Mulching in the Summer Is a Good Idea: Here’s Why
Mulching in the summer is a smart move for the health of your yard for many reasons, including that you are not alone in feeling our intense Florida heat — if not protected, your landscape’s soil will too. Controlling your soil’s temperature is just one of mulch’s many benefits and why it is so essential for your yard to keep your mulch refreshed as much as possible to help it work effectively. Read on to learn more about why mulching in summer is the cool thing to do.
The Benefits of Mulch
Like everything else good in life, mulch doesn’t last forever and needs to be refreshed regularly in order to work as it should. When mulch is effective, it does so much to improve your landscape’s overall look and vitality and is one of the most important things you can do to help your trees and plants thrive. Its many advantages include the following.
- Helps the soil retain moisture from rain and irrigation by preventing evaporation
- Increases soil aeration
- Prevents weed growth by reducing germination
- Aids in plant growth
- Gives your yard aesthetic appeal
- Improves soil composition when it decomposes
- Averts compaction of the soil
- Protects trees and plants from lawn equipment such as lawnmowers
Mulching in the Summer
In addition to the benefits listed above, when our Florida heat is at its worst during the sweltering summer months, mulch helps protect the soil and keep it cool. This is important because it allows for stronger tree and plant root development, which in turn improves growth and flowering.
Alternatively, laying mulch too early in the season when the ground is still wet from the spring rains could lead to the growth of fungus and mildew. Pay special attention to your mulch during the summer months to help your trees and plants make it through the season healthy.
How to Mulch
When mulching, choose one of our high-quality products from Gaston Mulch and use our convenient mulch calculator to determine how much you will need for your project. Then the first step is to edge around where you are applying mulch. If you add over existing mulch, remove the top layer if it is too deep, remembering to turn over the old mulch to air it out and allow nutrients to disperse properly. Next, you should smooth out the area using a rake or similar lawn tool.
Using your hands or a shovel, you can then apply the mulch. To avoid over-mulching, whether you are adding mulch for the first time or refreshing your existing mulch, the layer should be only 2 to 3 inches deep. Begin to spread it from about 2 inches or so away from any surrounding tree trunks in order to prevent rot.
Let Gaston Help You Love Your Landscape So Mulch
If you are having a hard time deciding on what kind of mulch to use for your summer landscape or have questions about installation or maintenance, we can help. Gaston Mulch has a wide variety of top-quality, all-natural mulch from our tree debris to suit every customer’s unique needs. Our mulch offers beauty and functionality for your Florida trees and plants. We offer local delivery with a predetermined rate and delivery to other areas with custom invoicing. If you would rather pick up your mulch yourself, come to us, and we will happily load up your vehicle for you free of charge. Contact us today so you can get a jumpstart on enjoying the beautiful benefits of mulch for your property.