Bark mulch
Bark mulch is shredded, unfermented tree bark without further additions. It is used in particular as a floor covering .
The bark mulch layer makes the growth of undesirable weeds much more difficult. The mulch is therefore very suitable for corners of the garden or the plant that a gardener can hardly access. The soil under the bark mulch does not dry out as quickly and stays moist longer. In addition, more and more microorganisms are settling there, which in the long term increase the fertility of the soil.
Since nitrogen is removed from the soil during rotting , it is recommended that horn shavings be mixed with the substrate. In addition, only bushes, hedges and the like are to be mulched, not vegetable or flower beds. Bark mulch is particularly suitable under fir trees or on tree hedges .
Bark mulch is also used in terrariums . There it is preferably used untreated as a soil substrate .
Possible problems
There is no legal regulation of what bark mulch must be made of. It does not even have to consist of bark, but can also be composed entirely of foreign substances, as long as they are of vegetable origin.
Another problem is cadmium , which can be found in bark mulch. This very toxic heavy metal is naturally present in rock and in soils, but the increasing acidification of German forest soils - especially of spruce stands - means that the acid dissolves the firmly bound cadmium from the rock, making it available to the plants. These absorb the cadmium via the roots and store it in the bark.
Web links
- Garden Academy Rhineland-Palatinate: Recommendations for use for bark mulch (back with triple click)
Individual evidence
- ↑ ndr: Open your eyes when buying bark mulch . Retrieved July 17, 2013.