Word of the Day
18 July 2026
living mulch
A cover crop interplanted or undersown with the main crop, and intended to fulfil the functions of a mulch, such as weed suppression and regulation of soil temperature.
Why this one
Unlike straw or plastic mulch, this one competes: it holds ground against weeds and shades the soil, but it also drinks the same water and nitrogen as the cash crop, so seeding rate and mowing timing decide whether it helps or costs yield.
In use
We undersowed clover as a living mulch in that block, so the sprayer stays parked and we just top it before it gets above the beans.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.Sources
- Definition sourceWiktionary