Both hobby gardeners and experts have been debating the advantages and disadvantages of mulching for years. With regard to meadows, it can be said that mowing mulch does not make sense for every meadow - but it should definitely be done depending on the type of meadow and the nature of the soil and plants as well as the intensity of use.
Is mulching meadows useful?
Mulching meadows can be useful to return nutrients to the soil, especially in intensive use such as horse meadows and in soil that is too acidic. However, a special mulcher should be used and the rotting of the mulch material should be carefully monitored to avoid damage caused by decomposing too slowly.
Mulching – How does it work?
Short and sweet: When mowing mulch, the crop is not removed, but left on the meadow. There it is supposed to rot and give the soil the nutrients it needs back. However, mulching cannot be done using conventional mowing, for example with a scythe or a bar mower. The crop must be chopped as finely as possible so that it rots more quickly and can be absorbed into the ground. For this reason, a special device, the mulcher (€299.00 on Amazon), should be used for mulching.
What are the advantages of mulching?
Mulching offers two big advantages: On the one hand, you don't have to worry about where you put the cuttings. In addition, by rotting the material you return nutrients to the soil, thereby creating a natural cycle. Mulched meadows require significantly less fertilizer.
What problems can arise from mulching?
However, the method also has a number of serious disadvantages. There is a risk that the mulch will not rot quickly enough and will form a thick layer over the living plants. These in turn no longer receive enough light and air and they suffocate. Instead, mice and snails in particular thrive under the thick layer of mulch and cause considerable damage to the meadow. The animals are comfortably warm under the mulch and safely hidden from natural enemies, can hibernate easily and reproduce diligently.
When and on which meadows should mulching be carried out?
In view of these advantages and disadvantages, it is important to carefully weigh up any possible mulching. This measure is particularly useful in intensively used meadows (e.g. horse meadows) as well as in poor meadows with soil that is too acidic. If moss, sorrel, meadow sorrel, field sparrow or speedwell thrive in your meadow, you should definitely take countermeasures - these plants are a sure indicator of acidic soil. In this case, you should definitely lime and mulch the meadow.
Tips & Tricks
If mulch does not rot quickly enough, the cause may also be a lack of soil organisms as a result of overly intensive cultivation. In such a case, the soil balance must first be improved by spreading the relevant organisms (ask your specialist dealer).