Mulching is one of the landscaping activities that must be undertaken in order to prevent the growth of weed in the garden. Mulching also improves the overall health of the soil and gives the garden area a well-groomed look. However, people are only accustomed to traditional mulching techniques and fail to incorporate some creative ideas that go a long way into mulching. One of the most obvious options that people opt for is buying landscaping mulch from stores and nurseries around the area. There are also services dealing with landscape supply that provide mulch to homeowners. Instead of spending a significant amount of money buying mulch from the stores, you can use items around your home such as crushed concrete, landscaping rocks and wood chips. There is also organic mulches such as bulk crushed shell and compost that can be used. This is how you can mulch your garden using bulk crushed shell.
Get the Shells
The bulk crushed shell can be bought from any landscaping material supplier near you. However, crushed seashells for landscaping can be expensive depending on the size of your garden. The larger the garden, the more you are likely to spend on the crushed seashell for garden. If you are wary about the cost you would have to spend on the garden, you can contact your local seafood vendor and ask them to give you the shells. You will find that most vendors would be more than willing to get rid of the shells at a minimal price.
Clean the Shells
This is one step that is always overlooked in landscaping by people who use shells as mulch. This is because; some people don’t quite comprehend the need to clean the shells. There is salt that is commonly encrusted between the shells. If crushed and used as mulch without boiling and cleaning, this salt will be transferred into the soil and could eventually affect nearby plants. This is the whole point behind boiling and cleaning. These two procedures will also help get rid of the shell smell that could be transferred to the garden.
Application of the Layer to the Garden
After crushing, collect all the bulk crushed shell. Apply the layer over the garden surface by simply throwing the shells towards the areas you want mulched. These areas can be flower beds, a portion of the lawn or even a vegetable patch. It is recommended that shell mulching be done during early summer or late spring when the soil is relatively warm. As the shells decay, they provide the soil with the much needed calcium meaning that you will have saved money that would have gone into buying soil additives meant to improve its quality.
Water the Mulch
The concept of watering shell mulch might appear a little bit confusing. However, watering this type of mulch allows it to interlock meaning that the shells are less likely to be blown away by wind or washed by heavy rains. Once this is done, your garden will resemble a light-colored carpet. The best part is that seashells reflect light from the sun. This makes it almost impossible for direct sunlight to penetrate to the soil and roots. If at some point in the shell life you need a compost layer on the garden, simply rake the shells aside, lay the compost and once you are done, replace the shells over the site.