mulch

M0469400 (mŭlch)n. A protective covering, as of bark chips, straw, or plastic sheeting, placed on the ground around plants to suppress weed growth, retain soil moisture, or prevent freezing of roots.tr.v. mulched, mulch·ing, mulch·es To cover or surround with mulch.

[Probably from Middle English molsh, soft, moist (used of soil); akin to Dutch mals, soft, mellow, from Middle Dutch malsch; see mel- in Indo-European roots.]

mulch

(mʌltʃ) n (Agriculture) half-rotten vegetable matter, peat, etc, used to prevent soil erosion or enrich the soilvb (Agriculture) (tr) to cover (the surface of land) with mulch[C17: from obsolete mulch soft; related to Old English mylisc mellow; compare dialect German molsch soft, Latin mollis soft]

mulch

(mʌltʃ)

n. 1. a covering, as of straw, compost, or plastic sheeting, spread on the ground around plants to prevent excessive evaporation or erosion, enrich the soil, etc. v.t. 2. to cover with mulch. [1650–60; n. use of obsolete mulch (adj.), Middle English molsh soft, Old English myl(i)sc mellow; c. dial. German molsch soft, overripe]

mulch

Past participle: mulched
Gerund: mulching

Imperative
mulch
mulch

Present
I mulch
you mulch
he/she/it mulches
we mulch
you mulch
they mulch

Preterite
I mulched
you mulched
he/she/it mulched
we mulched
you mulched
they mulched

Present Continuous
I am mulching
you are mulching
he/she/it is mulching
we are mulching
you are mulching
they are mulching

Present Perfect
I have mulched
you have mulched
he/she/it has mulched
we have mulched
you have mulched
they have mulched

Past Continuous
I was mulching
you were mulching
he/she/it was mulching
we were mulching
you were mulching
they were mulching

Past Perfect
I had mulched
you had mulched
he/she/it had mulched
we had mulched
you had mulched
they had mulched

Future
I will mulch
you will mulch
he/she/it will mulch
we will mulch
you will mulch
they will mulch

Future Perfect
I will have mulched
you will have mulched
he/she/it will have mulched
we will have mulched
you will have mulched
they will have mulched

Future Continuous
I will be mulching
you will be mulching
he/she/it will be mulching
we will be mulching
you will be mulching
they will be mulching

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been mulching
you have been mulching
he/she/it has been mulching
we have been mulching
you have been mulching
they have been mulching

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been mulching
you will have been mulching
he/she/it will have been mulching
we will have been mulching
you will have been mulching
they will have been mulching

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been mulching
you had been mulching
he/she/it had been mulching
we had been mulching
you had been mulching
they had been mulching

Conditional
I would mulch
you would mulch
he/she/it would mulch
we would mulch
you would mulch
they would mulch

Past Conditional
I would have mulched
you would have mulched
he/she/it would have mulched
we would have mulched
you would have mulched
they would have mulched

mulch

A technique of adding a layer to the surface of the soil to suppress weeds and prevent water loss through evaporation. There are three main types: fabric sheet mulches; organic loose mulches, such as chipped bark; and inorganic loose mulches, such as gravel or pebbles.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mulch - a protective covering of rotting vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosionprotective cover, protective covering, protection - a covering that is intend to protect from damage or injury; "they had no protection from the fallout"; "wax provided protection for the floors"
Verb	1.	mulch - cover with mulch; "mulch the flowerbeds"cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"

Translations

Mulch

mulch,

any material, usually organic, that is spread on the ground to protect the soil and the roots of plants from the effects of soil crusting, erosion, or freezing; it is also used to retard the growth of weeds. A mulch may be made of materials such as straw, sawdust, grass clippings, peat moss, leaves, or paper. For large areas under cultivation a tilled layer of soil serves the purpose of a mulch.

Mulch

A layer of material such as wood chips, straw, and/or leaves, placed around plants to hold moisture, prevent weed growth, and enrich or sterilize the soil.

Mulch

a cover made of straw, reeds, and other longstemmed plants. A mulch is used to protect plants in greenhouses from cold temperatures at night; in very cold weather it is also used during the day. Mulches are made with a hand-operated tool or by a matting machine.

Mulch

a complete or interrow covering (as of mulch paper, crumbled peat, pulverized manure, humus, compost, or fallen leaves) on the soil. Mulching materials are used in agriculture in the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, berries, ornamentals, and other crops. Mulch reduces labor expenditures on interrow tilling and improves plant-growing conditions and soil fertility by conserving soil moisture, reducing the amplitude of soil temperature fluctuation, protecting the soil surface against scouring, preventing the formation of a soil crust, and preventing weed growth. As a rule, mulch increases the harvest of agricultural crops, particularly in arid regions. It is less effective on heavy and overly moist soils, on which it may even reduce the harvest.

The stubble of cereal grasses left on the fields for the winter plays the same role as mulch by protecting the soil against erosion. This procedure is of particular importance in the steppe regions of the USSR, where strong winds often prevail (Altai and Krasnoiarsk krais, Novosibirsk and Omsk oblasts, the northern part of the Kazakh SSR).

REFERENCES

Plodovodstvo, 2nd ed. [Edited by V. A. Kolesnikov.] Moscow, 1966. Pages 261–63.
Rubtsov, M. I., and V. P. Matveev. Ovoshchevodstvo. Moscow, 1970. Pages 181–82.

mulch

[məlch] (materials) A mixture of organic material, such as straw, peat moss, or leaves, that is spread over soil to prevent evaporation, maintain an even soil temperature, prevent erosion, control weeds, and enrich soil.

mulch

Material such as leaves, hay, straw, or the like, spread over the surface of the ground to protect the roots of newly planted shrubs or trees, of tender plants, etc., from the sun or from the cold.

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REFERENCES

mulch

mulch

MULCH

mulch

Words related to mulch

noun a protective covering of rotting vegetable matter spread to reduce evaporation and soil erosion

Related Words

verb cover with mulch

Related Words