Hi - I think I must be doing something wrong and hope all you knowledgeable people can help
We have the grey sandy lifeless soil of Melbourne's southeast and I'd like to improve it. After a year using wood chip mulch I noticed it had started to break down and the top of the soil, where it touched the mulch, was looking better and even had some worms in it. After reading forums such as this one I decided to try one of the straw mulches hoping they would break down quicker and improve the soil faster. A quick trip to Bunnings and I came back with a bag of sugar cane mulch.
Initially I mulched up to 10cm deep, but have now reduced that to more like 2cm. The problem is the same. After giving the garden a good soaking with the hose, if I look underneath the mulch the soil is still bone dry, as if I haven't watered at all. Even the mulch isn't that wet. Am I missing a trick? Are these straw mulches like the old 'newspaper weed mat' and should be soaked in water before laying down? Do they need to be kept wet to decompose? It's been a few months now and no signs of decomposition apart from 1. where the mulch has mixed with the soil and 2. part of the garden that gets the least sun.
I've also had to cover the sugar cane mulch with the existing wood chips to stop it all blowing away.
Any tips would be very much appreciated. It's sickening to use all that water and then see dry soil afterwards!
Many thanks,
NK