Sugar Cane Mulch

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  Beds on drippers or reticulation

  This is the job it is bought for. Water applied under a matting mulch runs off sideways; under sugar cane it goes where you aimed it.

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  Vegetable beds already fed

  It suits a bed where the feeding has been done underneath and what you want now is cover, coolness and less watering.

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  Seedlings and young plants

  Light and open, so it can go around small plants without smothering them, as long as you keep it off the stems.

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  Beds you would rather not redo each season

  Four to six months against two to three for pea straw means roughly half the trips up the garden with a bale under your arm.

Most Perth gardens are on a reticulation roster rather than on hand watering, which means the water arrives on two or three fixed days and it has to count. A mulch that sheds water sideways off a matted surface wastes the one chance the bed gets that week.

The sand underneath makes it worse. Perth sand is prone to going water repellent, and once the surface has dried hard, water that cannot get through the mulch will not soak in at all — it runs to the low corner of the bed and sits there.

That is the case for an open mulch here specifically. In a wetter climate with regular rain, a matting mulch gets enough chances to wet through that the difference matters less.

• Why choose sugar cane mulch over pea straw?+

  Because it does not mat down. Pea straw knits into a wet mat that sheds water off the top, so a bed on drippers can be dry underneath a mulch that looks damp. Sugar cane stays open and lets the water through. It also lasts 4 to 6 months against 2 to 3, on DSATCO's figures.

• How much does one bale cover?+

  A 55 litre compressed mini bale covers 3 to 4 square metres at the first application depth of 50 to 75mm. It is compressed, so it is more mulch than the pack looks like.

• Does sugar cane mulch feed the garden?+

  Barely. It is a raw mulch rather than a composted one, so it contributes very little nutrient as it breaks down. Feed the bed underneath before you mulch it — tomatoes, brassicas and anything else hungry will still want a fertiliser.

• How often do I need to top it up?+

  Add another 30 to 40mm once the layer drops below about 20mm, which usually falls at the four to six month mark. Go by the depth rather than by the calendar.

• Does it have weed seeds in it?+

  DSATCO describe it as virtually weed-free, which is the point of buying a processed bale rather than hay off a farm gate. You are not spreading a fresh weed problem over a bed you have just cleared.

• Is sugar cane mulch good for a Perth summer?+

  It is one of the better choices for it. DSATCO claim 30 to 50% less summer watering with the soil 8 to 12°C cooler under the layer, and because it stays open, the water your reticulation puts down actually reaches the soil rather than running off a matted surface.

• Can I collect it myself?+

  Yes, seven days. The bales are compressed and go straight in a boot, so you do not need a trailer for a couple of them.

• Can sugar cane mulch be delivered?+

  Yes, across Perth's southern suburbs. Tell us how many bales and the address, and confirm the current delivery cost when you order.

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