Top-dressing planting beds with several inches of compost will improve lightly compacted soils. Earthworms and other soil fauna will gradually pull it down into the soil, loosening it and improving water-holding capacity. A 2- or 3-inch layer of shredded leaf mulch or wood chips will provide similar benefits.
Aerate the soil: Use a garden fork or a manual aerator to gently loosen the soil without turning it over completely. This can help alleviate compaction in small areas. Grow deep-rooted plants: Plants with deep root systems, like daikon radishes or sunflowers, can help break up compacted soil naturally.
Mulching can be an expensive landscaping choice in terms of both money and labor. You will need to use good quality soil that contains large amounts of organic matter when planting your garden bed after it has been mulched. In the long run, you will need to replenish some of the mulch from time to time.
Shredded leaves and finely ground bark will protect my soil through the growing season; but by the time the season is waning and it's time to amend with compost, most of those small mulch fragments have broken down into a soil-like material.
Planting a good cover crop mix can help your compaction a lot. A mix of tillage radishes, oats and a legume (especially the tillage radishes) planted in the mid to late summer and left over the winter will greatly improve your soil tilth and will be a lot less work than tilling the ground yourself.
Simply pile your garden bed high (at least 15cm) with organic material – it can be wood chips, shredded paper, straw, chopped leaves, lawn clippings – whatever you can lay your hands on. Then leave it for up to a year!
Soil can be mechanically compacted by applying force with a roller, hoe or rammer. A roller looks like a drum aerator, minus the spikes. Pulling this weighted metal drum over the lawn crushes the soil. In a pinch, a heavily loaded wheelbarrow can do the same job.
Plus, adding mulch or plants in these bare spots will help build organic matter, which can help prevent compaction.
With high-performance mulch, you should only need to place a new layer of mulch every one to two years. However, you will likely need to remove old mulch and replace it with new mulch every five to six years.
Don't Use Mulch Mixed with Soil
Jeff Gibson, landscape business manager for Ball Horticultural Company, adds that you should never use woody mulch as a soil amendment in containers or the ground because "in the process of decaying, it binds up the available nitrogen that could be going to the plants you want to grow."
While mulching in early fall is safe, you should never mulch during late fall. "This can insulate the ground and prevent plant dormancy," says Morrell. The much-needed hibernation helps plants survive the cold winter months.
Among the worst offenders for tree mulch are rocks and gravel. Instead of conserving moisture, they heat up the soil, making tree roots thirsty and stressed. Their weight slowly compacts soil over time, and they provide no soil health benefits.
Mulch helps to reduce stormwater pollution.
Mulch reduces runoff by absorbing water. This not only helps your plants and decreases your watering needs (therefore decreasing your water bill), but it also helps to keep pollutants from being washed into storm drains and eventually into our waterways.
A compacted soil has a reduced rate of both water infiltration and drainage. This happens because large pores more effectively move water downward through the soil than smaller pores. In addition, the exchange of gases slows down in compacted soils, causing an increase in the likelihood of aeration-related problems.
Like a gardening trowel, a hand cultivator is a handheld tool ideal for smaller gardening needs. This multi-pronged tool will easily break up tough soil and loosen compacted dirt and gravel. Hand cultivators are often available as a combination tool with a hoe (also called an adze) on the opposite side.
While the material itself does not draw termites to the area, mulch spread over three inches deep creates an inviting habitat for the pests. Layers of organic matter trap heat and moisture next to the ground. Termites use this thick mulch as shelter from harsh weather. Some kinds of mulch may even repel termites.
Yes, Mulch Does Matter!
For hosta to thrive and reach their full potential they need a constant moisture supply through the growing season and a soil rich in organic matter. Hosta located in dryer soils will grow more slowly, put out fewer leaves and not look as lush especially during the summer months.
Plant problems caused by too much mulch
Excessive mulch reduces soil oxygen for roots, suffocating them and causing them to die. Roots in search of oxygen and water sometimes grow into excess mulch. During dry periods the mulch dries out and the roots in the mulch die.
They typically take between 1-3 years to decompose, and sometimes can compact in the process blocking water and oxygen from the roots of the plant.
The best way to compact soil is to use the right compaction equipment based on the soil type. For cohesive soils like clay, a jumping jack or padfoot roller works well, while granular soils like sand benefit from vibratory rollers or plate compactors.
Core aeration is considered the best and most effective way of loosening your compact soil. Other methods of aeration, such as spiking, don't remove any soil from your lawn, so they can actually make your compaction issue worse. During core aeration, tiny plugs or cores are pulled up throughout your yard.
Tamping rammers and jumping jacks are useful for compacting soils in 2 to 3 lifts thick, at near-optimum moisture content, if trying to achieve 90% compaction. Choosing the proper equipment is just as important as the compaction and number of passes itself.