There's no such thing as overplanting, according to one gardening expert.
Malakai (@plantwithmalakai) shared a video on TikTok explaining that it's better to have more plants in your garden because they can help prevent erosion and soil compaction.
@plantwithmalakai Over plant the area in order to reduce compaction and erosion during heavy rainfall. 🌧️ 🌱 The plants leaves are designed to catch and control water flow down to their drip lines. We want the max amount of drip lines in our Food Forests/Gardens. 💧 We must either fill the space with a living breathing root system or cover it 4-8 inches in mulch. 🌱🪵 #hacks #tips #plantlife #permaculture #foodforest #success #stem #erosion #compaction #rain #overplant ♬ original sound - plantwithmalakai
In the video, Malakai embarked into his rainy garden and pointed to how the water was hitting each leaf rather than falling directly into the soil, meaning the soil wouldn't get compacted.
He explained further in the caption that "plants' leaves are designed to catch and control water flow down to their drip lines," and that you want as much of that as possible.
Malakai suggested filling up your garden bed with either a plant and its root system or mulch to help prevent compaction.
Compacted soil has less air and less room for plants' roots to grow and access that air, as well as water, according to the University of California. It can also either hold too much or too little water, both of which negatively impact the health of plants and other wildlife.
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Planting a natural lawn is an ideal way to create the necessary volume of plants to help with your soil while requiring less work than you would expect. Native plants are well suited to the environment around them and don't need a lot of extra interventions, like extra watering, pesticides, or fertilizers.
Apart from the environmental benefits, that also means you'll save money on your garden as well as time on things like weeding and mowing. Clover and buffalo grass are two low-maintenance lawn alternatives that save time and money, and they work as natural weed barriers.
People in the comments loved Malakai's suggestion to go for as many plants as possible.
"I never thought about that! Thank you for sharing the wealth," one person wrote.
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"Wow, I didn't know that," added another.
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