Adding Mulch?

[KnightHawke®™]

Hey Ya'll, as we say here in the south US. I recently started 18 autos, 6 different strains with 3 each in 15 gallon grow bins. I am using Stonington blend start to finish outdoors. Should I add a layer of mulch to help retain moisture, or will this cause future problems down the road?

 

[Creeperpark]

Good question and the answer is YES. Always cover the soil to retain moisture and control heat. The best thing about mulch is that a very large population of microbes will thrive under the mulch breaking down nutrients so the plants can use them. All the mulch will return to the soil year after year and enrich the area.

 

[Creeperpark]

In the above photo, I just used common native grass from the area, adding more every visit. The very best hay mulch you can use is Alfalfa hay. When I used it and left it on the ground for the next year the plants always did super. Any hay will work but Alfalfa is the king of the mulches.

 

[Creeperpark]

As the Summer gets hot you will need to lollypop a few bottom stems to make room for a pile of knee-high mulch. The plants here only got water one time a week using mulch. The average hottest daily temps were upper 90s to 102f or 32c to 37c. The only way these plants could make every year is by using mulch. Here are some photos of plants in the wild using native grass.