Clay soil is a difficult soil to work with, but it does have its positive attributes. If your backyard or portion of land you plan to garden in has clay soil, don’t dismiss it and give up outright. Know that clay soil is fertile and rich in minerals, can hold water and essential nutrients well, and buffers against soil acidification. It also needs little or no fertilisers. Instead, soil nutrition improves when mulch is added. The best mulch to use for clay soil is wood chips, bark mulches (such as cypress mulch), and hulls/shells.
Wood chips
Wood chips are readily available in any local landscape store (such as Labrador Landscape Supplies). They have high carbon content that emits nitrogen during decomposition. As a mulch, wood chips slowly break down as moisture is added, and break down further still if there are natural earthworms present. The breaking down process enriches the soil further, and wood chips are easily replenished.
Bark mulch or cypress mulch
Available from landscape stores either in granules or chunks, bark and cypress mulches are made from their shredded forms. Granules are more suited to work into clay soil, while the chunks work better when spread on the surface. Bark or cypress mulches come in a variety of colours and hold their colours longer than wood chips. They are also denser, making them more resistant to wind dispersion.
Hulls/Shells
Hull or shell mulches are made from the hulls or shells of various plants such as pecans, hazelnuts, buckwheat, and cocoa beans. It must be cautioned that if you have pets such as cats or dogs, hull and shell mulches can be toxic to them, so avoid them. Buckwheat hulls are finely textured and have a neutral colouring, but they will emit a slight odour in hot, humid weather and may blow away in windy conditions. Cocoa bean hulls have a rich, chocolatey colour and a pleasing odour. They do pack in easily so they need to be stirred up regularly to make sure plant roots are aerated.
Generally, mulch will smother weeds that germinate. The very few weeds that do grow can be easily picked off.
Labrador Landscape Supplies
Labrador Landscape Supplies can cover all your mulching needs such as pine bark (chunks and fine), tea tree mulch (medium and fine), redwood mulch, hoop bark, cypress mulch, and bush mulch. If you aren’t sure what type of mulch you need, we can match the right mulch that will serve you best. Check out our other garden and landscape offerings at http://landscape-supply.com.au/ or give us a call on 07 5537 2841.
