1. Prevent weed growth.

Mulching is not 100% effective at preventing weed growth, but it can reduce the amount of weeds significantly, and in some cases it does eliminate them almost entirely. However, this is dependant on how well you mulch, what type of mulch is used, and the conditions before you mulched.

2. Conserve moisture in the soil.

Mulching is especially popular in areas that are hot and dry, or where water is scarce or expensive. Mulching can mean you have to water less often and use less water to maintain your plants, and it means the soil stays moist, so your plants grow better.

3. Cool soil surface and stabilize soil temperature.

This stimulates better growth of your plants, and helps them to live longer and healthier.

4. Reduce heaving

(plant roots forced upward out of soil) of small plants as a result of alternate freezing and thawing of the soil in autumn, winter and spring. Mulching makes your gardens look better no matter what time of year it is.

5. Add organic matter to soil

, if mulch materials are organic in nature. There are different types of mulch available, and some are organic which stimulates growth, and makes the plants healthier.

6. Reduce soil erosion on slopes.

Mulching is done in areas like Hawaii and San Diego to help with the erosion problems caused by the ocean winds, but it is also great for sloped areas you wish to landscape as erosion makes it difficult to maintain any sort of lawn or other uniform landscaping design.

7. Keep fruits, vegetables and flowers cleaner.

You want your landscaping and plants to look nice, and mulching means less dirt and splatter when you water, and a cleaner, healthier looking plant or other plant product, such as a flower or fruit.

8. Improve aesthetics of a landscape and add to property values.

Who doesn't want that? Mulching gives the areas of your garden or landscaping plan that do not have plants a more unified, cleaner look, and because it reduces the number of weeds it means you get this better looking property with less maintenance.

Mulching has gained popularity since the mid 1900's as research has shown that it has many benefits, and that it is an inexpensive way toimprove your landscaping and garden productivity. For example, research by the Weyerhaeuser Co. done in 1969 indicated that two inches of bark mulch can do some significant things for your plants and soil. For one it reduced moisture loss in summer by 21 percent; it also showed that it reduced soil temperature in summer, in the upper four inches of soil, by 10 degrees F (which helps keep plants alive during even the hottest conditions; and, this research showed that mulching (with two inches of bark) delayed soil temperature in winter from reaching the