mulch

See also: Mulch

English

Mulch made from shredded yard waste.

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mʌlt͡ʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌltʃ

Noun

mulch (countable and uncountable, plural mulches)

1. (agriculture, horticulture) Any material used to cover the top layer of soil to protect, insulate, or decorate it, or to discourage weeds or retain moisture.

   An organic mulch is a mulch made of natural substances such as leaves or grass clippings.

   • 2022 March 9, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Salisbury crash: slippery rails caused by autumn leaves”, in RAIL, number 952, page 12:

     An interim report by investigators from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found extensive evidence of crushed leaf mulch on the railhead at many sites on the approach to Salisbury Tunnel Junction.

Derived terms

• inorganic mulch
• living mulch
• mulch depth
• organic mulch

Translations

shredded matter for covering the soil

• Catalan: encoixinat m, jaç protector m, coberta del conreu f, encoixinat m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 覆くつがえ蓋物ふたもの／覆くつがえ盖物 (zh) (fùgàiwù)

• Dutch: mulch, muls (nl), bodembedekking (nl)
• Esperanto: mulĉo
• Estonian: multš
• Finnish: lehtikate
• French: paillis (fr) m, paillage (fr) m
• German: Mulch (de) m
• Hungarian: mulcs (hu), talajtakarás
• Irish: móta m
• Italian: pacciame (it) m
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: хучлага (mn) (xučlaga)

  Mongolian: ᠬᠤᠴᠢᠯᠭ᠎ᠠ (qučilg-a)

• Polish: mulcz (pl) m
• Portuguese: manta (pt) f, humo (pt) m
• Russian: му́льча (ru) f (múlʹča)
• Spanish: mantillo m
• Swedish: komposttäckning, täckmedel n
• Turkish: malç (tr)
• Ukrainian: мульча f (mulʹča)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} capote (es) m, ^{(please verify)} mantillo m

See also

• compost
• humus

Verb

mulch (third-person singular simple present mulches, present participle mulching, simple past and past participle mulched)

1. (agriculture) To apply mulch.

   Mulch your vegetable garden to retain moisture and keep weeds down.

2. (agriculture) To turn into mulch.

   I decided to mulch the grass clippings.

Derived terms

• mulcher
• mulching mower

Translations

to apply mulch

• Dutch: mulchen
• Finnish: peittää lehtikatteella
• French: pailler (fr)
• German: mulchen (de)
• Italian: pacciamare
• Polish: mulczować (pl) impf, zmulczować (pl) pf
• Russian: мульчи́ровать (ru) impf or pf (mulʹčírovatʹ)
• Spanish: cubrir con capote, cubrir con manitllo, abonar (es)
• Swedish: täcka (sv)