All About Mulch-Do I Need It?

First, what is mulch? Generally speaking, most would answer that question as a ground or shredded wood product. However, it could be a covering of crushed stone, pine bark nuggets, straw, or even shredded rubber. Some of these products will work well in certain situations such as crushed stone in a utilitarian area, like the area behind the garage or an area in the landscape where there is a lot of water movement. For most homeowners, when we talk about mulch we are using mulch in a planting bed in the residential landscape. For this purpose, the wood mulch would always be your best option.

Why do you need mulch? Here are the positive benefits of using much in you landscape.
1. Mulch will add beauty to any residential or commercial landscape.
2. Mulch will help retain water at the surface. So shrubs, trees, and flowers will benefit and you could save money by not needing to water as often.
3. Mulch will help to suppress weeds in your planting beds.
4. As the natural wood mulch breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil.
5. Mulch will also provide benefits to your landscape in the colder winter months, acting as a insulator for the roots of the trees and shrubs.

How much mulch to buy? This is a great question because the answer is not always the same. What? Let’s start with what is the proper amount of mulch to use in planting beds. You should establish 2-3 inches spread uniformly over the surface. Some homeowners and even some landscape contractors spread mulch every year. I believe, for the most part, this is not necessary.

There is some loss of mulch in the leaf clean up season; however, if you start with 2-3 inches of mulch, you should only need to top dress or add a little on top of the existing mulch layer every other year. The goal is to maintain the 2-3 inch layer and only add when needed not just because.

IMPORTANT NOTE - This is critical to your success.
DO NOT pile mulch up against trees and shrubs. Taper the level of the mulch as you get close to the plants. Shrubs and trees do not want mulch piled up against their bark. Please don’t do it!

Lastly, I would like to say that the color of the mulch has nothing to do with how the mulch performs. Some mulch is dyed. This is usually the jet black and bright red muches. Personally, I am not a fan. Dyed mulch can stain surfaces such as concrete walks and foundations. In my opinion, it does not look as nice as natural mulch. At Keep It Green Landscaping, we use natural mulch. Hardwood mulch is a rich brown, cedar mulch is a golden brown, and hemlock mulch is a reddish brown. All natural all beautiful additions to your residential or commercial landscaping. Properly pruned trees and shrubs in correctly mulched planting beds, along with a healthy lawn, is what will set your landscape apart from others.

At Keep It Green Landscaping, we strive to do our best so that your property will look its best. There are a lot of folks out there from which to chose and it may seem like they are all the same. Landscape maintenance and lawn care are based in horticultural science and we at Keep It Green Landscaping understand this and put it into practice. We welcome the opportunity to help you with your residential or commercial landscape maintenance.

For more information about our Landscape Maintenance services please see our page or give us a call at 201-445-4646 to set up a free consultation.