Sawdust Mulching: The Pros And Cons Of Sawdust Mulching For Soil. Can I Mulch Raspberries And Garlic With Them? Can Fresh Sawdust Be Used?

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

Mulching is one of the important agrotechnical procedures that allows you to reduce soil moisture loss and generally improve the condition of the soil. To implement this technique, which consists in covering the surface with any material, most gardeners choose sawdust.

Pros and cons

Sawdust mulching has both a number of advantages and several significant disadvantages. The advantages include the following nuances:

• this method is one of the most affordable and affordable;
• sawdust improve the air permeability of the soil, but at the same time retain heat in the soil, which is extremely important at low temperatures;
• mulching, especially carried out with the remains of conifers, prevents the growth of weeds, prevents the development of numerous fungal diseases and even protects against a number of pests;
• sawdust are also useful because, decomposing, they become nutritious organic fertilizers;
• microorganisms actively multiply under the mulch, increasing the concentration of humus and other useful substances, which, in turn, leads to the formation of a fertile layer;
• a shelter on the surface makes it possible to reduce the frequency or volume of irrigation, and also to exclude loosening altogether, since a crust does not form on constantly moistened soil - as a result, both time and water are saved;
• when it rains, a layer of mulch can protect the plants themselves from contamination.

This method also retains moisture in the soil, keeps the fruits from contact with the soil and promotes the development of beneficial microflora. It is the mulch, therefore, that prevents the rotting of strawberries, pumpkins, zucchini and other fruits. To some extent, the coating even makes the site visually more attractive. Nevertheless, sawdust mulching has a number of disadvantages. Fresh fragments increase the acidity of the soil, which negatively affects the condition of the plants living on it.

Using coniferous sawdust, you can interfere with the development of beneficial microflora. In addition, such material decomposes over a long time, and throughout this period it takes nitrogen from the soil.

What is it used for?

Mulching the soil can and should be done in order to reduce moisture loss, keep the plant roots from overheating or cooling, and also create a fairly effective protection against weeds and pests. It must be understood that plants grown outdoors receive all the necessary elements from the roots, which means that their proper condition must be maintained in every possible way . If the soil does not contain the required amount of moisture, it will be very difficult for the plant to extract nutrients, and the use of mulch will keep the soil moist.

Mulching makes it possible to reduce soil heating, as well as protect the surface from wind currents . Rotting, natural sawdust is mixed with the soil and changes its structure, making it looser, and therefore, improving air and water exchange. In the summertime, the mulch becomes sun protection, which in turn keeps the roots from overheating. In winter, mulch becomes an important heat insulator. The particles used interfere with the movement of insects and also counteract the germination of weeds. Sawdust mulch is suitable for all crops. For example, raspberries can be mulched to protect shrubs from freezing by scattering sawdust into the peri-stem circle. Such a coating will prevent cucumbers and tomatoes from falling prey to pests. Mulching onions and garlic prevents moisture from evaporating, causing cracks on the surface of the ground. The coniferous material is also suitable for the rose, providing the plant with a high-quality wintering. After the bushes are covered with sawdust, they are covered with a special film and sprinkled with soil.

Likewise, grapes are sheltered for the winter . Additionally, sawdust can be poured into the holes before planting seedlings. It is recommended to mulch with sawdust beds with tomatoes, as well as conifers and shrubs, for example, thuja and juniper. If we talk about the latter, then the use of this covering material allows you to get rid of the transplant of specimens over several years.

Placing mulch in cabbage beds can significantly reduce the frequency of irrigation.

What sawdust is used?

It is customary to use sawdust of different types of trees as mulch for different plants in the garden. Coniferous sawdust has the ability to increase the acidity of the soil, therefore, they should be used only for those crops that are capable of developing in a weakly acidic environment . In this case, we are talking about potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins and greens. Needles are not suitable for cabbage and beets, since these crops prefer a slightly alkaline environment. Pine sawdust mulching is more suitable for protecting plants from fungi and pests

Birch and fruit tree sawdust in the form of mulch is allowed for use without any restrictions . It is categorically not recommended to use oak sawdust and walnut sawdust, since they contain elements that slow down the development of plants. It should be added that the use of fresh sawdust, as well as conifers, is suitable only for those plants that thrive in a slightly acidic environment. In all cases, it is better to use medium-sized sawdust, since the large ones rot for a long time and form an unnecessarily loose layer, and the small ones cake, becoming covered with a crust.

Mulch preparation

To make mulch with your own hands, you must first choose the right material, combining sawdust with other useful raw materials. As rotted fragments of medium size are most effective; shavings must also be prepared, for example, passed through a compost pit . In this case, a layer of sawdust is covered with a layer of manure and compost, a layer of ash and food waste, after which it is impregnated with urea so that 1 kilogram of the preparation falls on 100 kilograms of shavings. The lack of manure is corrected by watering the heap with infusion of chicken droppings or cut grasses. After about six months, the useful substrate may already be ready.

Another method for preparing sawdust mulch requires high humidity and temperatures in excess of 15 degrees . Humus is added to the wood pulp, as well as lime, ash or dolomite flour. The last three components balance the oxidizing properties of fresh sawdust. A mass enriched with droppings or manure will rot for 6 months, and it will be possible to accelerate this period to 3-4 months if a drug that accelerates the growth of bacteria is also added to the mixture. Another way to prepare sawdust requires scattering several buckets on a film, then cover the contents of each container with 70-80 grams of calcium nitrate. Watering everything with warm water and covering it with plastic wrap, you must wait for the shade of the sawdust to change to brown.

It is easy and simple to hold the shavings for 7 days filled with a urea solution prepared according to the instructions . If you cover the container with a film, then the chips will be able to soak in high quality, as a result of which the decomposition process will begin. Within a week, the sawdust will acquire a brown hue, and they can be laid out under the plants. When using non-rotted material, it can also be painted with a solution of potassium permanganate and mixed with ground branches processed in the same way. Lime and nitrogen fertilizers are also added to fresh sawdust. You can mix prepared sawdust to create mulch with torn or mown weeds, hay, straw, and needles.

Use of sawdust

The use of mulch at different times of the year, that is, in spring and autumn, has its own specifics.

For trees and shrubs

In spring, it is recommended to mulch freshly planted annuals, for example, nightshade, eggplant or pepper, with shavings. Cultures planted in the form of seedlings are subjected to the same processing. Perennials can be sprinkled with sawdust only when the soil is sufficiently warmed up . Previously, the old mulch, laid out before wintering, is removed from the ground, and the earth is dug up. The use of mulch for root crops - potatoes, turnips and garlic - is carried out only after thinning, when the height of the shrubs is at least 5 centimeters. It is better to make a layer of mulch from 3 to 4 centimeters.

It is important to mention that strawberries, flowering shrubs and trees must be mulched before opening begins . The sawdust layer in this case is from 3 to 7 centimeters.

It is necessary to have time to apply the covering material before the second half of June.

In the greenhouse

Greenhouse plantings can be mulched either immediately after planting, or immediately after planting - in any case in the spring. For convenience, three buckets of sawdust are mixed with three buckets of humus, after which they are diluted with 10 liters of water . Having combined the components, they will need to be allowed to brew for about a couple of hours, and then added to the soil. The mulch layer in greenhouses should be between 5 and 7 centimeters. For cucumbers and tomatoes, be sure to take coniferous shavings, which reduce the likelihood of disease and damage from insects.

For beds in winter

Before wintering, the entire planting area can be mulched using sawdust in two ways: dry and wet. When choosing a dry method, a film that protects against precipitation, as well as insulation - spruce branches, foliage or roofing material, must be placed on top of the shavings . The wet method allows you to use sawdust without additional shelter, but it is not suitable for roses, grapes and clematis, which can rot without access to air.

It is important to remember that sometimes mulching does not work due to the fact that fresh shavings are used, leading to an increase in the acidity of the earth . In addition, the lack of preliminary application of nitrogenous fertilizers leads to the same consequences. The shavings should be used of a suitable size - medium, and large ones should be chosen only before wintering or for decorating the trunks of trees and shrubs.

If mulch is applied on unheated soil, the result of its use will be unsatisfactory.