Avoid applying fresh wood chips in vegetable or annual gardens. Worm castings -- AKA poop -- add valuable nutrients to the soil and is easy to make. Our pros can do it all. If you use manure, make sure it has been sitting around for a year or two, so it's decomposed, and the salts have been leached out. Did you know that suburban lawns receive the heaviest applications of pesticides per acre in the US, even more than conventional agriculture? Apr 24, 2015. Spread mulch 3 to 6 inches away from the trunk to prevent internal rot, disease, and plant death. Either cover the bed with a thick (3-4") layer of mulch or use a weed and feed to help keep weed seeds from germinating. Where to mulch: Wood chips work well around trees, bushes, and footpaths. Wood chip mulch looks lovely around trees, pathways, and perennial gardens. Work it into the soil with a shovel, iron fork, or rototiller. Most waste disposal sites make compost and sell it relatively cheap. It can be fairly high in soluble salts but also contains a substantial amount of organic matter. Make sure cocoa hulls arent left wet for an extended period. To add more organic matter to your lawn, you can either simply leave grass clippings after mowing, shred autumn leaves, topdress with 1/4 inch of compost, or even leave beneficial "weeds" like clover and dandelions to add biomass and nutrients. Spring is a busy time for gardeners. $ 14.95 Read more An all-natural organic weed and feed for use on lawns. Cover crops planted in late summer or early fall are an inexpensive way to build better soil for gardening. Get ahead of the game by making homemade seed mix. You can also add peat moss, coco coir, or vermiculite to your soil to help improve moisture retention. backyardproscontact@gmail.com Charlie delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun, and accessible to everyone. Get your straw from a reputable provider so it doesnt come with weed and grain seeds. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10044"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"

","rightAd":""},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":null,"lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":193888},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2023-04-10T10:50:01+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n