5 Ways That Mulching Can Save You Money On Your Water Bill
Posted on: 4 January 2023
If you're like many modern homeowners, you love the idea of your outdoor living space brimming with lush, healthy vegetation — but you may also be mindful of the need to conserve water, not only for the sake of the environment but for the sake of your bank account as well. After all, some estimates say that water costs are currently rising faster than all other types of utilities. Fortunately, homeowners do have options when it comes to saving water while maintaining an attractive outdoor living space.
Water conversation in the home landscape involves a multilayered approach that includes planting native vegetation that evolved to survive on local rainfall amounts, using smart irrigation systems designed to provide only the amount of water necessary, and cultivation practices such as mulching. Although it may not be apparent at first glance that mulching helps conserve water, it does so in a variety of ways. The following are four of them.
- Mulch helps to regulate soil temperature, which can help prevent the soil from becoming too hot or too cold. This can help to reduce the amount of water that is lost to evaporation and allows the water to stay in the soil for longer periods of time. As an added bonus, mulch protects the root zones of plants from being damaged by temperature extremes.
- Mulch can physically block light from reaching the soil, which can prevent weed seeds from germinating and growing. By reducing the number of weeds in the garden, mulch can help to ensure that more water is available for the plants that you want to grow.
- Mulch can also help to improve the structure of the soil by adding organic matter to the soil as it slowly decomposes, helping to create a more porous, friable structure that makes it easier for water to penetrate the soil and reach the roots of plants. This can help to reduce the amount of water that is needed to keep plants healthy and hydrated.
- Mulch adds organic nutrients to the soil, and over time, this results in rich soils that provide the ideal environment for plants to thrive. In soils such as this, tree and shrub roots grow strong, healthy, and deep, often to the extent that they are able to access groundwater, making supplemental water completely unnecessary.
- Mulch can also help protect soil from erosion by providing a protective layer on the soil surface, preventing water runoff caused by erosion.
Speak to a forestry mulching service to learn more.
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