include: suppressing weeds, maintaining soil temperatures, retaining moisture, enhancing the beauty of the landscape, and providing a supply of organic matter as the mulch decomposes.
Mulch can be laid down as a path or tucked around exist-
ing plants. We recommend a 2-3” layer of the kind that works best for you based on the following characteristics:
Detox Your Landscape By Meredith Sorensen
gies; cutting back on carbs and leaning into proteins; less time on screens and more experiences with people; nurturing good vibes and avoiding toxic relationships; more sleep, less caffeine. You get the picture.
E
As the days get longer and the horizon gets brighter, you may intend to apply similar principles towards your landscape. “De- tox” is not necessarily about dealing with heavy metals or toxic chemicals. Rather, it’s a trend towards landscape wellness. Given a baseline understanding of the basic composition of healthy soil – a vibrant ecosystem of 25% air, 25% water, 45% mineral soil, and 5% organic matter, teaming with macro- and micro-organisms – here are fi ve landscape detox tactics to try on your own stomping grounds.
1. Get on a path. No, really, it’s not just a metaphor. Pathways are important for landscapes. They visually shape the experi- ence and the space. They also provide the practical advantage of keeping footprints – and weight, which leads to compaction – off of the workable soil. While pathways get compacted, the growing soil in gardens, veggie beds, and lawns can maintain its fl uffy, porous qualities that enable the transfer of water, air, nutrients, roots, and benefi cial organisms. Paths can be made out of a variety of materials. We often recommend mulch, which brings us to our second tip.
2. Lay down a magical layer of mulch. Mulch is a garden’s unsung hero. Indeed, we often refer to March as “Mulch Madness” because a layer of mulch spread down now will save so much time and energy in the future. The biggest benefi ts of mulch
veryone seems to have a detox plan. The best ones I’ve seen come with a balance of avoiding the “bad” and increasing the “good”. For example: reducing sugar and increasing veg-
• Cedar Mulch: Typically a warm brown color with a pleas- ant cedar smell. Cedar mulch is great for repelling insects and has a very slow decay process so it won’t break down quickly. Cedar mulch is also the most resistant to artillery fungus.
• Bark Mulches: Typically a variety of mulches that comes in an earthy hue or with natural colorants (brown, black and red) to make the color last. It breaks down quickly and adds nutrients to the soil.
• Pine Bark Mulch: Typically a naturally rich, dark color with a pleasant pine scent. It’s a slow decomposer.
• Hemlock Mulch: Typically strong reddish and orange tones which add rich color to landscapes. Just like cedar and pine mulch, hemlock mulches decompose slowly.
3. Amend your soil with compost. Compost is the champion de- tox friend for your earth system that helps support the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. You don’t want to plant directly in it; you want to mix it in strategically. Here are a few tips to help you do so:
• For gardens and new lawns: add a 2-4” layer of compost and mix it into the top 6” layer of soil.
• For existing lawns: add a ¼”-1/2” layer as a topdressing. If your lawn looks all brown and earthy after the application, relax…the compost will settle down into the soil and help nourish those roots throughout the rest of the season.
• For trees and shrubs: dig a hole 2-3 times the diameter of the root ball. Mix 1 part compost with 2 parts mineral soil (mineral soil is the soil from digging the hole). Add the soil mix back in under and around the root ball, which should be at the same height as the existing landscape.
4. Tidy up your space. This is more of an emotional detox. Look with fresh eyes at your landscape: the stray trowel, the dead vines, the tipped over bucket that fl ew into a corner during a winter storm, and the broken sprinkler that’s been sitting in your garage or shed for two seasons. Pick them up. Put them where they belong. Clean up. Organize. Make your space work for you.
Get the support you need to achieve optimal health this Spring!
Health Coach Kathy Beach will help you clarify your health and wellness goals and support you on your journey to reaching them.
All programs can be done one-on-one (in person or virtually) or in a group.
Call Kathy Today: 860.677.4600
Kathy Beach, NBC-HWC National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
22 Natural Nutmeg - March 2018 Health Coaching Programs:
• Change Your Eating, Change Your Life Coaching Program
• Whole 21 – A Journey Trough a Whole Foods Diet and the Mind Body Connection
• 14 Day – Renew Cleanse • Cancer Wellness Coaching • Corporate Wellness Programs • Wellness Retreats
The office of Deanna Cherrone, MD, Functional Medicine Practitioner
41 N Main Street Suite 207 W. Hartford, CT 06107
naturalhealthandhealing.net •
healthcoach@naturalhealthandhealing.net
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