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mulch

UK/mʌlt͡ʃ/US/mʌlt͡ʃ/
nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,058 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: mulches

Mulch is a layer spread on soil to hold moisture in. Spread the mulch, a bark mulch, mulch the beds.

It does three things at once: keeps water in, keeps weeds down and feeds the soil as it rots. It goes on damp ground, never dry, because it holds in whatever is already there. Bark, compost and even cardboard all work.

Tdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Definitions of mulch

  1. 1nounmulchA layer spread on soil to hold moisture in.C1

    “She spread a layer of bark chips as mulch around the young trees.”

mulch is a covering.

Where it comes from

Probably from a Middle English word meaning soft, from an Old English word meaning mellow or sweet.

  1. Proto-Germanic

    *mili — honey

  2. Old English

    melsċ

  3. Middle English

    melsche

  4. English, today

    mulch

Built from

  • molsh · Middle English — soft
  • milisċ · Old English — mellow; mild; sweet (literally “honeyed”)

Probably from Middle English melsche, molsh (“soft”), from Old English melsċ, milisċ (“mellow; mild; sweet”) literally “honeyed”, probably from Proto-Germanic mili (“honey”). Compare Icelandic milska (“a honeyed beverage”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Trees & Flowers

Practise this word

mulch in the wild

  • A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil.

    Mulch

  • Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth, and enhancing the visual appeal of the area.

    Mulch

  • Certain plastic mulches also act as a barrier to keep methyl bromide, both a powerful fumigant and ozone depleter, in the soil.

    Plastic mulch

  • Plastic mulch is often used in conjunction with drip irrigation.

    Plastic mulch

  • Other benefits of mulches are slowing the growth of weeds, and protecting soil from water and wind erosion.

    Living mulch

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.