To Mulch or Not To Mulch?
Many of you have asked us: Should I mulch around my fruit trees? What would you do?
To which I answer: No.
Why? It robs your tree of nitrogen as it decomposes, it introduces the decay microbes at the foot of your new tree (potentially causing root rot & all sorts of fungi ick on the leaves), and it prevents you from easily top dressing under the fruit tree with new soil amendments every month or two.
But but but, you say, it holds the moisture and means watering less frequently? And it kills the weeds. Yes, but . . .
Ok, more explanation is in order.
The problem lies in the definition of mulch.
Mulch is not synonymous with fresh wood chip bark.
bark chips are not mulch !
real mulch should contain at least 50% actual compost
"Mulch" comes from the German word "molsch" which simply means any soft material laid on top of your soil to protect a plant's roots. Mulch isn't a soil amendment: it's a covering to protect the topsoil.
And it should be used in combination with compost: real compost on the bottom, and a THIN mulch layer on top consisting of partially decomposed (AGED) tree branches, leaves or straw. This compost-mulch layer will naturally occur if you're using the right kind of mulch material.
The stuff typically sold commercially, in a bag or as a bulk truckload of bark chips, is NOT the real deal. It consists primarily of just the outer bark of one type of tree, primarily either oak or pine if you're in Florida. And it is fresh, not aged. It is not going to be nutritious when it decomposes. Some are even using a toxic waste to chemically burn the bark black to make it look authentic, causing further microbial destruction.
Mulch is NOT the same as bulky wood chips heaped up on top of the soil. Bulky wood chips decomposing harbor stinky decay microbials, mold, fungi, white powdery mildew, greasy spot fungi (this destroys your new citrus trees!), white moldy patches --- the list is endless. And as raw, uncomposted wood chips, it is also highly flammable.
Add to that, a 4" layer or more of wood chips is the ideal invitation for termites to set up residence. Do you really want that?
REAL MULCH
Real mulch lets the soil breathe: oxygen and water in, carbon dioxide out. Real mulch quickly decays releasing the nutrients, and nurturing the earthworms. Real mulch creates microbials, not destroy them. Just what the plant above needs!
A better name for this type of real mulch would be Native Hardwood Mulch. It is made from branches and limbs of many different trees, along with some leaf matter, and chipped up finely then applied as a top dressing for the soil. It should already be about 50% compost by the time you apply it around your trees. It should be a consistency that is good for a potting mix --- a far cry from this dry, wood chip stuff that is incorrectly labeled as "mulch".
bark chips harbor more bugs!
It is nutrient rich with all the minerals and nutrients from the cambium layer of the branches and quickly decomposes. As it decomposes, the compost drops to the bottom and the larger woodier pieces float to the top, providing a moisture trapping barrier for your trees in just one step. It's just like the way nature does it.
Real mulch will hold onto water and prevent the soil from compacting or drying out. The high humus content of real mulch will quickly convert both sandy and clay soils into rich, loamy dirt. Real dirt. Fertile dirt that is alive and teaming with beneficial microbials. Good mulch should just about disappear into the earth within six months or less.
RESOURCES & further study:
William Albrecht (1888-1974) Pioneering research American agronomist, highly respected soil scientist, emeritus professor of soils at the University of Missouri, pioneering research into using legumes for nitrogen fixation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Albrecht
His research was willed to Charles Walter Jr.
Carl Wilken (19?? -1968) engineer; born in Iowa; one of the fathers of raw material economics; founder of Raw Materials National Council (1930's)(now NORM, National Organization For Raw Materials);
Spent more time testifying before Congress prior to his death than anyone else, arguing for change in banking policy that would make US capitalism a generative economy rather than a preditory one. Champion for natural economic law, not globalism. Believed that all "new wealth" originates in the natural world with man adding value, not measured by just money. http://normeconomics.com/index.html
Charles Walter Jr (1926-2009) raw materials economist, son of a dirt farmer from Kansas, settled in Kansas City, MO. Mentored under Carl Wilken; understood the perils of chemical agriculture.
Rescued and preserved the science of organic agriculture before the petrochemical giants overtook the US market.
Founded Acres USA using / preserving the research of William Albrecht.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Walters_Jr.#Acres_USA
Acres USA: est 1970. monthly magazine published in MO and then Austin TX, promotes the family farm and organic farming.
A major force in establishing the importance of Regenerative Agriculture. Regenerative Ag or Biodynamic ag are new terms for old-fashioned organics, unincumbered by modern organic definitions and legalize.
Maynard Murray (1910-1983) medical doctor, pioneer in the 1930's in merging biology, health and agriculture; emphasized the importance of a plethora of trace minerals (such as found in sea water) in the human diet;
John Ferguson, respected soil scientist, Houston, TX;
https://www.natureswayresources.com/mulchcorner.html