Freshen up those gardens with a fresh layer of mulch

Whether you're spreading shredded bark mulch around your trees and shrubs, or laying straw or shredded leaves down in the vegetable garden, this is the perfect time of year to think about how to properly mulch your yard and gardens.

It's important to keep a few things in mind before, and during, the mulching process.

Tip 1: The term “mulch” refers to any substance applied to the soil surface to suppress weeds, retain soil moisture, and stabilize soil temperatures. There are dozens of different types of mulch, so choose your products carefully. And remember, like most things in life, you get what you pay for. The cheap, bagged mulch you can pick up at the gas station is not necessarily the best mulching product for your yard.

Tip 2: Different garden areas thrive with different mulching materials in place. For example, tree and shrub beds do just fine when mulched with shredded bark products, but these materials are often too heavy for tender vegetable seedlings or flowering annuals. For veggie gardens and flower beds, consider using compost, leaf mold, or mushroom soil as mulch instead. These materials are lighter and they'll break down faster, allowing the nutrients contained in them to feed the growing plants throughout the gardening season.

Tip 3: Don't mulch waterlogged soils. If the ground is still wet at your house, wait a week or two to start mulching. Covering wet soil with a thick layer of mulch too early in the season means it will stay waterlogged far longer and may become a challenge to work with as the growing season progresses.

Tip 4: Remove all existing weeds before laying down any mulches, otherwise the weeds will eventually pop up out of the mulch and keep on growing. Mulch seldom fully smothers existing weeds, especially if they're perennial weeds like dandelions or Canada thistles. If you want season-long weed control, you have to remove all existing weeds before mulching.

Tip 5: Do not apply more than 2 to 3 inches of mulch to any garden area. No matter what type of mulch you're using, too-thick layers will stifle air exchange with plant roots and may lead to bigger issues. Like fertilizer, adding more mulch isn't better. Roots require air.

Tip 6: Do not allow any type of mulch to come into direct contact with plant stems or trunks. Piling mulch around the base of tree trunks or on top of perennial crowns encourages root girdling, crown rot, and a slow death. Instead of making a pile of mulch against it, form a circle of mulch around each plant, keeping the mulching product several inches away from the base of the plant. Far too many trees are killed by too-thick mulch piled around their trunks.

Tip 7: If you're worried about mulches splattering dirt onto your light-colored siding, consider putting a two-foot-wide area of river rocks or pea gravel up against your house. Then use other, more plant-friendly, mulches beyond that area.

Tip 8: Avoid using dyed mulches, mulches made from recycled rubber, or mulches that may contain shredded construction debris. These products may contain substances that could harm humans, pets, or soil life. Buy your mulch from a quality landscape supply center or nursery.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio with Doug Oster. She is the author of several gardening books, including “Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control” and “Good Bug, Bad Bug.” Her website is jessicawalliser.com.

Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 622 Cabin Hill Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601.