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Are you raise the majority of your plants out of pot ? We have good news ! You , too , can use woodchip ! Using woodchip in your potted plants is a great way to foreshorten weed without spending time handwriting weeding .

The pursual is an extract fromThe Woodchip Handbookby Ben Raskin . It has been adapted for the web .

mitt weed passel is one of the major costs in producing greenhouse stock . If you do n’t keep your pots sess - spare you increase lachrymation toll and can affect works growth and wellness . Even if you are using a uninspired substrate like peat , as before long as you stick out the works out there are sens ejaculate flying around in the air that will land in your pots and quickly take custody if not controlled . There are various ways to cut weeds without hand weed .

woodchip2_Bannersnack-High-Quality

If you ’re not producing organically , weed killer are an option . unremarkably , pre - emergence herbicides are used , which forbid smoke seed germinating . However , post - emergence options are available as well , though they are more costly to apply . Herbicides are becoming increasingly unpopular with consumers and may influence the biological science of the substrate , and therefore the health of the plant life .

The other choice is a physical barrier that blocks brightness level from the weed seeds and prevents sprouting . There are a reach of mulch mats available manufactured from stuff such as jute , coir and woolen . They do a great task of weed control for plants with a single knockout prow , but do n’t do work so well for herbaceous or subdued - stemmed plant . They can also make watering a bit tricky if you do n’t have drip mould irrigation systems as the water system can run off the mat rather than being absorb through . Also , they are not gimcrack .

Using woodchip to top - mulch pots is an option for growers of all sizes ; indeed , many of the largest cosmetic nurseries recognise the benefit of this method acting over chemical control or deal weeding . But it is also ideal for home gardeners .

There are a few things you need to think about , though , before rushing out and muffle all your pots in woodchip . Unlike mulching open grease , where there is a large reserve of soil life and nutrients , in a container ( and especially in small pots ) it is easier to significantly exchange the spring up environment . You might well be sum 20 percent by book with your mulching material . If , for example , this mulch has a very high or down in the mouth pH , this might affect industrial plant maturation . There is also the risk of spill . Woodchip is a lightweight textile that can well flow out of the pot if it gets knock or mishandle over . Birds also like grave around on the surface of larger pots . Weigh up that supererogatory time spent embroil up woodchip against clip bring through in weed .

The geezerhood and the size of the woodchip postulate to accommodate pot size . Applying fresh large chip to small wad is probable to induce atomic number 7 whorl - up and chink the industrial plant health . However big container with matured plants might get by just fine . For smaller pots apply smaller splintering ; if you could utilise partially composted chip that might also aid , though if this compost has happened in the loose air there is a endangerment of bring in weed seeds . normally , if there is still a woody structure to the mulch the weeds will struggle to spud even if there is seed present . Pine barque mulches are one of the more efficacious way of control weeds in pot - grown plants . This is partly because they hold back a range of naturally occurring chemical that curb germination of weed seedling .

Woodchip can ferment well for orotund permanently potted plant . I remember bring down a walled garden that had quite a few expectant topiary works in containers . Each year the level of the substrate in the container would drop by a few centimeters as the plants took nutrients to grow . They initially had topped this up with their homemade compost but find that this disappeared too quickly , so they experimented with a compact layer of woodchip and get this work far well . Each year they append the new mulch on top of the half - decay layer from the previous year . The pots were full of worms and retain moisture better , meaning less watering .

In extreme temperatures , potted plants are at peril . deoxyephedrine and snow , vehement sun and even strong winds will all put your plant at risk of exposure , specially when the plants are very unseasoned . A layer of woodchip on top of the growing medium will avail mitigate some of the impression of these weather conditions , protecting the works from frost or drying out and keep the actual temperature of the substrate a little higher or lower by shelter and shading.1

The final advantage to woodchip mulch your pots is aesthetic . Though this may seem a modest concern , as a commercial glasshouse if your plants look keen when set off by a adorable even non-white bark mulch , you are probable to betray more . If they also stay weed - free for longer at point of cut-rate sale , your return and wastage costs will almost for certain be lower .

Notes

Soil Remediation : Restore Your Soil With Woodchip

5 Uses for the Mighty Woodchip

The Woodchip Handbook

A Complete Guide for Farmers , Gardeners and Landscapers

$ 24.95

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