After the mulching
You’ve planted your plants, mulched your beds, watered faithfully, fertilized correctly…that’s all there is to a having a healthy flower bed, right? Yes and no. It’s a great start, but there’s is some little-known maintenance to do on your mulch.
After time, mulch will settle and pack down and it can actually become impervious to water and air.
Mulch that has been down for 2 months and is packed down.
Keeping it fresh!
It’s important to occasionally scuff up, or turn over, mulch. Mulch that is deprived of oxygen (when it’s compacted) is more susceptible to mold growth underneath the top layer. Take a rake or cultivator or the garden tool of your choice and turn your mulch over. It may surprise you how stiff that top layer of mulch has become.
I’m using a cultivator here to break up the hardened surface of the mulch.
Once the surface is loosened, the mulch underneath is generally loose and pliable.
Garden Weasel to the rescue
There are other garden tools that make this job really easy. I’m using a basic cultivator here only because I was trying to take a close-up photo while manning the claw myself (multi-tasking at its finest).
Here’s my favorite mulch-turner-over tool:
Garden Weasel… nice spikey things makes mulch maintenance really quick and easy!
The Garden Weasel makes taking care of your mulch so simple! Each of the three spiked wheels are removable to be able to maneuver around your plants with ease.
Keep your plants healthy and happy by keeping your mulch loose!
therockpile
