Why don’t many people use MULCH?

[Utopia Palms]

Hi All

I have noticed through this forum in many of the photos listed that not many people use mulch, in places like Thailand and even more so in Indonesia there is no way they will even try this method of growing and planting palms or just about anything!

It might be very hard to believe but we have never watered our main garden at all!! when the palms were planted many were one leaf seedlings into the full sun and just about every thing is growing in our limited rainfall, although we might be a little more lucky than most others through this drought but none of the palms or other plants look like they have been through a drought at all and all look great.

What is the secret? Mulch!!! And quite thick up to 300mm deep. There is no secret and it’s very simple with more advantages than I can list.  

Some of the advantages are your palms will be much more heather thus stronger and less prone to fungal problems, and this also seems to keep the ground a little warmer in the winter months, not having to water as there is only two of us to look after the whole garden 15 acres plus this is also a very big bonuses , next you will get the best growth possible for your particular areas with out having them dependent on water none at all one of the best  thing is that you are improving your soil and you will find that you do not need as much or even any fertilizer, this is not always the case but after a few mulches they don’t seem to need much more!

This does not just work on your palms it will work on just about all plants. We all only have to look at the way the rain forests works and how well it works.

We mulch the garden here to about 300mm beep this will last up to 4 years, just make sure that there is a fair bit of air through the particular mulch that you use, this is easy done buy using different consistency or thickness it the material that you use for your mulch, and also try were possible to have these garden beds at least 2 to 3 meters wide as this takes much longer to dry out.

It’s about time we all planted as many plants as possible as they continue to cut down thousands of acres every day, if your yard is full then try asking the neighbors and see if they would like a few this way it’s just like seeing your own ones grow and helping promote plants at the same time.

I will try to list some before and after photos so all can see what an improvement Mulch can make. Even if you all try one garden like this and check for your self, all will be amazed at the growth and the lack of problems like weeds and the little amount of work they will have to do once they have this in place.

I recommend this for anyone no matter what there climate is like, if only just for a test it’s worth a try.

I do understand that some people already know how well this works, but if this can help anyone then it has been worth it.

Ps i will add some photos at a later stage (when i get the chance) of before and after using this method.

All the best

Clayton

[Dypsisdean]

Clayton,

Great topic. You are so right. There is no other single thing that a gardener can do that yields as many benifits as mulch.

I just had to hurriedly express my overwhelming endorsement. If all of the rest of the benefits of mulching don't come up in the following posts, I will chime back in.

[ibreakforpalms]

I couldn't agree more!  Speaking of mulch, I'm currently mulching my entire landscape with stable litter (ground up wood shavings and horse waste).  Nice and thick, alot of work, but worth it.  Load after load (18' x 7' x 2' trailer) and I'm not done yet!  Soon enough, and free to boot!

[MattyB]

I hate weeding.......I love mulch.

[Matt in SD]

Clayton,

I've thought the same thing when I see photos of peoples palms in bare soil (and crappy soil at that).  There have been enough posts about the benefits of mulch here that I don't bother to point it out each time a see a photo of a palm planted with no mulch.

In California, even if you mulch, you'd never be able to grow much without watering.  But mulching has absolutely mind boggling effects on drainage in our clay soils.  If I try to water my soil in areas with no mulch, the water just runs off and the soil gets pretty mucky.  In the areas that have been mulched for a year or so, I can run a hose nearly full blast and the water just dissapears into the ground.

Plus the mulch looks so much nicer than barren soil!

Matt

[SunnyFl]

You all are so right!  Mulch is much better, especially with these droughts and low humidity - it helps to keep the water from evaporating.  And it helps with weed control in rainier times.

I had mulched my little gardens with oak leaves and the bagged reddish wood chips, but noticed the wood chips disintegrated and washed out over time.  I probably used the cheap stuff.

[happ]

Agree w/ Matt.

I have been an off & on mulcher but have learned how important mulch is to the health of palms/plants in general.  With the extreme drought in California, I cannot imagine what irrigation costs would be without some soil conditioner.  This year will be a big challenge in providing enough moisture for water-loving palms

[RRONNIE]

Mulch is great, - though, for some reason, for many years (so, there is an experience and backround to this) here in Israel, both pro gardeners and private growers prefer to cover with a 2 - 3 inches layer of Tuff pebbles/stones - for same yields.

I think the local rational for this is that Mulch is best in tropical zones and Tuff is best for sub tropical/near dessert zones. :cool:

Does it make sense to y'all ?

Enclosed first pic. - Tuff along fence (where palms grow) coverd (so it cannot be seen) with "Australian Violet" for beauty and for enhancing the greenhouse (Mulch) effect.

Folowing pic. - Cactussya coverd with Tuff.

Ronnie

[RRONNIE]

Cactussya coverd with Tuff

[Jim in Los Altos]

I tell my clients, mulch mulch mulch! Then I tell them to make sure their gardeners don't blow it all away

[PalmGuyWC]

I've been mulching with stable litter for the past 4 years, and what an improvement to my garden. It conserves moisture, and helps to define the beds where the palms are growing.  Another great benifit, if put down thick enough, it smothers unwanted grasses and weeds, and where they do come up, it's easy to pull the grasses from the loose mulch.

Since it's mostly shaved wood chips and not much horse manure, I sprinkle some Amonium nitrate around a couple of times a year to replace the nitrogen the wood chips steal from the soil. I also have two large Oak trees and I rake two or three times when the leaves are coming down and make mulch piles of the leaves.  By the end of winter the leaves have broken down and make the best mulch of all.

My parents lived in S. Ga and they had a lot of pine trees growing in their garden.  Pine straw makes an excellent mulch and acid loving plants thrive in it.

Unfortunately in my dry summer climate, palm fronds and palm debris doesn't break down very fast, and most of it has to be hauled away.

Dick

[waykoolplantz]

Bout to order 5 pallets from HD.

I have two large piles that should be chipped and spread around...but its slowly decomposing on its own

[Jeff Searle]

I use it all the time at the house. I get free truckloads from the tree trimmers. I ask for only clean stuff, no shreaded palm leaves, no large tree stumps/limbs. It's something I try to stay on top of. It does help to retain water, and definitely keeps the weeds down. And, it loooooooks sooooooo nice after it's just been spread.

Jeff

[Tyrone]

Yep, mulch works and no garden should be without it. I first put down horse manure, sheep manure, cow manure and then put thick black mulch over the top. Still have to water though. After a few months all the worms and bugs suck it all deep into the ground and the sand begins to show again. After a year you wouldn't know it had been mulched. It's a yearly thing for me that I don't regret doing. Underneath my big Eucalypt it mulches itself continuously and the soil for the first 50cm is black loam. The palms love it. I put about 5 or 6 trailer loads of mulch out on my garden a year. What's great about mulch that has been newly applied is that once it's watered and the sun hits it, it all steams and sends thick humidity that you can see all thru your palms.

Mulch mulch and more mulch.

regards

Tyrone

[PalmGuyWC]

Awww,

If I could only get my hands on some sheep manure.  It used to be commercially available here, but I don't see it anymore. The same goes for good chicken manure.  Foster Farms used to put out a good processed product, but it is no longer on the shelves. Good organic manures are becoming more and more scarce. After going through a half a dozen telephone calls, I finally got thru to the man in Modesto Calif. that's in charge of Er.....chicken manure for Foster Farms. He told me they no longer bag the product for small gardeners, but only in huge lots, like truck loads, for commercial growers.

I'm told the "true" organic gardners follow the Circus parades with Elephants, as Elephant manure is suppose to be the ultimate. Unfortunately there is a shortage of Elephants in Walnut Creek.

Do any of you use exotic manures on your palms, and in your oppinion, what is the best? I have never burned anything, but one does has to use chicken manure carefully and make sure it's aged and watered in well. To bad we can't all live on farms.

Dick

Dick

[ghar41]

A friend of mine recently shared with me a great story regarding the decline of a precious palm in his garden.  It was apparent that something (nematodes?) had attacked the root system.  He had a local botanical expert evaluate the damage and was given an extensive list of complicated proceedures to alliviate the long list of problems associated with bare, exposed, organic deficient soil.  "Or..." the expert said,

"....you could simply just use mulch."

[Kris]

Dear Clayton  

very nice topic.and when i did with my clay soil ammendment in many pits.initially stored all my dried neem leaves etc.and dumped into these huge pits and allowed it to dry up for about 3 to 4 months and only then we began to fill pits one by one using the dried leaf mulch avaliable in those pits itself.

so that the soil is not very porous since i used washed river sand as the predominent ingredient in that soil mix.

and after the filing up of the pits even we had monsoon rains and feared that it will cave in or go down by few inches.but sandy soil did not move even a bit.

now i must see by placing my desired plants in that ditch and analyse how these mulch are helping my plants..

Love,

Kris  

[AlexnAtlanta]

I believe in mulching as well.  The ONLY problem that I've encountered is that mulching exacerbates my problems with voles.  For those who are lucky enough not to know what voles are, they are a type of mouse (not to be confused with moles) that eats the fleshy roots of palms, perennials, other trees -- you name it.  They love organic mulch because it hides them as they do their dirty deeds.  I think the advantages of mulch far outweigh any downside and I've found ways to limit vole damage without doing away with mulch.  (For one thing, I keep a lot of sharp gravel and sand around the base of plants and even in the top few inches of soil.  Voles detest sharp barriers like gravel and will generally be deterred with this.)

[Kim]

(SunnyFl @ Apr. 25 2007,17:55)

QUOTE

I had mulched my little gardens with oak leaves and the bagged reddish wood chips, but noticed the wood chips disintegrated and washed out over time.  I probably used the cheap stuff.

The mulch is supposed to disintegrate into the soil; it needs to be replenished maybe twice a year.

I like mulch, but especially compost.  Compost adds more organic goodies than wood chips.  I also top with black lava rock to absorb solar heat, plus it looks nice. Using the lava is new for me, and I may have to remove it to add compost, then replace.  We'll see how that goes...

[Breadfruit Bill]

Mulch...  

I want a yard to mulch....  Sob, sob, whimper...

[elHoagie]

(RRONNIE @ Apr. 25 2007,17:09)

QUOTE

Mulch is great, - though, for some reason, for many years (so, there is an experience and backround to this) here in Israel, both pro gardeners and private growers prefer to cover with a 2 - 3 inches layer of Tuff pebbles/stones - for same yields.

I think the local rational for this is that Mulch is best in tropical zones and Tuff is best for sub tropical/near dessert zones. :cool:

Does it make sense to y'all ?

Enclosed first pic. - Tuff along fence (where palms grow) coverd (so it cannot be seen) with "Australian Violet" for beauty and for enhancing the greenhouse (Mulch) effect.

Folowing pic. - Cactussya coverd with Tuff.

Ronnie

Ronnie,

For most of my palms, I use the traditional mulch (wood chips, etc.).  But, I also like to grow cacti and succulents, and I mulch these with small pebbles.  I've had some problems with rot at the base of cacti and succulents if I use traditional mulch, so I use the pebbles instead.  Even though it doesn't improve the soil, at least it retains moisture.

Jack

[Trópico]

Is it a good idea to mulch on potted plants?

[Scott]

Late last year, I finally mulched. I used a coco shell mulch. Real nice. Holds moisture, keeps the water from running off. The only problem is since its coco shells, the top layers can blow away, so I'll be adding a layer of a different kind on top of it soon.

When you fertilize, does anyone clear the existing mulch away first or do you let it works it's way through with time?

[fiji jim]

Yes mulch is great but getting people to believe it is another thing.

At resorts that we have worked around Fiji the mulching/composting programs that we initiate all go dead after we depart. Workers convince management that it introduces or promotes insects and disease. Most  of these places have sandy soil and it is a great benefit but more work for the lazy staff. We are all for it as the plants we sell them do much better and we hire out our chipping machine. To us it  is a win,win situation but it means more work initially and this is why it fails here where laziness reigns.

However I read that some of you are using wood chips. You should be aware that undecomposed organic matter will take nitrogen from the soil as it rots so it is also benifical to add some manure or nitrogen fixing green manure with it.

Surrounding plants with a groundcover plant also helps as leaves shade the soil and lessens weed growth.

Also during dry weather we go around our plants and using a crowbar or steel rod; ram holes in the ground around the perimeter or the root area and when we water we direct the water into those holes so that is gets a foot or two into the ground and does not evaporate. It also promotes roots to spread and means less watering. This way our plants never stop showing new growth.

[elHoagie]

(fiji jim @ Apr. 26 2007,13:38)

QUOTE

However I read that some of you are using wood chips. You should be aware that undecomposed organic matter will take nitrogen from the soil as it rots so it is also benifical to add some manure or nitrogen fixing green manure with it.

I've read/listened to a couple researchers that say wood chips on the surface of the soil have almost no effect on the amount of nitrogen in the soil.  It's only when the wood chips are mixed in with the soil that you start to have a noticeable drop in nitrogen levels.

[fiji jim]

True elHoagie, but be sure not to use chips/shavings from treated timber as some treatments leach out into the soil and create bad effects. This happened to our macarthur palms once and they still look sickly from shavings from tanalized, ground-treated timber.

[TikiRick]

Mulch is my middle name...but you have to be aware the the mulch should not touch the trunk of the palm. It could invite fungus and a list of other ailments. I agree that mulch makes the garden grow, it can be a detriment as well. Too thick mulch may rob the soil of oxygen. I have had thick layers of "pan" develop....which is a compressed, decomposing, tight layer of mulch which does not allow water to penetrate it. I have to break it up and mix it back into the top layer of soil. Just a word of caution.

[Matt in SD]

Rick,

I've also read that it's not good to let mulch touch the trunks of palms or bananas.  While I don't 'bury' the trunks in mulch, there is usually a few inches of mulch touching the trunks of all my palms and bananas.  It's been this way for years and I've never had a problem.  I have to say that I seriously question the logic behind this as every plant growing in a rainforest environment is going to have inches to feet of decaying organic material contacting it's trunk.  Maybe an issue for desert plants, but definitely not a problem for tropical/wet climate plants.

Regarding the impenetrable mat of mulch, that's pretty strange.  Do you have many worms?  In my garden I can't imagine this happening as the worms keep things in a pretty much constant state of flux.

Matt

[Dypsisdean]

(Dypsisdean @ Apr. 25 2007,13:13)

QUOTE

Clayton,

Great topic. You are so right. There is no other single thing that a gardener can do that yields as many benifits as mulch.

I just had to hurriedly express my overwhelming endorsement. If all of the rest of the benefits of mulching don't come up in the following posts, I will chime back in.

As I mentioned above: Here is one benefit I don't think I read being mentioned.

That is, mulch moderates the the soil temperature, much like our Forum is moderated to keep things not too hot and not too cold.  

Seriously, the root zone in some climates can get sizzling hot during some weather events, and a thick layer of freshly watered mulch is a perfect solution.

In addition I have a theory that it also helps during freeze events when the humidity is very low. As we know after last winter, this is the type of freezes California suffers. I would think that a layer of mulch would act as a blanket and hinder the lose of heat radiating from the soil on cold nights. Since on these nights, with the humidity extremely low, the plant must be sucking up water as the moisture is transpired from the leaves. If this water from the soil that's being sucked up is a tad warmer if mulched heavily, it may help somewhat (IMO). Like I said, just a theory, but anything to make a Californian feel better on a cold might is needed.  

Also, even a wet black mulch would probably capture more heat for cold roots in winter than tan barren ground.

Not much consideration is paid to soil temps, but it's as much about soil temps as it is air temps.

[Daryl]

As most of you would know, when digging around palms, you find many palm roots just below the surface. The roots on most species like to grow near the soil surface, and from my experience, most palms are 'shallow' rooted.

With this in mind, consider the environment of most of the desirable palm species we grow..typically rainforest conditions where there is plenty of leaf litter on the ground.

The soils in rainforests are very rarely touched by the sun, and this combined with the leaf litter and bio activity in the soil keeps them within a narrow temperature range.

With this in mind I have always used mulch. When I first started growing palms in Darwin you wouldn't ever think of growing any plant without a good cover of mulch. That was the accepted practice, and had been proved to be very beneficial to plant health. This was in a climate which has a very wet season, followed by a reasonably long dry season which can go without rain for several months while still being very hot.

The mulch stopped the soil from cooking all of the roots every day.

Gardens that were mulched grew at 5 or 6 times the speed of those that weren't. This was due to the combination of moisture retention in the soil, moderated soil temperature, and worm activity etc which greatly improved the soil structure under the mulch.

A couple of years ago I measured my soil temps at home here in QLD and in early summer they were 60 degrees celcius near the surface. The temp was still 35 degrees celcius at 600mm depth (2 ft). Since mulching and with some shade my soil temps in  the same area do not go over 28C under the mulch.

It never ceases to amaze me how beneficial mulch is. Simply by mulching the surface, you can have a 'rainforest' soil that is very rich and healthy within a few years.

The only downside I have seen is some mulch products are very 'oily' and become water repellant, so selection of the correct materials is paramount.

The other thing to keep in mind is the area to mulch...estimate how far out from the trunk your palm roots will extend and mulch the entire area.

regards,

Daryl.

[SunnyFl]

Being reminded of all the benefits of mulching, I must say I'm feeling a bit guilty.  Guess I have my work cut out for me tomorrow.  

I notice that Tropico asked if mulch could also be used on potted plants.  I'd like to know about this too.  Opinions?

[Hollywood Palms]

Great topic!

I mulch til I drop.

I have two large Bio Stacks. The City of Los Angeles provides them at a deep discount.

After the compost breaks down, I force the compost through fine hardware cloth and age it. It looks like potting soil and is odorless.

I fill up two, 40 gallon garbage cans every 3 or 4 months. It's made a world of difference in my decomposed granite soil.

Hard part is keeping the rats and squirrels out.

David

[TikiRick]

My ENTIRE yard, front and back is mulched. I ripped out all the lawn as soon as I moved in. I use cypress mulch, available here in South Florida abundantly, but recently have been thinking about it's impact upon our environment. To cut down a perfectly healthy cypress tree to chip it up is unthinkable. So, not sure what my other options are. I do used mulch even in containers.

Has anyone got a preference between cypress, pine bark, or eucalyptus mulch?? I have even seen the recycled rubberized mulch now available in bags....but costly...$10.00 each bag.

[ibreakforpalms]

(TikiRick @ Apr. 27 2007,08:21)

QUOTE

I have even seen the recycled rubberized mulch now available in bags....but costly...$10.00 each bag.

TikiRick,

I've heard that rubber mulch eventually breaks down and leaches zinc and other pollutants into the ground.  I don't know if this is true, but it's something to think about.

[nomolos]

The thing I read against mulches that concerned me was their use in winter in cool damp areas where it does'nt usually get too cold say 1-4 degrees celius, the daytime temp may be a sunny 10-12. If you mulch it insulates the soil and as a result it inhibits it warming up in the day consequently their is no heat storage to be released during the night. However this no mulch aproach was not advised for areas with heavy frosts

Cheers

Sol

[Kris]

Dear Friends  

after adding the dried leaf mulch this is how my pots &

barrels appear now,here are the stills..

and i have not used fertz yet on this new palm_Corypa.Sp

in just 3 weeks time its putting out a new spear.look the

result for yourself !

[ghar41]

(Matt in SD @ Apr. 26 2007,18:36)

QUOTE

Rick,

I've also read that it's not good to let mulch touch the trunks of palms or bananas.  While I don't 'bury' the trunks in mulch, there is usually a few inches of mulch touching the trunks of all my palms and bananas.  It's been this way for years and I've never had a problem.  I have to say that I seriously question the logic behind this as every plant growing in a rainforest environment is going to have inches to feet of decaying organic material contacting it's trunk.  Maybe an issue for desert plants, but definitely not a problem for tropical/wet climate plants.

Matt

Matt you bring up a great point here.  I have found that decaying matter hasn't been a problem for the most part.

But for those of us out west who are growing Parajubeas, for instance, I wouldn't let wet, decaying matter touch anywhere near the trunk during the warm months.  Trithrinax campestris has rotted on me also, when the trunk is too wet, too often.

[ZoneTenNut]

(ibreakforpalms @ Apr. 27 2007,10:48)

QUOTE

(TikiRick @ Apr. 27 2007,08:21)

QUOTE

I have even seen the recycled rubberized mulch now available in bags....but costly...$10.00 each bag.

TikiRick,

I've heard that rubber mulch eventually breaks down and leaches zinc and other pollutants into the ground.  I don't know if this is true, but it's something to think about.

I've thought about trying the rubber mulch as well. It no doubt would last longer and probably do a better job of weed control, but the downside is you lose the benefit of the soil being improved, like you get when organic mulch decomposes. For now I've decided to stick with good old Cypress mulch. I do however, plan to try some of that eucalyptus mulch to see how it performs.

Roger

[Utopia Palms]

Hi all

WOW it looks like things are changing for the better! Like most have found out, nothing beats good MULCH, it helps your plants in so many ways let alone the work it saves in weeding and these weeds compete for all the same nutrients that your plant is looking for so even your weeds can slow your favorite palm from growing to its full potential.

It’s hard for some to consider as in places like Thailand and Indonesia they think that this will rot there plants or bring in white ants or it just looks untidy? I just can not understand why they will not even try this method of growing there plants, would you believe that on one island where a very nice resort tried mulching around there fruit trees and along the main entry to the resort, the local council now has for bid them to do this again! The only reason why that as given was “it is not there way of doing things” even after seeing the benefits with twice the amount of fruit, and much heather plants and lack of work in weeding(after the hard work of applying the mulching the first place), hopefully some more people from these areas might visit this forum or another one explaining the benefits from all around the world and from all the different climates, and give it another try as once they do try this for them selves, I do not think they will see the benefits for them selves and start to spread the word that it works!.  I hope so anyway!

Here are a few photos of some newly mulched areas it takes a few 1000m of mulch to mulch our gardens so it is a very big job at first, but it is worth it as all can see.

All the best and keep up the MULCHING.

Ps watch using to much eucalyptus mulch as this can make the soil aquafobic where it will not hold any water this is due to the wax from the eucalyptus leaves which coats the soil with a water proof covering  as it breaks down.

[Utopia Palms]

a few more photos