Pine bark is a mulch material that is commonly used in gardens. It is characterized by an aesthetic appearance and utility values. It comes in two types - as raw bark, ground bark and composted bark. Here's what you should know about pine bark to benefit your garden and how to sprinkle the bark on plants.
Pine bark is one of the most popular materials for mulching soil under plants
Mulching is covering the soil surface between plants with a layer of organic or inorganic material.When mulching, it is very important to use the material in the right time and in the right amount. Mulching the soil in your garden has many benefits, such as preventing weeds from growing, reducing water evaporation from the soil and providing aesthetic appeal. One of the materials most often used for mulching is pine bark.
This organic material is generated as waste during wood processing.Pine barkis so often used in gardens that it has become synonymous with garden bark. No wonder, this material has excellent nutritional and insulating values, and pine bark decomposes the longest among all types of garden bark. Usually, pine bark is poured over the previously unfolded black agrotextile, thanks to which the bark will decompose more slowly. You can also sprinkle the garden bark directly on the ground, but then you have to reckon with the fact that it will have to be refilled more often.
Types of pine bark
There are two basic types of pine bark - composted bark and raw bark.
Composted bark ispine barkcomposted for 1-2 years . It releases the most minerals into the soil from all tree litter and bark types. It does not sterilize the soil with nitrogen compounds, on the contrary, it provides them. Composted pine bark acidifies the soil very well, therefore it is perfect for acidophilic plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas, blueberries, shrubs and conifers. Thanks to this bark in the garden, soil acidification can even reach a pH of 4.5. Composted bark should be replenished more often as it is already half decomposed and further decomposed quickly. This type of bark is dark brown, almost black in color.
Raw ground bark is poor in nutrients and sterilizes the soil from nitrogen compounds. It is heavy and prevents weeds from growing in the bed, because it does not let the light in and young weeds are unable to break through the bark to the surface.Since it decomposes slowly it is economical, you need to add it only after a few years. It has a light brown or brown color.
It is worth knowing thatpine barkwith varying degrees of grinding is available on the market. The selection of bark with an appropriate degree of grinding, or otherwise - suitably fine, is very important. There are three main types of bark:
The finely ground bark is very suitable for small beds, where small or small plants are planted. The fine grinding fraction gives the pine bark a delicate appearance. However, it should be remembered that finely ground pine bark is easily blown away by the wind and is not suitable for use in exposed places, exposed to strong gusts of wind.
Medium ground bark is the most universal size. Such pine bark is the most versatile and suitable for almost any planting, and in relation to finely ground bark, it is more resistant to wind blowing.
Coarse-ground bark is a type of bark that is good for large plants and spacious beds. Coarsely ground bark is often used in parks or large gardens.
Pine bark has acidifying properties. Perfect for sprinkling under acidophilic plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas and conifers
Decorative bark
A new product on the market is currently colorful decorative bark. Due to the great popularity of garden bark, manufacturers of this material have developed different colors, thanks to which the usualpine barkhas become a full-color ornamental bark. This type of garden bark is raw, non-composted and stained bark. Coloring is simply dyeing the bark of medium or finely ground various colors. Thanks to this, we can already buy bark for the garden: blue, green, orange, red, white, etc.If we want our rebate to look even more interesting, it is worth using this bark in the garden, but remember to match the color of the bark to the color of the flowers on the bed. And of course, we have to consider whether such artificial coloring of the bark will suit us.
Colored pine bark is available in various colors. Thanks to this, you can choose a shade that matches the color of the flowers on the bed.
How to mulch pine bark?
Pine barkin the garden must be spread 5-10 cm thick. The thicker the layer, the better it will insulate, however 15 cm is the upper limit as the plants can start to rot. When spreading the bark in the garden, remember to keep a distance of 10-15 cm at the very bush so that young shoots can more easily break through to the outside. The best time to mulch pine bark is spring, before the weeds have even started to break to the surface.Although you can actually mulch pine bark all year round, you just need to weed the area on which we will spread the bark in the garden.
Advantages of pine bark
Finally, it is worth summarizing the advantages of using pine bark:
- It insulates very well against moisture loss and is permeable at the same time,
- It protects the root system well against freezing in winter,
- Slowly releases minerals, so you can fertilize your plants less,
- Has great aesthetic value,
- In a composted form it helps to acidify the soil,
- Provides protection against certain fungi and pests that will not break through the bark layer into the plant.
Katarzyna Matuszak
