mulch

so I kinda was wondering what mulch really is, and how to use it and if it's worth using it in my grow

its anything used to lay over the soil really, dead leaves bark stuff like that the only use i know of is to stop the sun vapourising the water in the soil, dont use pine needles as they are very asidic

so I don't have to water them as mulch, lol so how mulch mulch do I put on and if I put mulch down and bark over the mulch would that cut down on watering even more!?

thats pretty mulch right

you guys are fucked!

mulch is also useful for its original purpose- loosenning and aerating...just be sure it doesn't acidify your soil(pine). plants need oxygen to the roots. makes a BIG difference.

i wouldnt use mulch in the soil medium to grow as an additive like perlite does much the same (loosening/aerating).. but as Theeassisin stated, its used to cover the soil so the sun/wind doesnt dry it out quickly.. it gives no/very little nutritional benefits to the actaul plant but i cover the base around my plants with an inch or two of mulch..

alright so mulch goes on the top of the soil, got it thanks!

There are four important reasons to mulch. The first, and probably the most important, is for water conservation. Mulch stops the top of the soil drying out, keeps the soil moist, and can reduce watering by about 60 per cent. Mulching also prevents weeds and weed seed germination, which compete with plants for moisture and nutrients. Mulching also keeps the soil temperature constant, and using an organic mulch means you’re adding extra organic matter to the soil. So that's an added benefit.

Mulches can either be organic or inorganic, but I prefer organic mulches because they break down and add organic matter to the soil. This improves soil structure and drainage, and encourages earthworm and soil microbial activity.

so this means that a mulch for the good old outdoors grower to use

it does feed the plant with the slow breakdown of the mulch,it adds nitrogen from the broken down plant stuff