Make sure to keep the mulch at least 5-10cm away from the base of your plants and the trunks of your trees. Below is an example of what NOT to do: Avoid 'Mulch volcanoes' when mulching trees – leave a 5-10cm gap from the base of the tree.
When spreading your mulch, it's very important to keep the mulch three inches away from the base of your plants and the trunks of trees (no mulch volcanos!) Keeping distance between plants and mulch helps to avoid plant rot and other diseases, prevents nesting grounds for insects, and promotes air circulation.
Plant problems caused by too much mulch
Excessive mulch reduces soil oxygen for roots, suffocating them and causing them to die. Roots in search of oxygen and water sometimes grow into excess mulch. During dry periods the mulch dries out and the roots in the mulch die.
Spread mulch under trees, shrubs, and throughout planting beds to a recommended depth of 3 to 4 inches for medium- to coarse-textured materials. Pull mulch away from the bases of tree and shrub trunks, creating a donut-hole (image on left). Do not pile it up against the trunk (“volcano mulching”).
To smother the weeds and retain moisture within the soil, the layer of mulch needs to be at least 3 inches thick but no more than 3 inches or you could do damage to tree trunks and shrubs. Even two inches of mulch can let through enough sunlight allowing weed seeds to germinate.
One of the best mulches to prevent weeds in your garden is wood chips, also known as wooden mulch. Wood chips, including graded fine bark or pine mulch, won't decompose as quickly as other mulch types, giving you a long-term solution to weed control.
At Leaf & Limb, we recommend using organic, coarsely shredded hardwood mulch or arborist wood chips. There are a number of benefits to using this type of material: it helps retain the right amount of moisture, reduces weeds, helps prevent erosion, and it regulates temperature.
Landscape fabric is not needed beneath mulch to block weeds, if you have the correct amount of mulch. Also, as the mulch breaks down, the nutrients and compost cannot do their job of helping the plants' roots and weeds end up seeding into the compst on top of the fabric.
Mulching reduces moisture loss from the soil surface. This aids plant growth, and reduces the need to water. It also lessens the chance of the soil surface drying out and cracking.
The best option for mulching your landscape will depend on your preferences, budget, availability, plants, and more. But, generally, using organic mulch made from wood chips or bark will be the best choice.
The practical life-time of mulch can be anywhere from 4-7 years. This is how long it takes for a layer of mulch to completely break down, although it depends on a number of different environmental factors (e.g. in direct sunlight, covering very wet ground etc).
“The best period to mulch is from late spring through to late summer when the grass is actively growing." While May is the ideal month for mulching fast-growing grass, the exact time you should do it to your own lawn will depend on the height of the green blades growing in your garden.
Brown mulch is a neutral choice that many homeowners opt for. It can easily complement homes and gardens of all colors, helping both light and dark plants to appear more vibrant. If the elements of your home feature a variety of colors and shades, brown is a universal choice that can bring unity to your outdoor space.
Mulching Perennial Bed
To reduce weeds around plants and shrubs, apply a layer of bark or pine mulch around each one. Mulch offers multiple decorative and practical benefits to your garden.
All organic mulch breaks down and eventually turns into soil. Mulch will become ineffective at suppressing weeds as it becomes compost. Below the compost layer, is what used to be composted mulch, but is now soil. As mulch is topped up every year, the layers of mulch, to compost, to soil will keep building.
Mulch Twice a Year
You should add mulch whenever layers thin out for any reason. You'll also want to replace mulch if it breaks apart in your hands like dirt because it's no longer effective at that point. Otherwise, you'll want to add mulch twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall.
Balance is everything when you want to improve the quality of your soil and plants. You can add soil on top of the mulch without any problems to your garden, but you must create an equal consistency between the soil and mulching materials.
Mounding limits air circulation and creates excessive moisture, increasing the risk of disease and encouraging insects and rodents. ✓ Don't mulch over the crowns of plants. Keep mulch 1 to 2 inches away from the crown of a plant.
Rather than collecting and removing grass clippings like bagging does, mulching serves to finely chop up clippings that can then be left on your lawn. This not only saves time and energy (versus bagging), but the mulch also can add vital nutrients back into the soil once the clippings decompose.
Mulching helps retain moisture
In the heat of the season, soil can dry quickly, but mulching helps the soil retain water. The layer of mulch on the soil bed acts as a sun shield, which helps reduce moisture evaporation and keeps the soil temperature cooler.
Weed control and prevention
Both types of mulch can help deter the growth and spread of weeds. Bark mulches can do this naturally. However, rock or stone mulches will require the installation of a weed barrier before they should be spread on the ground.
Cedar Or Cypress Mulch
Chip or bark mulch is made from cypress or cedar trees and is very helpful for repelling bugs. Both cypress and cedar contain natural chemicals and oils like thujone that deter insects. Cedar chips repel, inhibit, or kill insects like: Cockroaches.
We recommend aged hardwood mulch, applied in a light layer, around your flower beds. Well-aged wood mulch is an ideal choice for flower beds, as it adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. Softwood mulch, usually made from pine, can add a bit too much acidity, and doesn't decompose quickly.