MULCHING LANDSCAPES CONSERVES WATER (AND WORK)

Thursday March 1, 2007

Homeowners, commercial property managers and municipalities are anxiously watching the skies for signs of rain, and it’s been a long wait between sprinkles. This year, Mother Nature has been even stingier during the annual dry season that runs from November through May. Rainfall in January was one-third of the historic average, and the last three months came in at just 59 percent of average. That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news.

Homeowners, horticulturalists and other industry professionals searching for ways to maintain lush landscapes during drought conditions while adhering to mandatory irrigation conservation efforts have an environmentally sensible means of assisting nature to stay green. One of the best methods is using the right mulch in the right places and right amounts.

Mulch is a protective covering, usually of organic matter such as straw, peat or commercially produced shredded or chipped woods placed around plants.

“Mulch can help prevent up to 25 percent reduction in soil moisture loss from evaporation,” said Alan Shaffer, vice president of Forestry Resources Landscape Supply. “In addition to keeping moisture in the ground, mulching also reduces the soil’s exposure to wind that increases water loss through evaporation.”

Bob Petersen, project manager of landscape operations for Collier County’s Division of Transportation, applies mulch liberally on the 80 to 90 miles of streetscapes that have been installed so far as part of the county’s beautification program.

“Southwest Florida’s soil is sandy with a low organic content, which means it dries quickly,” Petersen said. “It also changes temperatures quickly, which affects the growth and quality of the plants.”

Streetscapes are the acid test of the benefits of mulching. “Traffic can be 40 to 50 miles an hour,” exposing plant materials to excessive and constant wind. The second is weed control, which Petersen said is one of the greatest benefits of mulch to landscapes and slashes the cost of labor in his department. “Weeds also compete with plants for water and nutrients,” he said, “so mulch does double duty.”

“Properly laid organic mulch immediately after planting is paramount during a drought,” noted Tom Becker, Florida Yards & Neighborhoods extension agent, Lee County Extension Service. “Installing an organic mulch around groundcovers, annuals or shrubs does indeed increase new plant survival while immediately decreasing the need for frequent hand watering or frequent irrigation.”

The insulating quality of mulch aids in keeping the soil cooler in the summer. “Mulch promotes better root growth and plant health by maintaining even soil moisture and temperature,” added Shaffer. At least three to four inches of mulch should be maintained at all times around plants and trees. Organic matter decomposes over time, adding nutrients to the soil, so mulch should be replenished as often as necessary.

The South Florida Water Management District recommends mulching as a water-conservation measure and encourages the use of products other than cypress, alternatives such as processed and cured melaleuca.

The melaleuca is a highly invasive, exotic tree that proliferates in South Florida and had no enemy until 1983, when FRI pioneered recycling the trees into mulch. The Fort Myers-based company is a leader in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly landscape materials with a growing chain of wholesale and retail landscape supply distribution centers. FloriMulch, FloriMulch PlaySafe and the new FloriMulch Colors make up the family of melaleuca mulches developed by FRI. All meet Florida’s Department of Agriculture nematode-free certification standards. Additionally, lab testing by the University of Florida has found that subterranean termites are averse to this wood species.

For information about Forestry Resources, landscaping and landscape products, and the Southwest Florida environment, call (239) 334-7343, visit one of their five wholesale-retail locations throughout Lee and Collier counties or go to www.gomulch.com on the Web.