yeah, we have alkaline expansive clay, so moisture retention was an objective. I added the nitrogen to offset the fact that fresh wood chips tend to be a nitrogen sink rather than a source.
I theorize that thermal protection and moisture retention together have kept those plants happier.
Nutritional "thermal protection and moisture retention" given that you've also added fertilizer.
As a side topic to the original post, do you have any comparison pictures to support the topic and theory? I'd be interesting to see your progress!