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Questions, Answers and Comments by Category
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Initial post
1 JUN 06 by
Helen
Can I put weed mat & bark on my rose garden? I would like to get away from all the scratches which seem to go with weeding around my rose bushes.
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Initial post
12 MAR 05 by
Unregistered Guest
Is straw a good mulch?
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Reply
#1 of 1 posted
13 MAR 05 by
Anonymous-97434
That depends upon the type of straw you're refering to. Pine straw generally is, as long as it doesn't make your soil too acidic, and you supplement the nitrogen sufficiently to help break it down without the bacteria having to rob it from the plants. Hay generally isn't as it will mold and require too much nitrogen.
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Is one type of bark mulch better for roses then another? How much bark mulch should you use around the base of the rose bush?
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#1 of 1 posted
2 JUN 03 by
Unregistered Guest
Roses don't like a cedar mulch as the cedar gives off an oil which harm the roses. 6 inches thick will do if you are in a hot summer zone as roses like to have cool, damp roots.
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Initial post
12 MAR 03 by
Unregistered Guest
What materials make good mulch?
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[From Garden Design magazine, June/July 1996, p. 13:] Organic mulches (bark, wood chips, pine needles, leaves, and the like)... add humus to the soil as they decompose, but microbes that perform this transformation draw nitrogen from the soil in the process. This, in turn, causes a deficiency where the mulch meets the soil. Fortunately, deep-rooted trees and shrubs are rarely affected by surface nitrogen depletion. Organic mulch suits them because most have evolved with a natural layer of decaying forest litter or meadow debris... nitrogen deficiency can be a problem with shallow-rooted herbaceous perennials. And some organic mulches -- oak leaves, for example -- release acids or volatile oils that can burn foliage growing near the ground.
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I have always used pecan shell mulch on my roses. There doesn't seem to be any negative effect and it doesn't attract the pests the way pine bark does.
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