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One of the best things you can do for your garden soil is to layer mulch over the bare spots between plants in your planting beds.

You might already have noticed that Mother Nature doesn't like bare soil. Bare patches soon have something growing on them, usually unwanted weeds. That's nature's quick and dirty way of ensuring that soil doesn't wash away or blow away. But, if you're a gardener, you aren't exactly in love with weeds, but you should try mulching and Rutgers can help you with all your mulching needs!

The Benefits of Mulch

Wood chip or shredded mulch is ideal around trees and shrubs. Mulching is a job that makes other garden chores easier because, as well as making your beds look neat, it does a lot of other beneficial things! It's hard to think of another job that gives so much garden payback.

It Keeps Weeds Down

Mainly by blocking out the light they need to germinate - and if a weed manages to poke through, it's easier to pull out when rooted in a layer of mulch than in the soil. Or, you could lay landscape fabric first, available at Rutgers, which will keep the weeds down as well.

Conserves Soil Moisture

By reducing evaporation, and helps prevent erosion caused by rain and wind. Bare soil often gets a crust on it that prevents rain from penetrating easily.

Moderates soil temperatures

Keeps soil cooler in summer and helps to reduce the risk of damage to plant roots in winter.

The How-To's

Depth: Layer the mulch two to three inches deep over bare soil around your plants. Just don't put it right on top of perennials, and keep it from direct contact with the bark or the trunk of trees and shrubs as excess moisture right up against the bark can cause suffication, disease and rot.

When to apply: Do your mulching in the spring before hot weather comes and while annual and perennial plants are still small enough to work around easily.

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Coping with Winter Damage on Trees & Shrubs

After getting through a harsh winter, damage to your trees and shrubs is to be expected. It is relatively common to experience harsh winters for New Jersey residents. Everyone's landscape has that same monochromatic brown cast to everything.

What causes this damage? There are different winter conditions that contribute to these problems. They are: wind desiccation, leaf scorch/reflective damage and salt damage.

Wind Desiccation
Wind desiccation occurs when trees and shrubs are exposed to dry, cold sweeping winds. Moisture from stems and leaves are drawn out of the leaf and stem tissue, causing cells in the leaves and stems to break down. The results of this are leaves that have a brown cast on the whole leaf or on certain sections of the leaf. Stems could have a puckered look and may be discolored. Plants that are constantly exposed to winds should be given protection by applying an antidesiccant or constructing a wind barrier in late November.

Leaf scorch/reflective damage
Leaf scorch/reflective damage occurs when plant parts not covered by snow are exposed to reflective sunlight from the snow. The light intensity causes a burn on exposed leaves and needles. Usually you will see this towards the bottom of the plant just above the snowline. Anti-desiccants and screen barriers can be used to deflect some of this intense light.

Salt Damage
Salt damage can occur from municipalities applying salt to roadways. This can damage plants in two ways. First, when salt and snow melt, passing cars create a spray which coats leaves and stems. The salt draws the moisture out of the cell tissue causing brown spots on broadleaves or brown tips on needled evergreens. Secondly, salt works its way into the root systems of plants and causes damage to root hairs, which are vital to nutrient and water uptake. A good habit to develop is when the weather in early spring gets warm, hose down your plants and soak the soil thoroughly to dilute salt buildup from the winter.
The damage has occurred, what should I do? Now that we know some of the causes of winter damage, where do we start? The first reaction by homeowners is that plants are dead and need to be removed. Although this may appear to be the case, many of your trees and shrubs are actually alive and will bounce back. The first step is to be patient…Many plants that have winter burn need to have their first flush of growth (new leaves emerge). This occurs anywhere from mid-may to mid-June, depending on the variety. At this point you will be able to tell what needs to be pruned. There will also be some plants that do not come back at all. Homeowners that use gardeners should convey this to them so that the plants in question are left alone and not severely pruned or pulled out.

Many Homeowners also feel the need to help the plant and start fertilizing. Unfortunately, fertilizing in the spring does not get to the root system in time to help the plant get out of the damage from the winter. That's why late fall fertilization is critical for winter survival. The fertilizer works its way into the root system and is available for the plant when the plant actively starts growing again. Preparation in the fall will be your best step in making sure winter damage is minimal and your plants bounce back faster after a severe winter. Remember, you just have to wait!!!

The following is a quick list of broadleaved plants to expect winter damage on:
Skip laurel
Cherry laurel
Holly
Rhododendron
Azalea
Japanese pieris (andromeda)
Leucothoe
Skimmia
Boxwood
Various needle evergreens (pines, junipers, cypress)
Leyland cypress
Yews
Arborvitae