Garden myth – woodchip will rob nitrogen from the soil
by Diane - May 19th, 2014.Filed under: Mulch.
If you talk about mulching beds with wood chip then often people do a short intake of breath and then go on about how the wood chip will rob nitrogen from the soil.
I don’t think it would do that to any great extent and besides which unless nitrogen is free flowing though the soil then it could only rob from the top layer it is in contact with. And as soon as it’s broken down it releases any nutrients in it making the soil more fertile not less.
I think the advantages of mulch
– weed suppression: reducing competition on the soil for nutrients, water and sun
– water conservation, helping moisture stay in the ground.
– soil protection – protecting soil from wind rain and sun, stops erosion.
– worm habitat improvement – a good environment for worms underneath allowing more activity.
– soil insulation from temperature fluctuations.
all out way any possible loss of small amounts of nitrogen from the soil surface.
If you’d like to read more about mulch then have a look at my kindle ebook The Joy of Mulch