In article , Kevin
Eberwein wrote:

(Shiva) wrote in message
ws.com...
This topic usually comes up in the fall, but mulch is used for a
number of reasons outside of winter protection, so I'm thinking about
it now.

Reasons for mulching, that I know of:

To retain moisture (cut down on surface evaporation)
To enrich the soil (as it breaks down, and why I do not consider rocks
or rubber to be mulch)
To protect from cold (as in mounding canes for the winter)
To provide a barrier between extant fungus in the soil (mostly from
fallen leaves that are infected) and new growth
To make the bed more pleasing to the eye
To reduce runoff of water for those of us who still handwater.

My problems with mulch:

No matter how thick the pine bark, leaves, or straw, I still have lots
of weeds. And--it provides a perfect hiding place for voles. When it
is deep enough they apparently burrow in and access the roots from
*above* the plant. My decision to use oak leaves was one that meant I
had thicker than usual mulch, this has meant dead roses. The holes are
lined with two inches of permatil (scratchy composite "rock") but
somehow the voles still eat the roots.

I use two inches of rubber mulch on top of a layer of the fiber
landscape fabric from Lowes in a raised bed. (Here's a pictu
http://eberwein.dyndns.org/roses/RoseBed.JPG) This is my first year
growing roses at my house and so far, I haven't seen a single weed or
borrowing animal. I think the 2 foot height is to much for them to
dig up through to get to the roots. My animal problem is that
something is eating the tops of my plants before they open.

Wabbits?

The biggest problem is getting the fertilizer to the root system.
I've been spreading it on top of the mulch and letting my misting
watering system break it down and carry it to the roots. It seems to
be working fine for me.

For reference sake, I'm in Clayton, NC which is south of Raleigh, NC.

Wow, Kevin, very tidy looking. On a cool day, you might try doing a
foliar feed with some organics. Roses seem to enjoy the lower nitrogen
concoctions just as much as the other. Mix fish emulsion half strength
in a garbage can and pour it over the tops of the plants with a bucket.
You can double your effect by adding a kelp concoction as the same time
- also half strenght. That way you both root and foliar feed.