These next couple of weeks leading into the holiday season will provide a great opportunity to beautify your garden and landscape with a fresh layer of mulch. In addition to providing aesthetics, mulches promote plant health.

Leaves and twigs falling from deciduous species right now is nature’s way of mulching. It’s Mother Nature’s way of providing a protective covering for the soil. When we apply mulches — either organic or inorganic — we do the same thing. 

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442. E-mail him at jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu.

Mulching provides benefits such as conserving moisture, controlling weeds and improving the soil structure. Another important function of mulch is to protect the trunks of trees and shrubs from lawn equipment, such as string trimmers. Lawn equipment is sometimes responsible for girdling the trunks of trees and shrubs, which can reduce or stop the flow of water and nutrients through the plant.

There is a fairly long list of materials well suited to serve as landscape mulches. In fact, mulch can be any material porous enough to let water and air pass through it, as well as dense enough to prevent weed growth. Compost even makes good mulch. Most organic mulches need to be applied to a depth of 2 to 4 inches. Some exceptions include wheat straw and pine needles, which need to be 6 to 8 inches deep. Inorganic mulches — gravel, pebbles and stones — need only be about an inch deep. Inorganic mulches work best when landscape fabric is placed underneath the mulch to prevent weeds from coming through. 

Pine needles have risen to the top of the popularity list when it comes to mulch choices. They have several advantages — they’re attractive, readily available and tend to stay in place. They last fairly long, too, as they are one of the few organic mulches that decomposes slowly. Some consider the fact that pine needles lower the soil pH a disadvantage, but that depends upon the needs of the plants being protected. One true disadvantage is they can be a fire hazard, so pine needles are not recommended for use next to the house’s foundation.

From now through March, a lot of new trees and shrubs will be set out in landscapes. They should be mulched properly.

For trees and shrubs in a bed, mulch the entire bed. For those out in the lawn, mulch in a 3- to 6-foot-wide ring from the trunk out. Keep in mind the proper depths of mulch to apply, and remember it is not necessary and often harmful to mound mulches deeper than the recommended amount. Four inches is usually sufficient.

One of the most common mulching mistakes is placing the mulch directly against the trunk of the trees or shrubs. Avoid the temptation to do that and pull the mulch back from the trunk 2 to 3 inches. This will prevent decay.