WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MULCH?

What is it, and why do we use it? Technically, mulch is any organic substance used to cover the soil in planting beds. There are many reasons to use mulch in your landscape. The two obvious reasons are aesthetics and weed control. Mulch helps your gardens maintain a neat and well kept appearance. It also helps to suppress weed growth.

It's important to realize that mulch serves other important functions. Organic mulches improve the growing conditions for plants by improving the texture of the soil and helping the soil to conserve moisture.

In the forest, twigs, leaves and dying plants gather on the ground. As all this organic matter decomposes, it forms a layer that protects the soil against erosion, helps the soil maintain moisture and provide nutrients for plant growth. When we mulch our landscape beds, we are mimicking this natural process.

Please do not mistake decorative stone with mulch. A true mulch is an organic material that readily decomposes and becomes part of the soil. Other than aesthetics, stone "mulches" do not provide the benefits that organic mulches do. In fact stone may create an environment that is too harsh for some plants.

Although it is necessary to use weed barrier with stone, it is not necessary to use it with organic mulches. Weeds that root in the mulch tend to pull out rather easily.

There are many different types of mulch, varying in form, color and texture. Hardwood shredded mulch* is probably the most commonly used mulch in southern Wisconsin. It is comprised of hardwood bark shredded in strips of various lengths. The shredded nature of the mulch has a clinging effect helping to keep it in its place. Shredded Cypress* and Cedar* are also available. Bark chips* are cookie-shaped chunks of bark. It has a coarse texture and tends to last longer than shredded mulches. However, bark chips do not provide as many of the benefits that the shredded mulches do. You may have trouble finding it in bulk, but rather in bags making it a bit pricey. Also, it tends to spill over the edges of beds and kids love to toss the stuff around. Enviromulch* is a product derived from discarded wood products such as wood pallets. The wood is shredded and dyed. Although several colors are available, the bright orange stuff you see around seems to be the most common. Enviromulch seems to last a little longer than shredded hardwood mulch but is more expensive. Wood chips are a byproduct of damaged or dead tree limbs run through a chipper either by communities or private tree service companies. Wood chips can be used as a mulch but may not be considered too aesthetically pleasing by some people. They are sometimes available for free through your community.

Cocoabean hulls*, pine straw, leaf mold and mushroom compost* are also available for use in the garden. Although very useful, these tend to decompose quickly and need to be replenished often. These types of mulches are a good choice in establishing perennial gardens. 

Using mulch is really quite simple. For trees and shrubs, spread three inches over the root zone of the plant or throughout the planting bed. In perennial or ground cover beds, use about an inch to an inch and a half. Never pile mulch against a tree trunk or the stems of a shrub as it may cause basil rot and possibly kill the plant. Because of decomposition mulch beds generally need to be top-dressed once a year with one or two inches of additional mulch. To quickly recap, the use of mulch is an attractive way to add color and texture to your garden as well as keeping it neat and tidy. It helps to control weeds, it insulates the soil and helps to prevent runoff.

So that's the deal with mulch. Have fun!

* Material we have on hand in bags or in bulk (Shredded hardwood bark only) most of the year. Call for details.