It’s the dog days of summer. Thoughts turn to vacations, backyard barbecues, and, on the really hot days, sitting inside in front of the TV with the air conditioning blasting away.
But don’t forget your garden - it may need some “conditioning” too.
Plants take up water through the roots and release it to the atmosphere through microscopic pores in the leaves called stomates. The process of water uptake and evaporation through the leaves is called transpiration. Just like the human body sweats to keep cool in the summer, plants transpire to keep cool.
The stomates also allow the plant to absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to food in the process of photosynthesis. In the heat of the summer, these two processes of transpiration and photosynthesis are cranking full bore. If water uptake by the roots can’t keep up with transpiration by the leaves, then the plant wilts.
So what can we do to help our plants stay cool and happy over the summer? The first and most important thing of course is to make sure your plants have the right amount of water and a healthy, deep root system.
But beyond that there are things you can do to the soil, like applying mulch. The word “mulch” is derived from an English dialect “molsh” or “melch”, meaning soft. Strictly speaking, mulch is any material that covers the soil surface, as opposed to something that is incorporated into the soil.
Mulches can be inorganic or organic. Inorganic mulches include gravel, pebbles, and ground rubber from recycled tires. Even plastic sheeting or woven landscape fabric is considered mulch. Organic mulches include bark, compost, pine straw, grass clippings, wood chips, leaves, and almost any other plant residue that you could imagine.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, “mulching is one of the simplest and most beneficial practices you can use in the garden.” As a Clemson University web site explains, mulching was really nature’s idea, as falling leaves and branches in forests creates a soft layer of organic matter that covers the soil.
There are many benefits of using organic mulch. One of the most obvious benefits in the summer is that it reduces the loss of water from the soil by evaporation. Mulch keeps the soil, and therefore plant roots, cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It reduces soil erosion and improves water infiltration. This helps avoid run-off of sediments and chemicals into neighboring streams. Mulch improves soil structure and builds new soil as it decays into rich organic matter. And, if you need one more reason, mulch is also aesthetically pleasing and gives the garden a finished look.
The web sites mentioned above have lots more information about mulches. Talk to a reputable nursery to see what materials are best for your area. There are a few things to watch out for, but in general, using mulch in the garden is fast and easy and will make a big difference in the overall appearance of your landscape.
So get out there and “transpire” a little (your plants are - they need some company). You will be rewarded with a beautiful, healthy garden, and your plants will say “Thank you very mulch!”
This entry was posted
on Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Garden care.
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