Adding landscaping to your residential or commercial property in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and other central Iowa areas such as Johnston and Waukee has many benefits. It increases your curb appeal, it gives off a better impression to guests and customers, and it can provide a good return on investment.

One easy way to protect your landscaping investment is to install ground cover within your landscaping beds after your plants have been installed. At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we provide mulch ground covers to help your landscaping and soil stay healthy and protected. Here are some reasons why mulch helps your landscape beds, besides the aesthetics of a perfectly finished and polished look.

Mulch Helps to Insulate the Soil, Retain Moisture

Mulch helps the soil in this West Des Moines landscaping bed retain moisture.

One of the biggest benefits of using mulch in your landscaping is that it helps to keep your soil insulated from extreme temperature changes. In the greater Des Moines area that includes West Des Moines and Ankeny, our average low temperature in January tends to be about 13°, while we see highs in July at about 86°. When temperatures fluctuate and the soil is unprotected, it can harm the health of your plants.

Mulch also works to keep the roots of your landscape plants protected. The roots are what determine when plants come out of winter dormancy. If they detect warmth too early and come out of dormancy when there’s still a chance for frosts, they could be damaged.

Moisture retention is another perk of mulch installation. Mulch helps to keep moisture in the soil and keep it from evaporating in the hot sun.

Ground Cover Helps to Prevent Weed Growth

When ground cover is installed, it is put down around the landscape plants, allowing them to still absorb light, air, and water. What it helps to prevent is nuisance plants like common weeds to sprout, as it blocks those same nutrients from getting to the weeds and helping them grow. In our area of Iowa, we have many common weeds that quickly grow and choke out the landscape plants.

It’s still recommended to apply both pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide in order to ensure that you’re being as proactive as possible in the fight against weeds.

Common weeds in our area include crabgrass, goosegrass, spurge, dandelion, white clover, and creeping charlie.

Mulch Also Can Prevent Soil Erosion

Mulch along with hardscaping at this Ankeny will help prevent soil erosion.

Soil can quickly erode and wash away whenever it rains or snow melts away. When you’ve worked to make sure that soil is balanced with proper nutrients, that can wash away your investment. With properly installed mulch, you can prevent soil erosion from happening. Mulch keeps the soil where it needs to be. To maximize the benefits of mulch, it should be replenished annually.

We can install mulch at your residential or commercial property.

Give us a call at (515) 289-2020 to set up an initial consultation. Popular mulches we install include cedar wood chips, cypress, double-ground hardwood, compost mulch, and more! Increase your curb appeal with gorgeous mulches that also serve to protect your landscaping. We service areas of central Iowa that are in or around Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Johnston, and Waukee.