The Power of Plants in the Workplace

We already know that plants have a big place in the workplace. Just being able to look at a desk plant can help boost your productivity. But do you know about all of their amazing benefits?

The proven benefits of indoor plants in the workplace include improved public and consumer perception, improved staff well-being and of course, increased productivity.

Overall, the addition of indoor plants to the office or workplace make the environment just that much more cleaner, healthier, safer, friendly and happy!

The infographic below was created to educate the public on some of the amazing benefits plant life can have indoors.

Sourced: Ambius

Landscape Mulch. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Mulch is one of the basic but critical elements in establishing a garden in the first instance and maintaining one over the long term. It has 3 important functions, suppressing weeds, retaining soil moisture and adding organic matter. Different mulches do different jobs and we have already discussed organic sugar cane mulch as being the best mulch for veggie gardens in a previous blog. 

Down to the nitty gritty of the other mulches, landscape mulches, the ones you will most commonly encounter when doing the main planted areas of your garden. As with anything there is a diversity of mulches to choose from, varying prices and the good and bad as well. Whilst it might seem a simple process to pick a mulch, some are definitely better than others. 

To help discuss we will break them down and discuss the pros and cons of some of the more common ones starting with:

TeaTree Mulch

This is one of the most popular mulches in the northern rivers, tweed coast, gold coast areas and is by product of tea tree farming. On the plus side is Tea Tree mulch has termite repellant qualitys which is always something to consider, and it is in the middle as far price goes. When first spread it is attractive and aromatic. The downside though is due to the oil content, and what the industry calls fines, the smallest of the mulch particles, it tends to bind together over time and actually repels water, and prevents it from actually getting through to the soil even under steady rain. This is possibly the most important function of mulch, preserving moisture in the soil. It can also be quite dusty when you are moving it into place, expect to get dirty.

Pine Bark

Pine Bark is a mulch that doesn’t get used as often as it should in our local area and I would consider it to be the best mulch you can get for a number of reasons. The structure of the mulch allows great water penetration and the tannins in the bark will retard weed growth as well. It looks attractive and holds well for a number of years if applied thickly. It is also the easiest of the mulches to distribute and has little or no dust.

Mulching can be laborious but the use of pine bark will probably save you half the time to distribute compared with other types.

Cypress Pine Mulch

This mulch is a good allrounder. Again its naturally termite resistant, it has an attractive finish and lasts and holds it colour longer than its equivalent mulch in Ti Tree.

It has good water holding capacity but again, it can knit together over time, creating a layer that water finds hard to get through. As far as distributing it is concerned, it can be quite dusty, expect to get dirty.

If you have a sloping block then this is one of the better mulches to use.
 

Hardwood Chip

Hardwood chip is a good mulch and well priced.

It is long lasting, excellent at stopping weed seed from germinating and allows water to easily get through to the soil below, exactly what a mulch is supposed to do.

It might not be the most attractive mulch but it ages well and is very effective for its intended purpose.  

River Pebbles / Decorative Stones

These are a great way to mulch areas such as pathways, paved areas etc and will always allow great water penetration and weeds are generally easily tended to within the pebbles. It’s a great contrast in any garden as well and can be used to link different areas together. The only concern with a product like river pebbles is the long term sustainability and environmental impacts but when used appropriately they always look good.

So, its ultimately a personal choice with mulches and budget will always come into the equation.

For Grounded's money though, you are better to spend a little extra on Pinebark mulch to get the best results for your garden and make the job just that much easier! 

The Benefits of Mulch

Mulch in the garden is one of the most important aspects of ensuring all your hard work pays off, whether it be in the veggie garden, a recently landscaped garden or a renovated and refreshed existing garden. If as anticipated, we have a hot and humid summer, garden soil will dry out very quickly and all but the toughest plants will suffer. This is particularly true with the veggie garden. 

The purpose of mulch is to suppress weeds, add organic matter as it breaks down and help with water retention. It also serves to keep plants roots cool through hot periods and reduce transpiration and wilting. There are different mulches for different types of gardens, but on this post we will just concentrate on the veggie garden and the best mulch you can get is Amgrow's BFA certified organic sugar cane mulch. Much finer and easier to use than traditional sugar cane bales you may buy from a farm stall, this mulch does exactly what its supposed to in the veggie garden and ultimately breaks down into a really rich humus, adding more organic matter to the garden which is essential long term for veggies. Being BFA (Biological Farmers Association)certified organic is also a huge bonus if you are conscious of all the inputs you are putting into your garden. Nothing can be guaranteed with the cane mulch you buy from a farm as  far as the chemicals that may be present in it. 

Next week we will evaluate a couple of traditional mulches for the garden, Tea Tree, Cypress and Pine Bark if you are getting prepared for a Christmas clean up.