Applegater Summer 2013 5
DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL
Mulching out loud
by sioux rogers
Mulching comes in basically two
flavors: “vanilla” (organic) and “chocolate”
(inorganic). Since my preference is vanilla,
this is what I will basically be discussing.
One quick comment on chocolate mulch:
I was recently reprimanded by “lower
management” (hubby) because I wanted
to use old tarps, shower curtains, large
plastic sheets or synthetic rugs to mulch
away weeds (i.e., death by asphyxiation).
As for the above “fake” mulches,
“lower management” disallowed (i.e.,
nixed) my using them anywhere on the
property for weed control or otherwise—
whatever “otherwise” includes—because
they break down, leaving a trail of toxins
to permeate the soil.
Although organic in itself is good,
arm yourself with knowledge as to the
various types of organic mulches. This is
not a “one-size-fits-all” deal. All mulches
are not the same and not all mulches are
good for all plants. Also be mindful of how
you mulch. When mulching around the
trunk or base of plants, mulch of any type
should not touch or pile up next to the
plant base. Mulch usually holds moisture.
If it is covering the stalk or tree trunk,
eventually rot will happen. One exception
would be mulching for winter protection
of a tender plant. (Of course you would
remember to remove it with the first warm
days. You wouldn’t want to be wrapped in
a blanket all summer, would you?)
Before I roam off into the twilight,
how about I just mention what mulch is
all about. The following few paragraphs
are from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Mulch):
“A mulch is a layer of material applied
manure, etc. Many of these materials also
act as a direct composting system, such as
the mulched clippings of a mulching lawn
mower or other organics applied as sheet
composting.”
Okay, now for my own thoughts and
opinions. Some gardeners absolutely feel
that rotten leaves are the only and the best
mulch. Others lay down their hoe and rake
for straw. In my lifetime of gardening, I
have used everything including old ratty
wool rugs. I cannot imagine rows of
slippery straw between our raised vegetable
beds any more than I can imagine concrete
in our poultry scratching area.
With all my reading and attempting
to pull together the importance and types
of mulch, I never once (probably
just missed it) saw mention of
one of my best friends, rice hulls!
See if you can follow this. We
have chickens, geese and ducks.
Inside their king-size sleeping
suite is a concrete floor (not their
scratching area), covered with
rice hulls. This keeps the floor
dry from you-know-what-birds-
do. When the rice hulls are icky
enough with chicken, duck and
geese droppings, I shovel it all
into a wheelbarrow and mix it
into the soil in the raised beds.
I have been doing this for years,
and the soil is very happy. You
might be about to ask, “Isn’t the
chicken poop too hot?” First
off, there is not that much poop
since it is mixed with rice hulls
Apparently rice hulls deterred the wee slugs’ appetite for and soil. Second, I do not plant
leaves, even though plastic cup barriers were not used. in the poopy rice hulls and soil
immediately (usually it takes
around two to three months for
it to “cool” down enough).
This spring when I began
planting my cole crops (cabbage,
broccoli, kale, etc.), I was too lazy
to the surface of an area of soil. Its purpose
is any or all of the following: to conserve
moisture, to improve the fertility and
health of the soil, to reduce weed growth,
to enhance the visual appeal of the area.”
Organic mulches
“Organic mulches decay over time
and are temporary. The way a particular
organic mulch decomposes and reacts
to wetting by rain and dew affects its
usefulness.”
“A variety of materials are used as
mulch. Organic residues: grass clippings,
leaves, hay straw, kitchen scraps, comfrey,
shredded bark, whole bark nuggets,
sawdust, shells, wood chips, shredded
newspaper, cardboard, wood and animal
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Sioux Rogers—And the beet goes on.
or tired to dig the rice hulls into the soil.
So, there the hulls sat, butt-naked on top
of the soil. As usual, I placed each small
new plant inside the now-famous clear
three-inch bottom cut out of plastic cups.
A few years ago when I first started using
the clear plastic cups it was for slug control,
but I still needed to go outside for several
nights with a flashlight and clippers to do
away with those wee slimy leaf-’n-plant
eaters. This season, I did my nightly ritual
but saw no slugs. The seedlings did fine,
now growing over the top of the cups.
Several weeks ago I found a few more
cole crops I wanted to plant. So back to
the raised garden beds with the rice hulls
sitting on top. Dang! Ran out of clear cups
and not about to run back to the store! A
light went on in my head. Maybe the wee
slimy leaf-eating slugs did not like their
bellies scratched by the rice hulls—aha! I
decided to experiment and planted the last
cool-weather crops without the plastic cup
barrier. So far there has been no difference
between hulls on top of the soil or dug into
the soil. This could be worth a closer look
as a time-and-money saver.
This article was written for “lower
management” about how rice hulls keep
away the little slugs and are a great “vanilla”
mulch.
Dirty fingernails and all
Sioux Rogers
541-846-7736
mumearth@dishmail.net