Guide to Mulch Quantity Calculation: Figuring Out the Necessary Mulch Quantity for Your Landscape
Mulching is an essential practice for maintaining a healthy, attractive garden. It involves layering organic and non-organic materials over soil to protect plant roots, insulate the soil, conserve moisture, and improve the garden's appearance.
To calculate the size of a circular garden, measure the radius (R) and multiply it by itself, then multiply the product by 3.14 (π). For gardens with a different shape, measure the length and width in feet, and multiply the two values to find the square footage.
The right amount of mulch is crucial to save money and avoid dealing with excess mulch. To determine how much mulch is needed for a garden at a specific depth, use the formula: multiply the surface area of the garden by the desired depth of the mulch layer. This gives the volume of mulch required, typically in cubic meters or liters.
For example, a 50 x 10 feet garden bed with 2-inch deep mulch requires 3 cubic yards of bulk mulch or about 83.5 cubic feet of bagged mulch (42 bags). If you're using bagged mulch, base the calculation on how deep you want the mulch to be, then multiply by square footage.
Organic materials like grass clippings or wood shavings can be used as mulch, saving on costs. On the other hand, non-organic mulching materials include crushed gravel, granite and crushed granite, river rock, small stones, pebbles, crushed lava rock, decorative or colored stones, crushed brick, crushed, graded, and tumbled glass, and landscape fabric.
Landscape fabric is often used by professionals to block weeds. Cover the fabric with mulch for organic nutrients. It is important to buy landscape fabric from a trusted supplier.
When mulching every spring, remember that it is essential for maintaining plant health as it helps keep weeds at bay, insulate the soil, prevent erosion, and improve the garden's look.
A mulch calculator can be used to avoid manual calculations. For odd-shaped gardens, use the standard shape closest to it to calculate the square footage. For a garden with multiple areas, each site should be calculated separately.
Lastly, consider using ECOgardener landscape fabric to avoid weeds invading your garden. Applying mulch is beneficial for gardens, particularly around flowering shrubs, trees, beds of annuals or perennials, and vegetable patches.
