Maintaining a beautiful and healthy lawn takes a lot of time and effort. You can find plenty of strange tips, tricks, and hacks to get a lush, green lawn, but some techniques have withstood the test of time. One of these is using mulch and sawdust for your Midwest lawn. At Phoenix Mat, believe this is a great way to keep your lawn looking great. For those who have never used mulch or sawdust in their yard, we’ve made a short guide to show you how your grass can benefit.
Helps retain moisture
Anytime you put an extra layer on the ground, it’s going to help prevent moisture from escaping. It’s not uncommon for water to evaporate quickly on warm days. This can make it difficult for your grass to absorb the necessary moisture that it requires to continue to grow. Mulch and sawdust from a lightweight and natural blanket on your grass that protects the wet soil from the sun. By keeping moisture in the ground longer, it gives the grass more of a chance to get the necessary water and nutrients from the soil.
Keeps plant roots cooler
Plants and their roots are at more risk with sunlight than not getting enough water. Like you, plants need more water as they get warm. However, unlike you, plants don’t have an internal heating and cooling system. Plants use water more similarly to how your car would as it’s used to keep the cells at a healthy temperature. Plant roots are often sensitive to temperature changes, which is why certain species of trees, flowers, and grass grow in Indiana but not in certain parts of the country. A thin layer of sawdust and mulch will help to keep direct sunlight off the base of plants, which will help to keep roots cool longer.
Returns nutrients to the soil
Mulch and sawdust are extremely rich in carbon and will effectively decompose in your lawn. This restores nitrogen to the soil that your plants need to grow. This is a much better alternative compared to nitrogen-infused synthetic fertilizers because it’s a natural resource that helps to create balance in your yard’s ecosystem. Beyond the natural chemical makeup of sawdust and mulch, they’re not made of products that you need to worry about washing out of your lawn down the storm drain near your house. They’re natural products that are meant to be used to restore nutrients to the soil.
Helps combat weeds
In addition to providing a blanket to maintain moisture in the soil, a layer of mulch and sawdust will protect your lawn from weeds. As weed seeds float through the air in search of soil to take hold of and germinate, the top layer of mulch prevents these seeds from ever making it to the soil. The seeds will then burn up and die as they’re exposed to sunlight. What’s more, weed seeds that make it to the soil beneath the mulch are often covered by the top layer and can’t get sufficient sunlight to grow. The layer of mulch and sawdust essentially creates a two-way barrier to protect your lawn from weeds.
Get in touch to learn more
If you’d like to find out more about how mulch and sawdust can help your Midwest lawn, reach out to our team at Phoenix Mat. We process large amounts of timber every day so we’re well-versed in the many practical uses of sawdust. Give us a call today at 812-362-3350 or send a message using our contact form.
