Maximizing soil moisture through mulch and slash applications

Abstract

Restoration projects that involve revegetation efforts are often confronted with problems of desiccation. Several studies have shown that mulching, or laying organic material over the surface of the soil, can be very effective in helping to retain soil moisture and avoid desiccation. To determine the effects of moisture retention in soil that is influenced by mulch, we equally distributed two treatments—bark and slash mulch, and a control, across 72 one meter square plots, and measured relative soil moisture 20 days after treatment. Soil moisture was found to be significantly higher in subplots with bark mulch application, and slightly higher in subplots with juniper/pine slash applications than in control plots. This study shows that mulch applications can help prevent soil desiccation which may improve seedling survival.