Category: How-to

Mulching is a simple and yet useful gardening technique. It is the practice of putting a layer of covering above the surface of soil, so that the soil is shielded and protected. The layer of covering is known as mulch. Mulch helps to conserve moisture in soil and suppress weeds. It also maintains the soil’s structure and regulates its temperature. Organic mulches enrich soil with nutrients and support soil microorganisms. Mulch can also help avoid direct contact of edible crops with soil. It is used for decorative purposes as well.

There are two types of mulch: organic and inorganic. Organic mulches are made up of formerly living materials. They will eventually decompose and need to be replaced regularly. However, organic mulches will improve structure and organic content of soil underneath. Some examples of organic mulches are wood chippings, shredded leaves and newspaper sheets. Inorganic mulches such as plastic sheets and gravels do not require frequent replacing, but they will not add any nutrient to the soil.

There are several tips for using mulch. First, keep the mulch at 5 to 7 cm thick. You need to have a certain amount of mulch to protect the soil effectively. However, when the mulch is too thick, it absorbs all the moisture and prevents water from reaching the soil underneath. This is detrimental to the surrounding plants as their roots will not be able to absorb water.

Second, make sure the stem and roots of trees and shrubs are not in direct contact with the mulch. Otherwise, the plants may rot due to high humidity. Also, since mulch creates a moist and dark environment, it may attract pest insects that damage plants. Therefore, try to leave an empty circle, with a radius of 15 cm, around the tree or shrub.

Mulching requires little maintenance. However, if you are using organic mulch, you have to add new mulch consistently as the mulch will eventually disintegrate. Sometimes, weeds may sprout if the mulch contains seeds or the soil was not weeded properly before mulching. Remove the weeds by hand if you spot any of them.

The mulch may harden as time goes by. You will need to rake and loosen the hardened mulch so that it becomes functional again. If you are using lightweight materials for mulching, create an outer edge or border around the mulch to keep it from spreading by wind or rainwater.

Mulching is a low-cost and effective way to conserve soil. You can experiment with different materials to find the mulch that is most suitable for your garden. Have fun!

A rain garden is a temporary, water holding basin that captures water runoff from walkways, roofs, lawns or other impervious surfaces. It is a sunken area filled with water-absorbing plants and well-drained soils.

The main function of a rain garden is to manage inconsistent rainfall. A rain garden can soak up to 30% more water than a lawn. It helps to recharge groundwater supply, supports wildlife habitats and removes pollutants from water.  

Planning and site selection

Create your rain garden on a slight slope so that it receives water easily. Keep it at least 3 m away from buildings. Try not to position the garden over septic systems and under trees as these places are easily damaged by high soil moisture. Avoid filled areas, steep slopes or sites with very sandy soils.

Design the garden with its longest end perpendicular to the slope to maximise the border that intercepts water runoff. The length of the garden should be twice its width to provide enough space for plants to absorb water. Make sure the outlet of the garden leads into an area that can handle large amounts of water at a time.

The size of the garden depends on the size of the impervious surface draining into it. It should be 20% to 30% the size of the impervious surface. The deeper the basin and the greater the draining capacity of the soil, the greater the volume of water that a rain garden can accommodate.

Digging

A rain garden is usually 10-20 cm deep, depending on the soil type, slope and size of the garden. Make sure the garden bed is level to avoid water pooling on one side. A well-designed garden will drain within 12 to 48 hours. This ensures the health of the plants and prevents mosquito breeding.

Replace heavy soil with a fast-draining mixture that consists of one-half sand, one-quarter compost and one-quarter topsoil.

Pile stones and extra soil on the downhill side of the garden to act as a berm (raised edge) and create a bowl where water can pool to a depth of about 15 cm.

If water does not naturally flow to your rain garden, dig a trench, 7-10cm deep, from your downpipe to the garden. Line the trench with landscape fabric and cover it with stones to create a streambed effect.

Planting

Interestingly, a rain garden is not meant to be a place for wetland plants. Instead, you should grow plants that tolerate temporary flooding and drought, since water will come and go. Choose some hardy, preferably native, plants that require little maintenance.

Try to have a variety of plants with different forms and sizes. Trees and large shrubs deflect and slow rainwater flow. Tall grasses filter out impurities, suck up water and prevent silt from entering ponds or rivers. Short, deep-rooted plants maintain soil structure and direct water into the ground.

Generally, rain gardens have three planting zones that are characterised by soil moisture. Select plants for each zone according to their water needs.

Bottom: plants that tolerate wet conditions

Slope: plants that tolerate occasional standing water

Edge: plants that prefer drier soils

Maintenance

Mulch the garden with compost or shredded bark. Mulching helps to prevent erosion, conserve moisture and suppress weeds. If the water that flows into the garden washes out the mulch, place one or two rocks to break up the flow.

Water new plants regularly, including the drought-tolerant ones. This will encourage deep roots that absorb water more efficiently.

Weed the garden to allow the selected plants to get established. Prune plants that overgrow to keep the inlet and outlet clear of obstructions. Introduce groundcovers and decorative rocks to prevent soil erosion.

References:

Myers, M. (2013, December 12). Plant a Rain Garden. Retrieved from Birds and Blooms Web site: https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/flower-gardening/plant-rain-garden/

Pitcher, J. C. (2008). Rain Garden. Seattle. Retrieved from https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2102/2016/03/Rain-Garden_LowRes_Page_2.jpg

Sweetser, R. (2020, July 26). Create a Rain Garden: Two Designs and Plant List . Retrieved from The Old Farmer’s Almanac Web site: https://www.almanac.com/content/rain-gardens-two-designs-and-plant-list

Log pile replicates a forest floor ecosystem. It creates the cool, moist and shady conditions for many ground-dwelling animals such as insects, snails and centipedes. If the log pile is close to a pond or a stream, it also attracts water-loving creatures such as frogs and toads.

Aside from being a shelter, log pile also provides food for animals. The dead, woody materials are food source of decomposers such as termites and fungi. Larger predatory animals such as birds feed on insects that live inside the log pile.

Choose a quiet, undisturbed part of the garden to create a log pile. It can be a corner of garden or back of a border. Make sure the log pile receives enough shade and moisture.

Dig out a sunken space to bury the logs. You can start by placing some upright logs under the soil. Also, pave the base with dry leaves as they create comfortable hiding places for animals such as frogs.

Next, stack large logs towards the center, with smaller ones and tree branches on top and around sides. Try to have at least 3 to 4 layers of logs. Add some leaf litter, dry grasses or soil to facilitate the formation of microhabitat.

It is up to you whether to stack the logs up neatly or randomly. Try to leave gaps of different sizes between the logs so that animals can find ideal spaces to rest or lay eggs.

After the log pile is established, leave it and make observation from time to time. You can water the log pile if it looks dry. Try to avoid human intervention so that decomposition and other natural processes can take place.

Continue adding logs to the log pile as the wood gradually rots down. That way you will have a range of wood types, from fresh, denser wood at the top to brittle, partially decomposed wood towards the bottom. Use natural, unprocessed wood. It is best to use logs from native species.

Written by Goh Shang Ming

From sowing seeds to pulling weeds, gardening is extremely beneficial to our health and wellbeing. As gardening is an everyday activity, this unique form of regular exercise helps keep us fit and healthy. Moreover, research shows that getting your hands dirty in the garden can increase your serotonin levels. To simply put it, soil contains a natural antidepressant that can make us happy. Undoubtedly, gardening can bring joy and fulfilment to your life.

Before you spring into action, you must first ensure your garden bed is healthy or in other words, fertile.

Soil is the foundation of your garden as it stores and provides essential nutrients, water and air to support plant growth.

Thus, planting in a garden with infertile soil would result in disappointment, putting your efforts in vain as soil of low quality is incapable of sustaining plant growth. An easy sign to look out for in identifying healthy soil is the presence of underground animal activity, specifically earthworms. The presence of these little creatures indicate a healthy soil system. Additionally, soil that is rich in organic matter tends to be dark brown or black in colour. However, if the soil that you are working with has little to no life in it and looks more like dirt, fret not! Here are some tips on how to make fertile soil.

Before making fertile soil, we must first understand what makes an ideal rooting environment. Roots are described as the lifeline of a plant, not only do they anchor the plant in place, resisting the forces of nature and other environmental stresses, they too play an important role in the uptake of nutrients. With that being said, soil requires a balanced combination of water, air and nutrients to become a rich growing environment. Soils of high quality would promote the growth of a strong root structure, keeping the plant above nice and sturdy. 

First off, add 2 to 3 inches of compost to the top 6 inches of the soil. Compost, sometimes referred to as “black gold” by gardeners, is decomposed organic material containing basic nutrients needed by plants for growth. Some examples of compostable material include leaves, grass clippings, and even plant-based food scraps such as fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and bread. The addition of compost also keeps the soil at a light and fluffy texture, helping it retains its moisture. 

Learn how to make compost here: How to make compost

Maintaining the right consistency of soil is a critical part of your gardening success. Avoid compacting soil with heavy equipment as well as stepping directly in the growing beds. If your soil is compacted, it would be difficult for water and air to move freely through the pore spaces to the roots. On the other hand, if your soil is too loose, it cannot hold water, ultimately drying out your plants. By adding compost to your soil, not only does it adds organic matter, it too helps maintain the ideal soil consistency. 

Final tip in making fertile soil is to mulch your garden. Mulching is the process of covering the open surface of the ground using mulch, for example – shredded bark, animal manure, stones, etc. Mulches can either be organic or inorganic. The mulch applied on the top layer of the soil helps retain moisture in soil by trapping surface water of the soil that would otherwise get evaporated quickly. Furthermore, weeds are also suppressed in the process as the mulch blocks and prevents sunlight from reaching them, minimising competition with the plant. If organic mulch such as decaying leaves or bark are used, your soil would be further enriched with nutrients and organic matter, boosting its fertility.

 Starting your own garden may seem like an immense responsibility. However, once the flowers blossom and produce ready to harvest, it will be truly rewarding not only for you but for our planet.

Written by Syuhada Sapno
Photos by Syuhada Sapno

Mind you, this guide is suitable for Malaysian cities where we have lesser population of venomous snakes as compared to other countries worldwide.

Snakes are tertiary consumers, which means they are predators that feed on smaller animals like insects, rodents, and birds. They would make a great gardener. About half of common snakes found in Malaysian cities, at least in Kuala Lumpur, are non-venomous snakes. Even the venomous Sumatran spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana) would warn you by expanding its hood out as a sign for you to back away. If they’re continued to be provoked by you E.g. Trying to jab them with a stick then they will strike. Cobras have manners too.

Unless provoked, snakes are totally not dangerous. They are harmless and are more afraid of us than we are of them. Non-venomous snakes will be more likely to slither away, unless it’s a giant reticulated python. They are a little slower. 

So put your penyapu down from shoo-ing them away and let them save some of your energy in managing your yard. A great way to welcome snakes to your garden is to create a space for them to visit, feed, and/or even live with you.

Making your garden snake-friendly.

The target is to allow them to help tend your garden by feeding on animals like rodents, lizards, skinks, frogs, and small birds. Kinda like making your garden a cafe. Here are some of the things you can do for your legless gardeners:

1. Increase biodiversity in your garden

Increasing the diversity of plants, this will attract a variety of wildlife in your garden. By doing so it encourages a more balanced ecosystem ranging from plants as producers, to its primary consumers like grasshoppers, to secondary consumers like frogs and geckos, and finally to tertiary consumers like our dearest snakes and raptors. Besides that, this also provides a corridor for snakes to move around. Here is a generalized list of some common urban snakes and what it feeds on: 

2. Provide a refuge area or microhabitat

The simplest way to describe a microhabitat is a habitat but smaller in spatial extent. Some species are active in daytime, while others are active at night. Habitats favoured by snakes are like dark crevices of trees, abandoned buildings, drains, and cooling environment like piles of logs, metals, and walls. Build up some rock piles, logs, metal sheets or plywoods. These are suitable places for snakes to get shelter as it is a dark and cool spot for them to rest. 

3. Give snakes some signs

Give snakes some signs before starting any activities in your garden like mowing, pruning, or moving things around. As a reptile, snakes need to regulate their body temperature externally. During mid-day, they will be out to bask. They are also capable of detecting vibrations and ‘smell’ with their tongue. So make some noises like clapping your hands, stomping the ground, or use a stick to knock your raised beds, metal piles or wall. These acts will trigger snakes and they will slither away. This practice will allow you to have predators to control populations of frogs and other small animals and co-exist with snakes. 

4. Step aside, pesticides!

Let’s face the fact that purchasing chemical pesticides to deter pests in your garden is a waste of time, money and energy. No matter how much chemicals are sprinkled around the garden, as long as it provides a good source of food for some animals they will always come back. Although targeted pesticides are not aimed for snakes E.g. slug baits, snakes feed on these animals. Hence, indirectly ingesting the pesticide. 

Take this gardening opportunity to co-exist with the remaining nature striving in your backyard. Just remember, snakes barely even bother about a person unless they feel threatened. Here is a meme I made to conclude this guide:

Fun fact As snakes grow, they shed their skin. This process is known as ecdysis. One of the reasons why they do this is to get rid of parasites. 

References: 

Dhanhyaa. (2019, August 27). Venomous or Not? Here’s a Handy List of Snakes Commonly Found in Malaysian Houses. Cilisos. Retrieved from https://cilisos.my/venomous-or-not-heres-a-handy-list-of-snakes-commonly-found-in-malaysian-houses/

Dawe, J. (2017, June 19). These 3 Snakes are your Garden’s Best Friends. Eartheasy. Retrieved from https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/these-3-snakes-are-your-gardens-best-friends/

Ecology Asia https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/snakes.htm