When talking about mulch application on young trees, most people think that it is all about protecting the trees from the ravaging cold winter weather. Therefore, it comes as a surprise to most people that mulch can be applied during the fall season as well. Just like winter or spring, fall mulch has its advantages too. For instance, mulching during the autumn season helps to protect the soil from erosion thereby providing your trees with the much-needed nutrients the entire season. Additionally, since spring is known to be a busy season; hence, fall mulching will help free up gardening to-do-list as spring nears. You can, however, only enjoy these benefits if you know what you are doing. The following are some of the Dos of fall mulching.
Anchor the Mulch -- One of the main characteristics of the Australian autumn are the strong Nothern winds that sweep across most regions during the day. The winds usher in the fall season. Therefore, it is critical to protecting the mulch from blowing away. If you fail to anchor the mulch, then you will not have any left for protecting the soil and young roots of your tree plant. While there are various ways you can preserve the mulch, plastic covering seems to be the most common. All you have to do is lay the plastic over the mulch and place rocks on the edges to provide extra anchoring so that the plastic does not fly away. Further, plastic coverings act as an added insulation material that holds the moisture in the soil.
Leave a Halo around the Plant -- As mentioned above, fall mulch helps to protect growing trees from the adverse effects of cold, dry weather. However, you need to be careful how you apply the mulch because getting too much of it around a tree's base will be counterproductive. The reason is that young trees have supple stems and barks; hence, too much mulch will prevent air exchange as well as drying. For maximum fall mulch effect, try to leave a halo around the base of the trees for adequate air circulation.
Apply Mulch after First Hard Frost -- When it comes to fall mulching, timing is everything because you do not want to do it too early or too late into the season. Ideally, it is recommended that you apply mulch after the first hard freeze. It is critical because perennials tend to go into dormancy state after the first frost and this gives you time to cut them back before applying the mulch. Do not worry about the roots because they continue to grow despite the freeze.
For more information, contact companies like Family Tree Care Pty Ltd.
Share16 March 2018
Hey! I'm Keith. Are you looking for tree removal advice? If so you have come to the right place. Last year, I needed some advice about how best to deal with the trees in my yard. One of the trees had started to lean and I was very worried about it. In order to deal with the problem, I called in a professional tree service and asked them to take a look at it. The contractor wasted no time and quickly removed the tree. I was really pleased with the level of service I received and I would like to encourage others to contact their local tree service.