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The Benefits of Fall Mulching

Beth Kaiser • Oct 26, 2020

Fall mulching can improve the health of your garden.

The care that your lawn and garden needs doesn’t just go away because winter is coming. Some of the most important work you can do for your garden happens in the fall. Sprucing up your beds and adding mulch is almost a necessity to prepare for the Midwest winters and let your garden recover from the harsh summer heat. Hence, all-season lawn care is important.

Here are five benefits of fall mulching.   

  1. Protect Your Root Systems
    Mid-Missouri’s harsh winter temperatures can damage the fibrous root systems that are present in garden plants. The root hairs in fibrous root systems exponentially increase the surface area of the roots to absorb more nutrients. These root systems are very delicate and can be damaged easily. Adding mulch to your garden beds will insulate the root systems to protect them during cold weather. Harsh winter weather is also difficult for the microbes that live in the soil to keep your plants nourished. This is especially important if you’ve added new plants to your garden. 
  1. Reduce Weeds
    Weeds can grow out of control even in the fall and winter months. Adding mulch to your garden beds can dramatically shrink the number of weeds that grow in your garden. Proper mulching will create a barrier and will limit the amount of sunlight that the newly growing weeds can receive, directly harming their growth — without harming the growth of your larger existing plants. 
  1. Lock-In Moisture
    The correct mulch will maintain an adequate amount of moisture for your plants. Mulch will cover the soil to prevent water from leaving the ground through evaporation, as well as keep the temperature more regulated, to prevent a cycle of freezing and melting water in your soil. Winter in the Mid-Missouri can be dry at times, locking in the moisture for your plants assures that they will receive a good start for their spring growth. 
  1. Prevent Soil Erosion 
    Proper mulch coverage can also keep excess water from harming your plants and soil. Heavy rain, which is common in Mid-Missouri, can hammer away at your soil and cause soil erosion and runoff. Mulch will break the fall of the rain droplets, which reduces the rain’s force when it does hit the ground. 
  1. Improve Overall Appearance
    Adding a new layer of mulch provides a much-needed facelift to your garden in the fall months. Missouri’s hot summer dries out mulch and leaves it looking dingy and faded. Adding mulch is just like a fresh coat of paint for your garden. 

Lawn care is important because your garden needs a new refresh in the fall, not only to help it recover from the summer and prepare for the winter but also because it just looks good. Before you add your fall mulch, pick up any plant debris to decrease the chances of mold and pull out any weeds so that they don’t receive the benefits of mulching that your garden plants will. It’s never too late to mulch — your plants will thank you in the spring with healthy and beautiful growth. So give us a call at Atkins and help us provide you the best mulching and overall lawn care services.

The post The Benefits of Fall Mulching appeared first on Atkins Inc.

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