One of the best long-term investments you can make in your soil is to spread mulching material throughout your garden. Mulch is a layer over the soil that conserves washer, suppresses weeds, reduces water runoff, and prevent erosion. When it decomposes mulch becomes a valuable addition to your soil structure. In addition to these tasks mulch creates a rich unified background for plants, shrubs and trees. Mulches never stops paying off for you or working for you

Sun and wind form a strong partnership to dry out garden beds and vegetable patches.Mulch is a layer of insulation that keeps the soil cool, which conserves moisture and reduces evaporation. Mulch reduces the damaging and drying effects of sun and wind. Instead of washing away soil rain seeps into the mulch and from there into the soil. During the winter in a garden, soil heaves from the effects of repeated freezing thawing and refreezing, this cycle can damage plants and shrubs also. Mulch with its insulating layer helps reduce soil damage and the danger to plants from the freeze and thaw cycle.

Many of the benefits of mulch are not readily visible. . Mulch workss slowly over a long period of time. However you will be able to see how much mulch cuts down on weeds by choking them out. Mulch makes the weeds that do sprout up easier to pull. To pull a weed spread the mulch away so you have clear access. In pulling the weed make sure to get all of its roots so none are left in the ground, make sure no seeds drop into the mulching material. When done respread the mulch in a smooth layer.

The structure of the soil is improved by organic mulch as it eventually breaks down and decomposes. Valuable nutrients are released into the soil by decomposing mulch. As decomposing mulch deteriorates it turns into a dark color and becomes a rich humus that enriches the soil. In choosing a mulch first consider the cost and the availability in your region. A garden center is the best place to look at different types of mulches it has open bins displaying the materials. A mulch with coarse particles last longer than ones with fine particles, which can become compacted and matted and can decompose faster. Pine needles are acidic, so they make an ideal mulch around shrubs that need an acid soil, such as azaleas and rhododendrons.

When shredded and dried grass clippings can be recycled as mulch.A two to three inch slayer of clippings works nicely; the thicker layer can clump and become too much of a covering.

A mulch of grass clippings is very beneficial to vegetables because they are high in nitrogen. Leave the clippings dry out on the lawn for a day or two.Then shred by running through a lawnmower with the bag on. Do not use grass clippings that were treated with broad- leaf weed killers.

And almost on exhaustible source of organic mulch is leaves, but they must be ground up first. Use a lawn mower with the bag, just as with grass clippings.spread a three inch covering over the ground.

At your local garden center or nursery you can buy bark wood chips and nuggets in 3 - cubic foot bags. One bag will cover 10-12 ft.² when spread to 3 inches. This can get expensive for larger areas. A less expensive option is to buy bark chips in bulk. They are sold by the cubic yard with a minimum order. You can save the delivery charge if you're able to haul them yourself.

Some of the most popular other natural materials include compost, straw, and hay. The general rule is to spread mulching material about 3 inches deep around the plant, but don't pack the mulch against tree trunks or plant stems.