Tag: mulching tips

  • Spread Less Mulch For a More Healthy Landscape

    Spread Less Mulch For a More Healthy Landscape

    This spring I visited a home that had recently been mulched and was shocked at how deep the mulch was and how little preparation went into the job.

    Weeds that had been covered in mulch poked through and the mulch was easily four to five inches deep.

    Weeds Growing Through Mulch

    I recommend carrying a soil knife and removing perennial weeds, such as Dandelion, down to the root before mulching.

    This garden should not have been mulched; the time and expense should have gone into weeding.

    More Weeds Growing Through Mulch

    Deep mulch leads to unhealthy plants and looks unnatural. On some jobs, I have to remove deep, old mulch before applying new.

    Once a garden is established an inch of mulch is all you need.

    Benefits of light mulching include:

    • Mulch won’t require yearly turning.
    • Oxygen can easily enter the soil.
    • Mulched over tree bark won’t become an entry point for insects, disease, and rodents.
    • Water easily filters through.
    • Less mulch looks more natural, like a coating of leaves on the forest floor.
    • Plant roots grow into the soil instead of growing into mulch that quickly dries.

    Whether you’re a contractor or a homeowner try not applying mulch one year and see the difference it makes. Your plants will be healthier with significantly less work and expense.

    Below is a landscape I mulched this spring by applying just enough mulch to do the job. No more. No less.

    Light Coating of Mulch

    Spread less mulch for a more healthy landscape and sometimes you don’t need to add any mulch at all.

  • The Three Musts of Mulching

    The Three Musts of Mulching

    Three important tips on how to mulch your landscape.

    1. Never apply mulch deeper than 3 inches.  If the mulch in your landscape is over three inches you must remove some.  Mulch over three inches prevents air, water and nutrients from reaching your trees and shrubs.
    2. Never touch mulch to the base of trees and shrubs.  Leave a gap from six inches to a foot around trees and shrubs.  If mulch is in contact with the bark of trees and shrubs it keeps it moist and encourages insects and disease.
    3. Before re-applying mulch turn your existing mulch.  Over time mulch can become compacted and matted down.  By cultivating your mulch you loosen it up so air and nutrients can make it through.  My favorite tool to cultivate mulch is the Garden Weasel.

    Please remember the these tips when planning how to mulch your landscape.

    By John Holden