Mulching is generally good for plants and trees, retaining soil moisture while providing nutrients (with properly composted mulch) but there are a few things you should be mindful of before you mulch!
Bagged or Dyed Mulch
When shopping for mulch make sure to thoroughly read the bag to see if it was composted and is a natural product. Many dyed mulches may be made from ground pallets, mill scraps or not properly composted materials. Although it may look nice at first, dyed mulch’s color may run off onto your concrete, or fade prematurely. If it wasn’t made from properly composted materials, the wood will also not break down properly and not provide the moisture retention or nutrients naturally composted mulches would.
Some dyed mulches may be better quality, but we typically do not recommend them and/or are considered primarily for commercial use.
Free or Homemade Mulch
If you see an ad for free mulch make sure you know where it is sourced from and that it is properly composted! Why do we keep talking about composting? Composting materials naturally breaks down organic matter to better provide nutrients and provide moisture retention. However, even composting can’t prevent poison ivy, poison oak or prevent some weed seeds from sprouting…. Usually when a customer mentions they didn’t have poison ivy or certain weeds before, mulch acquired from an unknown source or free city program may be the source. Poison ivy grows up trees, and if a tree was cut down and shredded without removing the poison ivy, you may expose yourself to the oils while applying improperly sourced or composted mulch to your beds. We recommend using this for mulching around the edge of the property.
Natural Composted Mulch
The best mulch for your garden is a natural, composted mulch. This mulch is typically not dyed but gets its color from the composting process. This ensures great moisture retention and proper breakdown over time to provide your plants and soil with nutrients to thrive. Make sure to read bag labels, or call a local garden center or nursery to see if they have a natural product that can be delivered in bulk if needed.
Mulch Mountains – The Great Debate
Although most people today know the problems that come with over mulching around the base of trees, there may still be professionals out there who debate it. There are a couple reasons it may seem like mulch is piled high around a tree trunk vs. improper mulching.
Tree was Planted Above Grade
In some cases, trees are planted a bit above the grade of the yard, to improve drainage much like a raised bed. In this case, soil and mulch may be piled to cover the ball of the tree protruding above the ground, but mulch still should not be piled up against the base of the trunk.
Mulch Mountains & Improper Mulching
Mulching around the base of the tree is not a proper practice. Mulch should be kept at least 1-2″ away from the base of the tree. Mulching against the base of the trunk of the tree can cause several detrimental issues to occur including insect infestations and the rotting of the bark and base of the tree. This is most notable in our banner image (at the top) where you can see the base of the tree bark splitting and peeling off the base of the tree. If this is not corrected this could eventually cause the tree to deteriorate and die.