The best mulch for fruit trees is layered wood mulch and compost to provide nutrients, increase moisture retention, and prevent weeds from growing. Use green waste compost rather than animal manure compost because the high level of nitrogen found in manure will cause excessive vegetative growth.
Apples, pears, peaches, plums and cherries. Tree fruit should be mulched to the drip line with 6 to 8 inches of straw or hay in May. Mulch should be reapplied periodically and pulled away from trees at the end of August or early September.
People mulch their trees with organic materials like wood chips or compost, or with inorganic materials like gravel, plastic sheets or landscape fabric. There are two main benefits: Mulch prevents weeds from sprouting up in the bare soil. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil to help keep trees hydrated.
For tropical fruit trees you can cover as little as 2 and as much as 6 inches of mulch around the tree. Shredded bark, wood chips, melaleuca mulch, chopped leaves, or straw are good options. Don't be afraid to pile it on thick, but start 8-12 inches away from the trunk and then move out to the drip line or beyond.
Any organic material can be used, e.g. Lawn clippings, weeds, straw etc. Hay, especially soybean stubble or lucerne hay is excellent. As the mulches break down they will feed the tree with valuable nutrients.
It is ideal for use in vegetable gardens and around fruit trees and bushes because, as it breaks down, it improves the soil by adding organic matter. This promotes the healthy growth of your garden and encourages earthworms to burrow, improving the structure of the soil.
As they break down in your mulch ring, these minerals are returned to your soil, and therefore to your fruit trees. Mulch should not exceed 4” – 6” deep after it has settled. If you are using fallen tree leaves, or a mix of leaves and native mulch, this may mean that you start with a layer that is 8” – 12” deep.
A fruit tree's feeder roots extend to just outside of the dripline of the tree (the edge of its outermost branches), so having putting mulch under the tree up to the dripline will help reduce competition for resources (including water) from other plants.
Citrus trees have very shallow roots and love a good organic mulch; sugar cane and pea straw are perfect. Cover the soil generously and water down.
A mulch placed around tree trunks will help control weeds. Herbicides should not be necessary. Remove all weeds, lawn and other plants before mulching. You can use organic mulches such as wood chips, bark chips, sawdust, or compost with or without fabric barriers.
This excess mulch can promote surface roots that ultimately end up strangling and killing the tree. Additionally, it can cause too much moisture retention during the wet seasons, promoting fungus, rot, and pests.
Keeping vegetation away from tree trunks is not just for aesthetics. Relieving competition for water and nutrients from fruit trees allows them to be more productive. This is good horticulture.
Some of our customers use grass clippings as mulch; it's one of the cheapest and most readily available mulches around, and is generally safe to use. However, if you use broadleaf weed killer chemicals on your lawn, the herbicide can remain active in the clippings and harm your trees.
As peaches are developing, feed with an organic-based fertiliser suitable for fruiting trees in spring and autumn. Once they start producing fruit, fertilise in winter, spring and summer. Always water in well after application. Water regularly to keep the soil moist but reduce watering in autumn and winter.
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.
Deep mulch may suppress weeds, but it wastes time and money and can cause major health problems that lead to tree decline and possibly death. Avoid piling mulch in the appearance of a volcano cone around trees. Volcano mulching, or piling mulch against the trunk, can cause major tree health problems.
Skin Any level of skin contact with this product and/or its dust may lead to immediate or delayed skin irritation and susceptible people may cause skin sensation, dermatitis or skin infection.
Citrus trees don't need a lot of moisture, so don't overwater them, otherwise their roots will rot. However, as Australian soils are dry, these plants will require mulching. Hardwood or Pinebark Mulch from Richgro, will work best for citrus trees and help you reduce the household's water consumption.
Straw Mulch
Your cheaper alternative to Sugar Cane Mulch, with all the same properties and a more golden appearance for your garden. Martins Organic Straw Mulch is wheaten straw, compressed tightly into a bale. Straw Mulch is a natural, organic user friendly mulch that is easy to use.
Selecting The Proper Mulch
Grass clippings, leaves, and composted vegetation are fine. Commercially produced mulch from tree materials are suitable, but avoid products that have been dyed or treated with systemic pesticides, which can find their way into fruit.
Eucalyptus Mulch is a longer lasting mulch that decomposes slower than most mulches. Despite this it is still suitable for all plants as it does break down easily into the soil, encouraging Earthworms throughout the soil. This process releases vital nutrients into the soil, promoting optimal plant growth and drainage.
It is okay to use fresh arborist wood chips as mulch around trees and shrubs as long as they are not incorporated into the soil. They are not recommended for use around annuals and vegetables. Sawdust and, to a lesser extent, wood chips deplete soil nitrogen, if worked into the soil.
Wood Chips Have Many Uses
Mulching with wood chips conserves soil moisture, reduces weeds, and cools the soil. All of these benefits help to make your plants healthier. Mulch can help your plants grow faster with fewer insect and disease problems. Another use for wood chips is to cover garden and yard pathways.
Is Pine Bark Mulch Good for Use in the Garden? Shredded pine bark mulch is a positive addition to garden soil. Besides the most obvious benefit of moisture retention in the soil during our hot summer months, this type of mulch reduces weed problems and adds valuable soil nutrients during its decomposing phase.
To make mulch out of fallen leaves, turn to your trusty lawnmower for shredding power—without it, they're bound to blow away. Rake them into piles and run over them several times with the mower. (To beef up leaf mulch, you can mix in grass clippings before chopping with the mower.)