Mulch. Just do it.

[Scrappy-doo]

I decided to put a layer of mulch down for 2 small plots with multiple plants that I have outdoors. I used just native grass on one, and I used native grass, plus a little bit of wood chips on the other.

After 2 days, the one with the wood chips had white fuzzy mold growing on the soil, covering practically the entire surface and nearly killing the plants there. I actually lost a couple. Most were saved. I took that crap off and tilled the soil. Hopefully it will be ok.

The one with just a very light layer of grass was fine.

What I noticed is that in the one with the wood chips the top layer of soil was very moist while the other one the soil was dry. I guess too moist. But isn't that the purpose of mulch?

 

[Dignan]

You had mold on the surface of the soil and it nearly killed the plants? What were the plants' symptoms? Have pics? I have never heard of such a thing.

The primary benefit of mulch is to keep the soil moist; a secondary benefit is shading the soil if you live in a very hot climate, I guess. If your one plot was dry on the surface, you need to mulch and/or water more heavily.

 

[Dignan]

I got a PM from someone asking if the wood chips I use break down into humus. In my case, they do not. Indoors, I remove the mulch every crop and throw it in my biomass pile out back. I'm actually not looking for my mulch to break down; it would rob my soil of N.

 

[Scrappy-doo]

Yes actually 2 of them did die, and another 2 or 3 wern't looking great. we'll have to see when I go back. There was a white fuzzy mold covering the entire surface of the soil, right up to the stems of the plants.

The ones that died were very small about 3 inches tall, and had the same look a clone would get if it spent too much time in the humidity dome. The stems became rubbery and slightly droopy, and the tips of the leaves, especially where new growth would be, became shriveled and dark brown and soggy.

There was another plant that was closer to a foot tall that I topped because the new growth at the very top looked the same, shriveled and dark and mushy. I hope it survives.

The other plot had only a very light layer of wild grass and all the plants are healthy as can be. It obviously got too humid in there with the mulch. Maybe it's because they are mostly very small, I don't know, but I guarantee you it happened.

I did not take my camera with me but I will next time.

 

[mad librettist]

I got a PM from someone asking if the wood chips I use break down into humus. In my case, they do not. Indoors, I remove the mulch every crop and throw it in my biomass pile out back. I'm actually not looking for my mulch to break down; it would rob my soil of N.

just FYI, i've always had better luck using wood chips with perennials, and straws and clippings for annuals like cannabis. My wigglers seem to like it under there and that is where they lay cocoons.

 

[Mr. Drew]

Hydroton Mulch

Hydroton Mulch

First time poster here. I saw this thread and thought it was interesting so i thought i'd add something to it. I have been using hydroton for the very same reason of keeping my top layer of soil moist. I did not know about the microbial activity and how it helps to keep it thriving, I was simply using it so i could water less frequently and so the roots could grow all the way to the top of the soil and make good use of all that was in my pots. It has also helped from having sink hole type dents in my soil after watering. I just figured it would be good at keeping the light away without throwing off the ph of the soil seeing as how it is a neutral medium. Plus it makes the plants look really nice and clean! Any input on hydroton compared to mulch?

 

[pinecone]

Any input on hydroton compared to mulch?

Jaykush said it best a few pages back if you substitute the word hydration for sand.

Pine

sand makes a good mulch except for the fact its basically biologically dead and it doesnt help feed your soil.

 

[Mr. Drew]

Ok I see. So basically hydroton (or sand) makes a good mulch, just not a great mulch. So when using a great mulch that will keep the soil moist as well as feed your plants something beneficial, are there any reasons hydroton or sand would be a better alternative for let's say a beginner like myself? In other words, is it trickier to use a great mulch instead? I read mentions of mold and fungus nats

 

[mad librettist]

you have it about right, organics is trickier at first.

but later on it becomes stupid easy.

 

[pinecone]

In other words, is it trickier to use a great mulch instead? I read mentions of mold and fungus nats

I'll share my experience. Until recently I had been mulching with fallen plant material when it was available. I decided, on the recommendation of some other growers to try a thicker layer of mulch with materials harvested from outside. Now every grow book I've read has said something like "never use materials from outside as they often have pest on them." Despite these warnings I went ahead and did it anyway; I trust the guys here more than Rosental, Cervantes, and the like. I mulched with fallen tree leaves and twigs from last fall and continued to add dead fall from my plants as it occurred. I also threw in some dandelion greens I had left over for dinner. Anyway I built a nice thick 1"+ mulch layer. Bugs did come in with the mulch, but they haven't been a problem. They eat the mulch, bacteria, fungus, and each other. Although I brought in some bugs, fungus gnats have been completely absent from my grow. I'm now starting to wonder if they can even get established as I likely have some predators that would munch up the larvae before they could get going. I have absolutely zero regrets about going with a "great" mulch.

Pine

 

[mostnonymouse]

yea...what pinecone said. it just works.

 

[jaykush]

pinecone. if you had fungus gnats before i bet you have fungus gnats still. its just instead of hundreds of them. you have maybe a dozen or less. so its no big deal. the larvae that die in your mulch/soil becomes food for your plant.

most of the time, the pest problems people deal with are because the grower creates for the perfect environment for the pest, and little to no opposition to those pests. basically giving them free range until the pesticides bust out. in a balanced system one bad guy keeps another from overpopulating. and a good guy keeps both of them in check.

are there any reasons hydroton or sand would be a better alternative for let's say a beginner like myself?

no you would just be robbing yourself of the benefits of a living mulch. it is no harder to toss some compost on the soil, followed by some decomposing organic materials. and let it do its thing.

 

[pinecone]

pinecone. if you had fungus gnats before i bet you have fungus gnats still.

I had them years ago, but not in the past 2-years or so. My point is that I didn't get them by introducing the mulch and, as you point out, I now have other bugs to control them or to prevent them from getting established.

Pine

 

[jaykush]

yup exactly.

 

[GoneRooty]

So an interesting plant I found, a great nitrogen fixer for outside, gets too big for inside living mulch but has edible berries. Elaeagnus pungens - golden silverberry, it's an evergreen shrub, although some Elaeagnus are deciduous. From what I've read, some Elaeagnus can be invasive in the SE US. It's sometimes called autumn olive, and is originally from China.
I'm thinking the deciduous varieties would be better for building/repairing soils since not only do you get the nitrogen fixing from the roots, but also the added mulch from the dropping leaves. Anyone ever had any experience with these plants?

 

[organicterra]

I have some living mulch going on in my yard. I wonder if I could transplant some of this into my indoor garden?

 

[jaykush]

gone rooty we grow autumn olive, goumi and silverberry. they make excellent plants in the orchard. or even as an ornamental shrub that gives food.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Hey mad,
What are your thoughts on using moss as a living cover? I stripped some from the yard the other day using a wide putty knife and applied it across some 5 gallon smarties.
I like the idea of it keeping the upper soil moist, especially since I bottom water.

 

[mad librettist]

Well you may have trouble keeping the moss alive, not sure. I keep live sphagnum and it is sensitive to dissolved solids.

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Here's some moss and a little white clover.
Just trying to keep the top from getting crusty.