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October 24, 2006

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KEEPING SUMTER BEAUTIFUL

AMANDA MCNULTY, COUNTY EXTENSION AGENT

Just a Foot Sticking Out      

Women of a certain age sometimes experience differences in temperature not shared by those around them. It must be disconcerting to husbands to awaken at three a.m., find all the covers thrown back, and have them mysteriously reappear by five-thirty. Lately, even those of us whose internal thermometers are well calibrated have had to adjust our bedclothes as fall makes tentative appearances and then retreats, leaving us with muggy nights that makes us stick our feet in and out from under the covers trying to get adjusted. 

Your plants, however, will not complain if you go ahead and tuck them in for winter right now. Like the children who lived in the mountain hollers, your plants need to be sewn up in their long underwear. Take advantage of these slightly cooler days to mulch all throughout your yard.

Like a quilt over you, mulch will give plants protection from the cold temperatures and desiccating winds that are ahead of us. The crown and roots of plants are insulated from nature’s insults when you keep three or four inches of pine straw, or my favorite mulching material, coastal Bermuda hay, tucked around them and extending over the root zone. Bark chips or shredded wood also serve the purpose when applied correctly. In the humid summer months, keep the mulch slightly away from the trunks of plants to prevent rot.

Some of us worry about those truly worrisome insects, termites, and think that cypress mulch is safer than pine. Although cypress mulch is perfectly fine to use, it does not provide any insect repelling properties. It is a good rule, however, especially if you are bothered with invasions by rolly pollies or other debris eating critters, to keep the mulch a foot or so away from the foundation of your house.

Remember, too, that mulch made from once-living materials is going to break down and provide organic matter to your plants. It is more trouble to use mulch that needs to be added to once or twice a year, but every inch that disappears is transformed into humus and results in richer, more productive soil. Earthworms and their compatriots will devour that smorgasbord and your plants’ roots will thrive in a loose, moisture and nutrient rich environment.

Wives, in the meantime, keep those toenails polished so that exposed foot will be a welcoming sight to your husbands.

Write McNulty at amcnult@clemson.edu.