2006-07-19_REVISION - M1987027 - Laserfiche WebLink

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z • .1s.1 When mulching with wood products such as vrood chips, bark, or shawngs or Other vrood materials, apply to a 2-Inch thickness it Iha soil is not wea- dra~ned and to a 3- to d-inch thickness if drainage is yood. More Unely textured mulches. which allow fell oxygen penetration than coarser materials, should be no Uiicker than 1 or 2 Inches. The mulch material shall provide no greater than 80 percent ground cover In order to unsure adequate air movement. Gravel or other inorganic material shall be applied approximately 2 inches lh~ck and shall consist of pieces 0.75 l0 2 inches fn diameter. The mulch material shall provide no more than 90 percent ground cover in order to ensure adequate air movement. Additional Criteria to Suooress Waad Growth The thickness of mulch will be determined by the size of the plant being mulched. Small plants must not ba smothered. Pviulches shall be kept char of the stems of plants where disease is likely to occur. htutches applied around grovdng plants or prior to weed seeding development shall have ~ DO percent ground cover. Thickness of the mulch sha(I be adequate to prevent emergence of targeted weeds. Plastic mulches may be used. Additional Criteria to Establish Veoelative Cover Apply mulch at a mte that achieves 50 percern ground cover to provde protection from erosion and runoff and allow adequate liyht and air penetration to the seedbed to ensure proper germination, emergence and disease suppression. Additional Criteria to Imorovo Soil Condition and Increase Soil Fertility To increase soil L~rt4~ty, apply mulch materials wiPl a carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) of loss than 30 l0 1 such as animal manure, tile-solids, food processing wastes or similar materials. Apply other practices such as contowmg, filter strips or riparian forest butters to assure That runoff from mulched areas will not transport mulching materials to sensitive waterbodies. Do not apply mulch with C N ratios less than 20:1 to designed 11ow areas m ++atorcoursos. Credo nutrients applied with the mulch to the nubient budget. Use Iha Rusle 2 Soil Condd;on~ng Lidex to assas> sod quality impacts. CONSIDERATIONS Consider the effects of mulching on evaporation, Inflitrat~on and runoff. Mulch rnatanals may affect microbial activity in the soli surface, increase Infiltration, and decrease runoff, erosion and evaporation. Increased Infiltration may incraase nutrient and chemical transport below the root zone. The temperature of the surface runoff may also be lowered. Atulched soil retains moisture, requires less watering and decreases the chance of water stress on plant materials. Mulch also minimizes evaporation from the soil surface and hence reduces losses from bare soil areas. Mulch materials high in organic matter with a h;gh water holding capacdy and high imparrneabdily to water tlroplets may adversely affect the water needs of plants Clear and infra-red transmiss+ble (IRT) plastics have the greatest warming potential. They are transparent to incoming radiation and trap the longer wavelengths radiating from the soil, Black mulches are limited to warming soils by conduction only and are less effective. Clear mulches 811ev+ profuse weed growth and may negate the benefits of soil warming. Black mulches provide effective weed control. ^lavefenattr se:active {IRT) Utends the soli ~+ ; : ~ , ; : t-arae.l~nsties o` c car mulch with the ~''-=',~: ~_ ::,tr.;l ab.l:h• ul b4r.;k mulch. Consider potential toxic allopathic affects that mulch material may have on other organisms. Animal and plant pest spacial may be mcompaGb;o with Iha sde. Consider the potential for increased pathogenic activity wdhin the applied mulch material Keep mulches 3 to 6 inches away from plant stems and ao+vns to prevent d+sease and pest problems. Deep mulch provides nesting habitat for ground- burrowing rodents that can chew extensively do bark on tree trunk and,or tree roots. Light mulch applied attar the first cold weather may prevent rodents Irom neslirg NRCS, CO October 2004