Mulching - Shikikusa (English spelling)

Japanese: 敷草 - しきくさ（英語表記）mulching

When cultivating crops, wild green grass or dried grass is laid between the furrows and between the plants. Straw is the most common material, but green grass and dried grass can also be used. In the case of fruit trees, a special type of paper called mulch is sometimes used. Mulch retains moisture, prevents soil temperature from rising due to sunlight and excessive drying, provides cover in winter to prevent cold damage, and normalizes the physiology of crop roots. It also prevents the growth of weeds, and when it rots, it supplies organic matter to the soil. It is particularly effective on sloping land that is prone to drying, when transplanting, or when planting seedlings.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

作物を栽培する際にうね間や株間に野生の生草や刈干しを敷くこと。材料としてはわらが最も多いが，生草，乾草もある。果樹の場合には，敷紙といって，特殊な紙を敷くこともある。敷草は湿気を保ち，日射による地温上昇と過度の乾燥を防ぎ，冬季には被覆物として寒害を防ぎ，作物の根の生理を正常化する。また雑草の発生を防ぎ，腐熟すれば土壌に有機物を供給する効果もある。傾斜地の乾燥しやすい場所とか，移植したときとか，あるいは苗木を植付けたときなどに特に有効。

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