Applying a mulch

Step 1
It is very important to apply a mulch over thoroughly wet soil. The best time to do this is late winter and early spring when the rain has completely soaked the soil. If you need to apply a mulch at any other time then soak the area first, preferably with rainwater.

Step 2
Dig out any perennial weeds from the whole area, making sure the taproots of weeds such as dandelions are removed whole. This is very important, as any small pieces of roots will grow again and push up through the mulch. Annual weeds will be smothered by the mulch and will die.

Step 3
If you are applying the mulch to open, bare soil then apply a general fertiliser such as Growmore or Feed-all Slow Release Granular Plant Food to the area first. If you want the mulch to last longer then spread a layer of planting fabric such as Weed Block over the area first and apply the mulch over the top of this fabric.

Step 4
Spread a layer of mulch around the plants in your border, to a depth of 5cm (2in) taking care not to allow it to touch the stems of young plants initially. Mulch around clumps of plants and shrubs, until you have created a uniform surface over the whole area. Any dust will be washed off when it rains.