Mulching The Soil With Cut Grass: Can You Mulch Carrots And Other Vegetables In The Garden With Freshly Cut Grass From A Lawn Mower? Benefit And Harm

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 13:15

Experienced gardeners know that in order to get a good harvest, you need to protect the soil from moisture loss and excessive drying out. It is also necessary to pay special attention to protecting the soil from weeds and pests. A variety of chemicals can be used to combat weeds in pursuit of the above goals, but this approach does not benefit all crops. But familiar to many mulching can solve many problems both in the garden and in the garden.

Benefit and harm

The most affordable type of mulching, which many resort to, is mulching with grass . It should be remembered that grass mulching is performed both with dry grass and mown , each of which has its own peculiarity. Dry grass good in that it completely excludes the possibility of "planting" unnecessary seedlings, and even is absolutely unattractive for birds and most insects, which completely eliminates the possibility of destruction of the root crop by pests.

The soil covered with dry grass needs additional feeding. The mown grass , unlike dry, it is able to enrich the soil with the substances it needs, but at the same time it is attractive for garden pests. Mulching the soil with cut grass, like any other material, has its pros and cons. With the right approach, this method will allow you to get the maximum result in the form of a rich harvest with a minimum of effort. The advantages of the procedure include the ability to:

• keep the soil moisturized effortlessly;
• slow down the appearance of weeds;
• soil enrichment with nitrogen, which is rich in fresh grass.

However, with the wrong approach, there is a risk of negative effects of the procedure:

• due to the flooring of dry grass, excess moisture appears, which causes suppuration of the roots (especially during the rainy period);
• the use of grass with inflorescence seeds as mulch can cause the emergence of new weeds;
• in the mulch that is not cleaned in time, pests can arise, attracted by the warmth of the grass floor;
• grass mulch attracts crows and sparrows, which can peck at the plant itself.

There is a list of garden crops that are quite vulnerable to moisture, for which mulching is categorically contraindicated (see below).

What crops is it suitable for?

Basically the mulching procedure is suitable for many crops . If done in the fall, it will protect the roots of perennial crops such as raspberries from frost.

It should be noted that many amateur gardeners use film or roofing material for raspberries, but they, unlike mulch, do not allow air to pass through, which negatively affects the root system of the plant.

It is traditionally believed that grass mulching is suitable for protecting the soil around the trunk of a tree or shrub , since the thin and delicate stalk of garden crops can not always withstand the oppression from the outside. But this opinion is a deep misconception. Agronomists have proven that mulching from grass is quite suitable for some beds with root crops, especially since the flooring is laid when the tops of the plant have reached about 10 cm in height.

It is recommended, for example, to mulch carrots, beets and potatoes with grass (according to many agronomists, grass mulch for these crops improves yields). Crops especially need mulching during the period of root crop formation, when the plant needs micro- and macroelements contained in the grass.

The main thing is not to harm the young culture, you need chop the grass (the younger the culture, the finer the grass is cut). When laying mulch, remember that it is impossible to tamp the flooring as the soil will not breathe.

It should be noted that on carrot, beetroot and potato beds the grass can lie until late autumn, which protects the culture from the first cold snap (subject to periodic renewal of the mulch). With regard to such garden crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage , then it is not recommended to mulch them at all, since they already quickly become infected with various rot.

However, as for tomatoes, when planting them in open ground, mulching of the soil with grass is allowed, which must be sufficiently crushed.

Application features

It is necessary to follow a few simple, but very important rules that will help make the harvest more abundant and of better quality. Care should be taken to mulch the soil with freshly cut grass ., since due to the moisture of fresh grass there is a possibility of excessive moisture in the soil, which leads to the appearance of fungus and the development of parasites. Dry the herb before use.

Before mulching the soil, you need to remove the weeds and water the soil .because the mulch retains moisture. As for weeds, it will not be possible to completely get rid of them, but it is quite possible to slow down the process of new ones. With regard to weeding, on mulch soil, it is enough to remove the weed that breaks out from under the grass mat. Under it, as a rule, due to the lack of sunlight, weeds do not grow.

You do not need to make a layer of mulch that is too thick, since it will not let sunlight pass through well . The recommended thickness is 5-7 centimeters of dried grass, which is capable of both retaining moisture and letting in the sun's rays. Lawn mower grass, unlike other grasses, has the advantage that, without a root, it will not cause a new weed to appear. But this type of mulching is not suitable for all crops (see above), besides, you need to know how to use mulch correctly. For example, if you lay it in its original crushed form, then it will not be useful, but it can also cause the emergence of weed crops.

It is impossible to lay the mulch too early , since this will not allow the earth to warm up with the arrival of the first warm days. An important factor in obtaining a good harvest when using herbal mulching is the choice of the grass itself. It is important that she is not affected by any signs of the disease (various spots, rot), as this can cause the spread of the disease throughout the garden.

The safest option is to use lawn grass, since there are no seeds on it, and it is damaged by pests less often than others.

Unlike herbs, lawn grass is poor in useful minerals , which leads to the need to fertilize the soil. Herbs the good thing is that due to the varied composition of grasses, the soil can not be fertilized, but there is a high probability of "planting" an additional weed in the garden. It is undesirable to mulch the soil with weeds , but if the need arises, the weed should be distilled.

Specialist recommendations

The use of mulch depends directly on the quality of the soil and weather conditions . It is highly undesirable to perform this procedure on clay soil, which is already characterized by high humidity. As for unventilated greenhouses, where moisture stagnates and the lack of sunlight is noticeable, mulch can cause rotting of the plant root system.

Do not forget that they share spring and autumn mulching … If in spring the procedure is performed mainly to preserve soil moisture, then autumn mulching serves to shelter the root system from the first frosts. Both dry grass and freshly cut grass are quite suitable for moisture. As for the autumn period, it is more expedient to use dry grass here.

Grass flooring should be changed periodically at any time allowed for this, as there is a risk of pests . Grass mulch, being a natural substrate, like no other coating attracts many insects (caterpillars, worms). If the worms, eating the mulch, turn it into compost necessary for the soil, then the pests that live underground, concentrated in the grass floor, can multiply and spoil the root crop or completely destroy the root system.

Thus, it turns out that in the summer, the mulch must be periodically changed (the land needs to be dried), and in order to avoid the emergence of pests closer to winter, it is recommended to completely collect it and burn it.