Table 1.

The effect of 0.45 m (18 in) of wood chip mulch on properties of the soil beneath it.

Soil propertyunmulched soilUnmulched soil
Soil ODR (ug/cc/min)0.380.46
Average soil temperature (_C)22.322.7
Soil temperature range (_C)19.4-25.218.3-30.2
Soil moisture (% dry weight)22.920.8
Soil pH7.67.6
Soil nitrates (ppm)2.8*4.2
  • * Significant difference at the .05 level.