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Living mulch. In agriculture, a living mulch is a cover crop interplanted or undersown with a main crop, and intended to serve the purposes of a mulch, such as weed suppression and regulation of soil temperature. Living mulches grow for a long time with the main crops, whereas cover crops are incorporated into the soil or killed with herbicides.
Weeds may also act as a "living mulch", providing ground cover that reduces moisture loss and prevents erosion. Weeds may also improve soil fertility; dandelions, for example, bring up nutrients like calcium and nitrogen from deep in the soil with their tap root, and clover hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its roots, fertilizing the soil directly.
A living mulch is a polyculture involving a second crop, used mainly in horticulture. A main crop is grown to harvest; a second crop is sown beneath it to cover the soil, reducing erosion, and to form a green manure. Living mulches have been popular under orchard trees, and beneath perennial vegetables such as asparagus and rhubarb.
Teresa Watkins Close-up of clover at Harry P Leu Gardens in Orlando, Florida. We've traditionally been taught to keep pesky clovers off our lawns. Now, more and more people are making a case for ...
Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversityand wildlife in an agroecosystem—an ecological system managed and shaped by humans. Cover crops can increase microbial activityin the soil, which has a positive effect on nitrogen availability, nitrogen uptakein target crops, and crop yields.
Mulch is a natural material, typically consisting of wood chips, bark, straw, pine needles, leaves, or other organic material that’s placed over the surface of soil to help retain moisture for ...
Finally, the broad-spreading leaves on the vines of the squash Sister provide living mulch for the corn and beans, to reduce weeds and conserve soil moisture. Also, prickly squash vines climbing ...
Mulch. Bark chips applied as mulch. A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth, and enhancing the visual appeal of the area. A mulch is usually, but not exclusively, organic in nature.
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