Fw: Re: Soil conditioner

— On Thu, 11/2/10,  title= < title=> wrote:

From:  title= < title=>
Subject: Re: [daffnet] Soil conditioner
To: “David Adams” < title=>
Date: Thursday, 11 February, 2010, 1:48 AM

My cyclamineus are covered in leaves naturally each fall as well.  I think that they appreciate the extra moisture.  Those that are mulched with straw are later than the leaf mulched ones. I cant comment on which gets covered first.  My paths between rows become sheet composting sites for the straw…  I use it to hold moisture and keep the mud that would normally be in abundance in the rows and keeps it covered.  It is awkward walking until it has been beaten down, but a few days has it pounded in to relative flatness.  To do this in late March after the snows have melted.  I remove the bags of leaves between the rows and set them aside.  I take the straw that is on the rows and pull it into the spaces between rows where it remains until the leaves die back.  I then use this partially composted straw and the leaves to mulch the beds for late July.  This keeps the beds dry and cooler than sun exposed.  It also cuts down on weeds where only the toughest poke trough the mulch layer.   By planting time, the worms have removed virtually all of the mulch.  A good 4 inches thick covering.  I then only have to dig out perennial weeds and plant in my fluffy, worm tilled soil.

Michael R Berrigan
Senior Development Specialist
Central Research Process Laboratory
3M Company
218-2B-03 3M Center
Maplewood, MN 55144-1000
651 736-9865
 title=