Materials for mulch
They can be divided into two groups: dynamic and stable.
 
By the dynamic attribute the so-called “summer mulch – especially compost and peat, which is actively processed by soil organisms that enrich the soil nutrition and require an annual contribution. Under such a mulch quickly settled worms and improve soil structure. Sawdust and straw require the addition of nitrogen, as they take him away from the soil nitrogen and not enough plants. We can mention in this group and more exotic options, like sunflower husks, buckwheat husks of cocoa beans or pine nuts. In shady garden will be the best mulch of shredded leaves in the heather – from the needles under bushes – crushed bark, for the flower garden – from a good mature compost.
 
Stable mulch is usually made of durable inert material. Its main purpose – decorative, in this way works and the rest, including curbing the growth of weeds and protection from desiccation. Soil fertility, it does not improve, so its use is for adult plants, less demanding for food. The most common use of gravel or aggregates ranging in size from 5 to 40 mm, small plates stlantsev. Large but thin stlantsa and sandstone sometimes laid as scales or shingles, getting an unusual visual effect of the water. Please note that the limestone, dolomite and marble can zaschelachivat soil that does not bear all the plants. Sometimes a designer use pine bark mulch, decorative wood chips, glass, textiles and other unexpected materials.
 
Terms placing mulch
There are several important rules placing mulch.

   1. Material placed on progrevshuyusya and damp earth. In our conditions, there comes a time after the late frost in May – June.
   2. The land must be released from perennial weeds, otherwise they will still germinate through the material.
   3. Summer mulch is placed a layer of 2 – 5 cm in the projection of the crown, not falling asleep stem (trunk). Around the trunk at a distance of 5-10 cm is a circle without mulch, not to damage the bark.
   4. Stable mulch is filled with a layer of 10 – 30 cm, or use a substrate of dense geotextiles (then apply the rules for summer mulch).
   5. If necessary, planting mulch move apart, with a deep layer of the material is poured from the soil planting mound and put up a plant at the correct depth. Under option with a stable geotextile mulch in doing cross-section, the corners filled in by mouth, put the plant as usual and straighten geotextiles and mulch back to the size of the trunk.

When watering should be noted that organic mulch can hold the moisture and check the soil moisture under it. In addition, it may crusted and begin to rot, especially sawdust or leaves, such places should poryh-shed and reduce the thickness of the layer.
 
The decorative wood chips or bark each spring will gradually added to maintain the beauty of it is worth considering when purchasing and take it with a reserve. When placing a layer of 5 cm per square meter will require 50 liters of material, that is just a standard bag of 70 – 80 liters in the light of the stock for hedging. When buying fresh chips necessary to keep its season in the open or add lime and a few times at first to shed water in abundance, and then 10-percent solution of urea. You can touch up wood in shades of brown humate solution or potassium permanganate.
 
Important detail
The mulch from the store is quite expensive. You can buy a garden shredder or shredder. The working body of it can be a knife or cutter. If you work with the tool itself, select mills. It runs quieter and with less vibration, the remnants of the material cutter herself drawn into the machine. Good mulch is obtained from the cutoff of branches and lignified stems, spruce spruce branches, bark. In the autumn after leaf can prepare the leaves. Especially beautiful mulch of crushed pine cones
Another type of mulch, which is not often remembered – this cover crop or green manure. In this as in free space is used rye and oats, mustard and Phacelia, lettuce and marigolds. Above all, choose a fast-growing species and mow a lot of green to flowering and stem lignification. The angled and crushed material is quite possible to leave on the spot or embedded in the surface layer of soil. In ornamental plantings of living mulch can be bent out pobegonosnoy on wet ground or stonecrop hydroxide to dry.
At the conclusion will focus on synthetic mulch – Nonwoven dense black covering materials, or a black film and special synthetic fabric. It has decorative value, but cheap and efficient. Apply it primarily to control weeds, but it also retains moisture and structure of the soil surface. If you use it is important to carefully build a film on the grounds that did not penetrate the light and it could not dishevel wind. Best prikopat edge or use strips, wound them the edge and securing the brackets of the stapler. Do not use a transparent plastic film over a month, it strongly inhibited by soil microflora. But as a seasonal mulch you can use cardboard or newspaper, it is important only to protect them from the wind. These materials can be used in nursery rearing of seedlings or to protect the hedge from weeds.
To protect the root system of plants in winter
 and reduce the depth of freezing mulching is also very effective. In the flower garden used torfokompost layer 2 – 3 cm and cover the top of spruce branches, or nonwoven. Open areas of land protected with a layer of leaves, wood chips, sawdust, manure, or half-decayed compost. You can try to make a semblance of mats made of coconut leaf or densely-packed bags of perlite, foam, cork, etc. Sale and special coating such syntepon or felt. This mulch removed early in the spring after the disappearance of the snow.