Do I need to remove mulch before applying seaweed fertiliser?

[Gardenhelp]

Hi, 

I just posted a pic of the Muraya plants. Do I need to remove the mulch around my plants before I apply liquid seaweed fertiliser?

I have Murraya plants and  tall Lilly pillys around my garden. The wood chip mulch is 2 years old . Do I need to change the mulch if so what is a better mulch?

Thank you for your help.

Gardenhelp

[EricL]

Hello @Gardenhelp

You can move the existing mulch using a garden rake and water the plants. Once the plants have been watered you can push the mulch back into position. The purpose of the much is to prevent the moisture in the soil from drying off too fast. It also forms a defence against weed growth. In time the mulch will fall apart and mix in with the soil, I suggest topping it up with a new batch of mulch. 

Please let us know if you have any other questions we can help with.

Eric

[BradN]

Hi @Gardenhelp . You don't need to remove the mulch before applying liquid fertiliser. Most of the fertiliser will run straight down into the soil, and any that's left on the mulch will eventually wash in with rain or watering.

What seaweed fertiliser are you using? Bear in mind that Seasol in the white bottle is not really a fertiliser. It's more of a tonic and it's good for encouraging root growth when you're planting or transplanting or repotting. 

For a liquid organic fertiliser you want Power Feed in the green bottle. It's made by the Seasol people, but it's a proper fertiliser with the main nutrients a plant needs. 

Liquid fertilisers are good for giving plants a quick hit of nutrients, but for long-term nutrition you might also look at giving your hedge some slow-release fertiliser like these Osmocote pellets. In any case, it's winter, so nothing is growing very quickly at the moment. 

As for the mulch, you can really use whatever you want. You could use something dark brown to complement your brown brickwork. You could use something in a different colour for a contrast. It's up to you. I would add the new mulch on top of the old mulch so you don't disturb or damage the roots while removing the old mulch. 

I hope that helps a bit!

Brad

[EricL]

Hi @BradN

Thank you very much for that extra information about mulch and Power Feed. I'm sure @Gardenhelp will find it very useful.

Eric

[BradN]

Hi @EricL . We must have been writing our replies at the same time. They say that great minds think alike!

Brad

[Gardenhelp]

Hi Brad,aThank you for your tips. My son had used Seasol Seaweed Solutions GOLD  last week. It is  a gold colour bottle with a green cap. He moved the mulch and used the liquid solution. I will use the Osmocote pellets once weather improves and cover with new mulch. Thank you for all the tips and help.

Kind regards

Gardenhelp

[BradN]

Hi @Gardenhelp . Happy we could help! I hope you get plenty of new growth in spring so that your border really starts to knit together well.

You can put down the mulch and slow-release pellets now if you like. It takes a while for the coating on the slow-release fertiliser pellets to degrade and begin releasing the nutrients. It's also good to get mulch down before any weed seeds in the soil begin to sprout in the spring.

Cheers,

Brad 

[EricL]

Hi @Gardenhelp

It's great to hear that you've sorted out the mulch and added fertilizer to your plants. I'm sure it will look great when spring comes along.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric