MULCHING
From page 15
the winter with baled fodder
and (unless they have a balesaver such as the unit
designed and sold by
Groenvoer) there will be
untidy piles of uneaten,
soiled, dry fodder lying in the
paddocks where the animals
are fed.
This is an ideal source of
mulch and, in taking it out of
the paddock and repurposing it, you will be
doing your paddock grass a
favour, too, as one of the
other uses of mulch is to
suppress the growth of plants
lying under it. Leaving
uneaten fodder lying about in
the paddock, therefore, will
result in little or no growth of
spring grass underneath
(which will invariably be
replaced by a crop of weeds
as the season progresses).
Spreading a layer of mulch
around seedlings immediately
after transplanting, and while
the bed is free of
weeds will mean
you will not have
the chore of
weeding later,
because weeds
will be suppressed through
the lack of light.
Moreover, the soil
will remain cooler
due to the
insulating
properties of the
mulch and, as
mentioned,
moisture will be A bed of zinnia seedlings mulched with old fodder
retained for
longer, meaning less frequent cooling and humus-enriching
properties, the old hay in
watering is necessary.
As the season progresses and your paddock can also be
used to prepare new beds for
the mulch slowly decays, it
planting without you ever
becomes incorporated into
having to dig the bed over to
the soil as humus, adding
remove existing vegetation.
nutrients to the soil and
Simply spread a thick layer of
improving its ability to retain
mulch over the area where
moisture further.
you wish for a new bed and
And, if the mulched hay has
leave it for a season. Because
been soiled with animal
droppings and urine so much of the exclusion of light to
the soil below the plants (ie
the better, as these manures
can only enhance the quality weeds and grasses) previously
growing there will die off and
of your soil.
Apart from its water retaining,
Continued on page 18
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