In order to protect the garden beds from drought and freezing, pine bark is used. It improves the structure of the soil and serves as an excellent decorative decoration. In what form is it used in flower beds and garden plots? What are its features and properties? This will be discussed in the article.
Mulch for the garden
First of all, it is worth saying that this is 100% natural raw materials. It is suitable for landscaping flower beds, gardens, gardens and paths between the beds. Mulch or pine bark can be of several types. Each of them is selected, depending on the scope.
So, it can be:
- fine fraction (up to 8 cm);
- middle fraction (8-15 cm);
- large (more than 15 cm).
To cover the soil, material better than pine bark will be difficult to find. It slowly decomposes and breaks. Therefore, such a mulch will serve without replenishment for many years. For mulching trees and shrubs, this raw material is very popular.
Benefit
It contains fungicides that prevent pests. Thus, you can not treat the garden with additional chemicals. Such material as pine bark is an excellent shelter from freezing and at the same time decorative design. Among the flowers, a rose responds well to such a mulch.
This material is laid around the trunk with a radius of up to 70 cm.
Before using this method of protection and decoration in areas, it is necessary to know the features of each type of application. In particular, sawdust leads to nitrogen deficiency in the soil and can acidify the soil.
In addition, pine bark will not completely eliminate weeds, but caring for plants will greatly facilitate. After mulching, weeds grow much more slowly, with only single frail stems.
Actions for preparing mulch on the beds
Finished material can be bought in specialized stores. This is not a cheap pleasure. But, if there is a forest nearby, then you can make the bark yourself. The first thing to do for this is to prefer pine among all varieties. She will serve on the site three times longer. It is impossible for the pine bark to be removed from young trees for mulching.
Fallen, old, sick trees are not suitable for this business. In such material useful substances will be absent and pests can quite calmly start. It is necessary that the bark is easily separated and does not fall apart.
Felled trees no more than six months ago are suitable for its harvesting. To mulch the pine bark, it is crushed with scissors or secateurs. The size of the fraction will depend on the purpose, but for strawberries and vegetable beds it should have a state of small chips.
After manual or automated grinding, the prepared material is necessarily dried.
What period is suitable for mulching the soil?
The best time is spring or autumn. Must be warmed up soil. Pine bark is laid before the appearance of weeds. If they have already been found on the beds, then the site must be weeded. Before laying fertilizers are applied, and a layer of mulch 5-7 cm in size is poured on top. If the weeds reappear, they are pulled out gently without breaking the coating.
It is not recommended to mulch the beds until the month of May. It is necessary to wait for the emergence of crops and, if the earth is too damp, then it is worth letting it dry, but not dry! If the soil is generally dry, then it is watered before mulching.
When sowing new beds, bark coating can be carried out regardless of the season, even in summer.
In general, in September they are mulched to preserve beneficial microorganisms in the soil. And in November or December - for shelter from frost.
In autumn, they do everything after weeding from weeds. By winter, the layer is poured. If last year’s layer is already below 3 centimeters, then it is also increased. Once again, it is worth noting that the best defense is a pine bark.
Fractional application
For starters, when mulching has never been done before, spring is the best time. A large fraction is always used in the garden and, most often, as a decoration of paths and platforms. The large size of the fraction will be an excellent choice to shelter flower beds for the winter. For vegetables and strawberries, medium and fine fractions are suitable. Mulch carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini.
The fine fraction serves about two seasons, and the average - 3-4 seasons.
The article presents photos of pine bark in different fractions. It should be noted that the decomposed material turns into humus, and all the nutrients pass into the soil. Through this process, crop development improves. In its pure form, pine material is not used for shrubs, vegetables, trees, peonies and roses.
Fertilizers
Mulch can be used in 2 versions:
1) A layer of rotted manure is laid and covered with bark on top.
2) Mix pine bark with horse manure 2: 1 and put a layer of 5-7 cm on the bed. Around the trunks leave room for air exchange.
Organic fertilizers are instilled at the optimum distance for feeding the roots - this is 20 cm. If fertilizing is put to a shallow depth, the plant will not be able to fully absorb nutrient compounds. Horse and cow rotted manure are excellent fertilizers. 4 kg of horse and 5-8 kg of cow manure are needed per 1 m² of land. Use other organic fertilizers. It will provide the soil with nutrients for compost and peat. It is allowed to mix it with mulch and bury it in the ground. 5 kg of compost and whether 2.5 kg of peat are used per 1 m² of land.
Mineral fertilizers are applied as necessary: nitrogen, phosphorus and potash.
The thickness of the mulching layer depends on the density of the soil. If it is clay soil, then the thickness will be up to 2 cm. Sandy - up to 8 cm. The beds are mulched once every 2-3 years.
Fresh pine bark cannot be used. It contains substances that affect the growth of culture. Before use, it is dried in the sun for 2 months. It is even better to use raw materials that have lain in the forest for more than 6 months.
Orchid cultivation
Softwood raw materials are best suited for these flowers. Most often it is a pine and less often a spruce.
Domestic pine bark for orchids is very popular among gardeners. Spruce is considered a little more resinous, although in terms of usefulness and structure it is no worse.
Raw materials are taken from long dead trees. The bark exfoliates freely, so it fits perfectly. Her tissues were mostly freed from tar and fungal pathogens. There are almost no insects in such material, but larvae can be found that need to be disposed of.
Deciduous tree bark is not recommended! In their tissues, there may be substances that affect the slowdown of orchid growth. Therefore, the best remedy will be a pine bark for orchids.
How to prepare the substrate yourself?
The main thing is the initial raw materials and proper processing. Walking in the forest and meeting a dead pine, it is necessary to collect the bark, which, as already mentioned, should be easily separated from the wood. To remove excess insects, it is not necessary to hit it very hard on a tree trunk. Then put in a bag. You can also put pieces that fell from the tree yourself. They, as a rule, simply lie underfoot on the ground.
Do not forget about pine cones. They will come in handy.
Houses bark immediately cut, subjecting to heat treatment. Boiling will destroy insects, eggs, their larvae and wash substances that inhibit plant growth. Most of the resin will also be boiled out, but some of it will inevitably remain, despite processing. Do not get upset - these residues will not interfere with the flowering of orchids and their growth.
To begin processing, you need to break very large pieces of bark, shake off debris and put in an ordinary galvanized bucket. Press on top with flat yoke (stone) so that the bark does not pop up. All this is filled with water and put on fire.
The pan should be allocated separately for the mulch, as it will certainly be spoiled. From the edges of a galvanized bucket it will be easy to remove resinous scale. To do this, wipe the bucket that has not yet cooled down (hot) with the wet side of the stiff sponge, which is usually used to wash dishes.
Boil the bark for about an hour on low heat. After the fire is extinguished, the water is allowed to cool. After that, the bark is taken out in a colander so that the glass is water and it is slightly dried. Then it, slightly moist, is immediately cut or broken into small fractions. After that, they are dried again. Young orchids need pieces of 1x1 (1.5x1.5) cm. It is very convenient to use a secateurs. After cutting into small pieces, the material is ground to smooth sharp corners. This is done manually. Construction gloves are put on hands.
The trash that will collect at the same time is an excellent substrate for terrestrial orchids, cymbidiums.
The bark is laid out for drying and, when completely dry, it is packed in small portions in bags. Thus, the likelihood that domestic bugs, ants, and butterflies get started in it.
If the bark is covered with mold during storage, it should not be boiled again. Subject to all storage conditions, this white coating is not dangerous for plants. Mold fungi are normal symbiotic orchids.
To summarize: what does mulching give?
- The soil does not dry out, and moisture persists longer in it.
- Weeds will be significantly less, it is very important for flowers, especially peonies. Weeding takes a lot of time and effort.
- The bark gradually decomposes and nourishes the soil. This is a slow process, so mulching is not enough for one year.
- Flower beds look beautiful and well-groomed.