Hey Everyone

Its mulching time! The planting season has finished for the year – 100,000 plants have been put in the ground across Wellington,  weeds are going crazy and the ground is starting to dry out. The occasional rain showers are helping a bit but the ground is getting dry in many places already.

Recent studies of our revegetation planting sites in Wellington have shown that mulching makes a significant difference to native plant survival. We think it’s very important to make an effort to mulch native plants to give them a head start. This spring has been particularly windy so its extra important this year.

Mulch can cut evaporation by up to 70% by protecting soil from the drying effects of wind and sun. Mulch keeps weeds down but plants will usually still need weeding but this depends on the weed that you are battling and their tenacity.

It is really important to make sure soil is moist as possible before mulching as really dry soil can actually repel water. Make sure you leave a few centimetres around trunks and stems to prevent the development of fungal diseases such as collar rot.

It’s been great fun working with the Morgan Foundation on the video.