Much About Mulch

Much About Mulch
Why mulching is one of the best things to do for plants. Transcript of radio broadcast:
14 July 2008

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Mulch is important to farmers. Mulch is a protective cover of material that is spread on top of soil. It is usually made out of organic material, like crop wastes. Farmers may keep the remains of maize or other crops on top of the soil. This creates mulch on the soil surface. The plant remains help protect the soil against wind and water damage. This is called conservation tillage.

Mulching is one of the best things people can do for their plants. Mulch not only protects the soil against wind and water damage. It also helps keep the soil from getting dry, and reduces the need for watering plants. It also limits temperature changes in the soil. And it stops unwanted plants, or weeds, from growing.

Organic mulch improves the condition of soil. As the mulch breaks down, it provides material which keeps the soil from getting hard. This improves the growth of roots and increases the movement of water through the soil. It also improves the ability of the soil to hold water. Organic mulch contains nutrients for plants. It also provides a good environment for earthworms and other helpful organisms in the soil.

Finding organic mulch materials can be easy. Small pieces of tree bark and cut up leaves can be used. Grass cuttings are also a good mulch for plants. Using newspapers for mulch also works well in controlling weeds.

The best time to add mulch depends on your goal. Mulch provides a thick barrier between the soil and the air. This helps to reduce temperature changes in the soil. As a result, in the summertime, mulched soil will be cooler than other soil. Mulched areas usually warm up more slowly in the spring and cool down slowly in autumn. In winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply as other soil.

Mulch can be added late in autumn to help moderate the effects of winter weather. The best time is after the ground has frozen but before the coldest weather arrives. Spreading mulch before the ground has frozen may attract small animals searching for a warm place to spend the winter. Delaying the spreading should prevent this problem. The animals will probably find another place to live.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by George Grow. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Jim Tedder.

----------------------------Google Translate


不多，地膜
为什么覆盖是其中一个最好的，要做的事植物。全文电台广播：
2008年7月14日

这是美国之音特别英语农业的报告。

秸秆是重要的农民。地膜是一个防护罩的材料是传播对上方的土壤。这通常是出于有机物质，如农作物废料。农民可以保留的遗骸，玉米或其他作物，再加上土壤。这将创建地膜对土壤表面。核电厂的仍然是帮助保护土壤对风和水的损害。这就是所谓的保护性耕作。

地膜是其中一个最好的东西，人们可以做他们的植物。地膜不仅保护了土壤对风和水的损害。它也有助于保持土壤越来越干燥，并减少需要浇水的植物。它也限制了温度的变化在土壤中。和停止不需要的植物，或杂草，从越来越多。

有机覆盖，提高土壤条件。由于地膜坏了，它提供的材料不断的土壤越来越难。这提高了根系生长和增加运动的水通过土壤。它也提高了能力，土壤是站不住脚的。秸秆包含有机养分的植物。它还提供了一个良好的环境，蚯蚓和其他有用的有机体在土壤中。

寻找有机覆盖材料，可以容易的。小块树皮，并减少了叶片都可以使用。基层剪报，也是一个很好的覆盖植物。用报纸覆盖，也运作良好，在控制杂草。

最佳时机，加上地膜取决于您的目标。地膜提供了一个厚厚的屏障之间的土壤和空气。这有助于降低温度的变化在土壤中。因此，在夏季，覆膜土壤将冷却器比其他土壤。覆膜领域通常的热身比较慢，在春季和降温缓慢，在秋季。在冬季，覆膜土壤可能不会冻结深其他土壤。

地膜可加入下旬，在秋季，以帮助温和的影响，冬季天气。最好的时机是经过地面已冻结，但在寒冷的天气到来。蔓延覆盖之前，地面已经冻结了，可吸引小动物，寻找一个温暖的地方度过冬天。拖延的蔓延，应避免这个问题。动物可能会找到另一个地方居住。

这是该美国之音特别英语农业的报告，书面乔治增长。誊本， MP3和播客我们的报告是在voaspecialenglish.com 。我吉姆tedder 。