage to trees and other plants.

Mulches are commercially available in various forms. Two important types of mulch are organic and inorganic mulches. Due to the existence of serious shortages of water, especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as the climate of our country, the need for optimal and efficient use of water in this sector is very important. The current research aims to investigate and analyze the use of mulch in agriculture and its effects on reducing evaporation losses and increasing water consumption efficiency. The results of various researches showed that the presence of mulch on the soil surface by creating shade and preventing the penetration of light reduces and prevents the growth of weeds, and by preventing water evaporation from the soil surface, it reduces the temperature and increases the moisture content of the soil. Most of the researches conducted on organic mulches are related to plant residues such as straw and stubble, leaves, wood, sawdust and wood chips. Among the existing methods, straw and wheat stubble, tree leaves and sawdust show a noticeable superiority in maintaining soil temperature, increasing the yield and maintaining the balance in nutrients, better maintaining soil moisture and reducing soil moisture stress compared to other mulches. They gave. Also, the results showed that the use of plastic mulches, while improving the vegetative and quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the products, reduces the surface evaporation of the soil, reduces the slope of the movement of moisture from the depth to the soil surface, prevents water wastage by weeds, and prevents water wastage. in the spaces between two plants. It also increases the efficiency of water consumption by more than 50%. The positive role of the combined use of drip irrigation system and plastic mulch in increasing yield and reducing water consumption in agricultural products, so that the final yield of crops in the case of using mulch in drip irrigation shows a significant difference compared to normal irrigation without mulch. Mulches are materials that are placed on the surface of the soil to retain moisture. To improve soil conditions, in nature, tree leaves fall on rennin and create a layer of organic matter that protects the soil and causes soil formation. While in the view of the urban green space, the leaves are collected from under the trees and do not remain on the soil surface. The use of mulch, which is obtained from cuttings of grass, leaves, and branches, can have these advantages for open and green spaces.

– Mulching

 It is a process of covering the surface of the soil with plant material such as leaves, grass, branches or crop residues and caps, etc. Mulch cover increases the activity of soil organisms such as earthworms. It also helps to improve the soil texture by creating numerous large and small pores, and as a result, water enters the soil more easily when it rains, which helps to reduce surface runoff. When the organic matter of the soil is increased, this organic matter of the soil helps to improve the proper texture of the soil, creating a soft stable structure, and as a result, the soil particles are not moved by water. Therefore, mud spraying has an important and vital role in preventing soil erosion. In some areas, materials such as plastic sheets or stones are used for covering. In this case, mulching is used only for the use of plant-degradable organic materials.

– Among the benefits of using mulch, the following can be mentioned:

1- Soil protection from water and wind erosion that soil components cannot be washed away.

2- Improving the infiltration of rain water and irrigation by maintaining the soil texture, it causes the soil to harden and the pores remain open.

3- Keeps the soil moist by reducing evaporation. Plants that need less irrigation can use available rain more efficiently in dry areas or seasons.

4-Providing food for crops, when the organic materials of the mulch are decomposed, the food is regularly released, thus making the soil fertile.

5-Increasing the content of organic matter, part of the organic matter of the mulch will turn into humus.

-organic agriculture

There are many ways to practice organic farming, one way is to substitute organic materials such as compost and animal manure instead of chemical fertilizers to improve favorable soil conditions. For example, in the case of using compost (fertilizer), it is organic materials such as plant parts, food and leaves that are left to be consumed and burned by bacteria, insects and fungi. What remains is nothing but cellulose and plant minerals that can be used in the garden. Minerals such as those found in the remains of snails, seaweed or animal bones can also be useful in soil fertility. Instead of using herbicides, organic farming usually uses barriers to limit weed growth. Mulch is one of these methods that can include reed stones or mats, sawdust or leaves that are placed around the plant. Mulch not only prevents the growth of weeds, but some of them (especially leaves, straw or straw and wood) also help to maintain soil moisture. In a survey conducted in Astahban, it was found that the use of plant mulch (licorice pulp) is effective in increasing the quality and performance of fig trees. The application of vegetable mulch is very effective in preventing drought in fig trees, and the trees that were used with vegetable mulch had good greenness and growth and were treated with freshness, and the quality of figs has increased in terms of diameter and color. Mulching Trees and shrubs are a good way to reduce the costs of maintaining greenery and maintaining plant health, which include:

1-Saving time and money

2-With the annual application of mulch, the costs of removing weeds are reduced by 90%

3-The cost of buying and using herbicides is reduced

4-The amount of irrigation and related costs will be reduced

5-The need to weed the weeds around the plant is eliminated

6-Maintaining the health of the plant

7- Mulch helps retain moisture and reduces moisture loss by evaporation by 10-25%.

8- By preventing soil compaction, mulch causes better aeration and ventilation of the soil

9- Prevents soil erosion

10- Plant competition with weeds is reduced

Mulches can be used at any time of the year, but the time to use mulch depends on what you expect from mulching the plants. Mulches regulate soil temperature by creating a separate layer between air and soil, which means that a soil with mulch is cooler in the summer than its adjacent soil without mulch. Therefore, compared to soil without mulch, soil with mulch heats up slowly in spring and cools down slowly in autumn. If mulch is added to the bed of existing perennial plants and flowers and seedlings, the best time is late spring after the soil warms up. Mulching in early spring delays the warming of the soil and the growth of the plant. It is not necessary when Fertilizing the mulch is eliminated because the nutrient elements of the fertilizer can pass through the mulch along with the water and reach the roots. The mulches that are used to protect the plants in winter should be light without compression due to the weight of snow and ice as a layer of insulation from freezing. Prevent plants. One of the advantages of winter application of mulch is that it reduces the freezing and warming of the soil in late winter and early spring. Repeating the cycle of freezing the soil at night and heating the soil during the day due to sunlight causes many shallow plants with superficial roots to move out of the soil and the root system is exposed to sunlight and air flow and may be damaged. and finally disappear. Mulching prevents such problems by reducing soil temperature fluctuations.

– Problems caused by unusual use of mulch:

Some gardeners think that because the use of mulch has advantages for the plant, the more they use it, the better the result. While the thick layer of mulch can provide many problems for the plant. For example, it causes plant roots to grow inside the mulch instead of growing in the soil. Also, this plant is easily damaged by the use of herbicides and fertilizers and during periods of drought stress. Thick mulch around the plant causes excessive moisture and root rot.

How to use mulch-

Before applying mulch, weeds should be removed and the plant should be watered. You can use mulch instead of the grass around the tree. Mulching under the tree to the drip line minimizes the competition for water and food, and as a result, reduces the cost of mowing and removing grass, and also prevents the damage of the lawnmower to the tree trunk. he does. Mulch should be used 15 to 30 cm away from tree and shrub trunks because tree trunks are not resistant to wet conditions and mulch should be used away from the trunk to reduce the risk of damage from diseases, insects and animals.

Mulch should be kept on top of the soil to prevent nitrogen depletion. Any wood material that is mixed with the soil temporarily reduces the ability of the soil to provide nitrogen to the plant, but according to research, such mulch only consumes oxygen on the soil surface and does not cause problems in the presence of roots.