It’s amazing the difference a little mulch makes on the garden. A nice winter blanket, weed control, moisture retaining, you feed the soil and it looks good. So a little mulch does go a long way, now all I have to do is spread that mulch around, a couple of wheel barrow loads should do the trick!

I am a firm believer in “blanketing “ the ground . It really makes a difference . After so many years the decomposition feeds the top soil and eventually leaches down deeper . Right now we are experiencing a prolonged hot spell with little end in sight and the mulch helps insulate the ground . Harry

I use bags of wood chips around the garden . As dry as the top looks , it is plenty damp underneath . This little seedling was able to push up through and stay cool enough to thrive. You can see the older discolored mulch under the more fresh chips on top . I just keep adding fresh ! Harry

You’ve inspired me to get a layer of mulch in my garden. I’ve tilled about 4 yards of food soils in and around the plants. Now to hold all that moisture in!

12 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I am a firm believer in “blanketing “ the ground . It really makes a difference . After so many years the decomposition feeds the top soil and eventually leaches down deeper . Right now we are experiencing a prolonged hot spell with little end in sight and the mulch helps insulate the ground . Harry

I use bags of wood chips around the garden . As dry as the top looks , it is plenty damp underneath . This little seedling was able to push up through and stay cool enough to thrive. You can see the older discolored mulch under the more fresh chips on top . I just keep adding fresh ! Harry

Once you get that mulch on the ground it’s a game changer, it’s one thing to plant a heap of palms and let them grow on own , but if you tend to them and add a little plant culture along the way they respond much better and grow a lot happier. You can see the difference straight away, good mulch and water and palms grow a lot healthier once the mycelium start to take affect and begin eating that soil becomes just what they want. And another great benefit is the decorative affect with all sorts of colours in mulch materials, along with using a light coloured mulch it reflects light back up, using a dark coloured mulch you heat the ground up faster great gor that extra warmth in winter.

Richard

16 hours ago, el-blanco said:

You’ve inspired me to get a layer of mulch in my garden. I’ve tilled about 4 yards of food soils in and around the plants. Now to hold all that moisture in!

Well I have achieved one thing today, inspired you to get out and mulch away, it just puts that little extra into the garden. 🪴

In my climate "a little mulch" is rapidly eaten by microbes. I put down 3" thickness of top mulch every 2 years.

Mulch done by nature in my garden

5 hours ago, Husain said:

Mulch done by nature in my garden

That’s the one, and it’s free!

19 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

In my climate "a little mulch" is rapidly eaten by microbes. I put down 3" thickness of top mulch every 2 years.

That’s the great benefit of mulch, it feeds the soil. I often get asked do you weed your garden, no I don’t t have to the layer of mulch stops the weeds.

Mulch a symbiotic relationship happening right under our feet!

8 hours ago, Husain said:

Mulch done by nature in my garden

wind, rain would just blow/wash leaves away here. I could use chopped palm leaves as the stems would be heavy enough to hang around.

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

That’s the great benefit of mulch, it feeds the soil. I often get asked do you weed your garden, no I don’t t have to the layer of mulch stops the weeds.

Mulch a symbiotic relationship happening right under our feet!

Yes the mulch is digested into nutients like humic acid and it helps to keep a healthy microbiome which is weak in sandy soil. And the faster digestion means more nutrients, but ultimately much of it washes away in rain. So we are needing something like 6-8 cubic yards for 220 square meters of garden and that lasts two grow seasons. I have no doubt the digestion gives fast growth, I see 35'+ tall bismarckia after 15 years from a 3 gallon size. But its also a "mulching treadmill". I don't want big piles of dead palm leaves on my 0.3 ac lot, so critters can have a home. There are plenty of critters wandering around here, I want to keep the numbers down. Chipping palm leaves is not going to be productive they are too soft for chipping. I'm still thinking how I might be able to use them. I have 40+ mature palms dropping at least 7 leaves per year, some as high as 20+ leaves per year(P Rupicola).

7 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

wind, rain would just blow/wash leaves away here. I could use chopped palm leaves as the stems would be heavy enough to hang around.

Yes the mulch is digested into nutients like humic acid and it helps to keep a healthy microbiome which is weak in sandy soil. And the faster digestion means more nutrients, but ultimately much of it washes away in rain. So we are needing something like 6-8 cubic yards for 220 square meters of garden and that lasts two grow seasons. I have no doubt the digestion gives fast growth, I see 35'+ tall bismarckia after 15 years from a 3 gallon size. But its also a "mulching treadmill". I don't want big piles of dead palm leaves on my 0.3 ac lot, so critters can have a home. There are plenty of critters wandering around here, I want to keep the numbers down. Chipping palm leaves is not going to be productive they are too soft for chipping. I'm still thinking how I might be able to use them. I have 40+ mature palms dropping at least 7 leaves per year, some as high as 20+ leaves per year(P Rupicola).

I already have huge piles of palm leaves around my garden I mulch what I can, but with a garden the size of mine it’s easier to pick them up and use mulch that I bring in. I don’t mind the critters, it’s the big leaf sheaths that look unsightly and take forever to break down.

The mulch I get is from the electrical company’s that do vegetation maintenance for the power lines at a bargain price, so I just get it whenever they have it. Eventually I will have enough to make soil and use that as good layer of mulch. My sandy soil eats it up like it’s going out of fashion (the e weigh calls it the sand monster that eats anything) just look at any permaculture garden and you can see the difference with mulch or any bare patch of earth once mulched it transforms the soil. If you want your plants to grow with little effort mulch is the way to go!

14 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I already have huge piles of palm leaves around my garden I mulch what I can, but with a garden the size of mine it’s easier to pick them up and use mulch that I bring in. I don’t mind the critters, it’s the big leaf sheaths that look unsightly and take forever to break down.

The mulch I get is from the electrical company’s that do vegetation maintenance for the power lines at a bargain price, so I just get it whenever they have it. Eventually I will have enough to make soil and use that as good layer of mulch. My sandy soil eats it up like it’s going out of fashion (the e weigh calls it the sand monster that eats anything) just look at any permaculture garden and you can see the difference with mulch or any bare patch of earth once mulched it transforms the soil. If you want your plants to grow with little effort mulch is the way to go!

I am not asking for a snake convention here, so yes I do mind them coming after other little critters in my yard. If I keep the ground relatively clear the Owls and hawks will keep the snakes and their prey out of my yard. I am a big fan of the raptors, do what I can to make it their kind of yard with making roosting spots. I get rabbits, no problem, they don't hide in piles of dead matter, but I don't want the snakes, some of which are venomous. My lab attacks snakes in his yard he is territorial. I don't want him getting bit by a water moccasin or bringing to me any dead critters.

18 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

I am not asking for a snake convention here, so yes I do mind them coming after other little critters in my yard. If I keep the ground relatively clear the Owls and hawks will keep the snakes and their prey out of my yard. I am a big fan of the raptors, do what I can to make it their kind of yard with making roosting spots. I get rabbits, no problem, they don't hide in piles of dead matter, but I don't want the snakes, some of which are venomous. My lab attacks snakes in his yard he is territorial. I don't want him getting bit by a water moccasin or bringing to me any dead critters.

In a country such as Australia with some of the deadliest snakes in the world, and with 4 of the deadliest snakes in the world in my area I fully understand the snake thing well, and having great big piles of palm mulch lying around is not a good practice for sure. Another danger factor for me is the fire threat from such a pile of palm leaves, a mound 8 feet tall of palm leaves waiting to explode in flames in bushfire conditions in my area is a serious threat so I have to burn those leaves in winter as part of a fire management protection in summer.

Which is an interesting issue who would have thought about a palm garden creating a fire danger threat!

I also live in a very large area of national parks and state. Have a google for Yuragir national park NSW Australia, with my property at Halfway creek Grays road and there’s no shortage of eucalyptus trees that’s for sure, and you will see how large of an area, and when it comes to the critters I live in their habitat so all creatures great and small are welcome @happypalms

And I got some more mulch, and iam in mulch heaven, loving life in the bush with my garden, where the world alone doesn’t bother me!