Burlap in the Garden

Posted on August 26, 2013 by hometex

Did you know that burlap is an incredible asset for your garden? It’s true! Burlap is that multipurpose tool; once you make use of it, you won’t know how you ever lived without it. First and foremost, burlap is biodegradable, so you do not have to worry about harming the environment. It is excellent at accelerating germination in your garden. When you sow your seeds, lay a piece of burlap on top. In addition to protecting the seeds from being eaten by birds and washed away in the rain, it also stymies evaporation, keeping the soil full of moisture and that much more fertile. Because of this, burlap is also very good at controlling soil deterioration.

Burlap is also very good at stopping weed growth, since it provides a barrier. Simply lay it over the cleared areas you wish to keep weed-free. You can use them on soil or even on your stone or concrete pathway. Another great use of burlap, and perhaps the most well known, is for wrapping trees and plants. There are several different applications of this technique. The most common is wrapping trees and shrubs in the winter. The burlap doesn’t really provide heat, but it does help prevent damage from the ice and wind. It also helps keep the branches intact, so that heavy snowfall will not snap them.

 You can use burlap for protecting smaller plants and flowers too. You can wrap berries in it to protect from being ravaged by birds. You can also wrap plant and flower roots in it when moving them, to keep them fresher and undamaged. Lastly, you can use burlap for storing certain foods you grow in your garden. Potatoes in particular store extremely well in burlap sacks due to burlap’s naturally porous composition.

 Burlap comes in loads of different shapes and sizes. You can get rolls of burlap, which provide you with several yards of burlap that you can simply cut strips or sheets out of. You can get burlap bags, which are perfect for storing those potatoes, or you can take it a step further and actually plant flowers or small plants in them. If you lack a patch of soil but still want to garden, you can fill several bags with soil and plant the seeds and you should have a garden in no time! Burlap can also be purchased as tree covers, whether as strips or in a set size. You can also get burlap scraps, which are perfect to just have on hand to use in any situation.  

Whether you have a small do-it-yourself home garden or huge tracts of flora spanning acres, there is no limit to the number of uses one can find for burlap in the garden.

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