Mulch instantly gives your landscape a beautiful, finished appearance, but the advantages go far beyond simply elevating the look or value of your home or business, especially when you choose a natural-based mulch over one made of rubber or gravel.
How Mulching Helps
Adds curb appeal
Mulch instantly adds rich color and a manicured look to your landscape beds, along the foundation of your home, around trees and shrubs, and between garden beds. Colored mulches, such as Scotts® Nature Scapes® Color Enhanced Mulch or extra-fine Scotts® Nature Scapes® Triple Shred Mulch, do a wonderful job of complementing the hues of both your home and flower gardens.
Improves the soil
Wood mulches, like those available from Scotts®, and mulches made from other organic materials improve the soil as they break down. Microbes and insects in the soil naturally consume the mulch over time, adding the by-products back to the soil in the form of organic matter..
Protects against temperature changes
Mulch acts as an insulator, helping to regulate soil temperature to keep plant roots cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Mulching is especially important for new plantings done in the fall that are still tender as temperatures begin to plummet.
Conserves moisture
When you mulch you can spend less time watering. Mulch helps slow moisture evaporation so more water remains in the soil and available to thirsty plant roots.
Helps prevents weeds
A 2 to 3-inch layer of mulch naturally helps prevents weed from sprouting and taking over the landscape by blocking their growth and access to sunlight.
How to Choose the Right Mulch
Mulches can be made of many different materials—there arewood mulches, rock mulches, and synthetic mulches. To get the benefit of improving the soil (in addition to the rest of the mulch benefits), you'll want to select a wood mulch variety. BothScotts® Nature Scapes® Color Enhanced MulchandScotts® Nature Scapes® Triple Shred Mulchare made from natural recovered forest materials, not ground-up pallets or construction debris.
These two premium mulches, available in black, brown, and red, also provide you with rich color that lasts up to a year. When choosing a mulch color, pick a hue that accents or coordinates with your home. Brick houses look great with brown or red mulch colors. The darker the mulch color, the better brightly colored flowers will stand out in your design. Remember, though, that black mulches tend to reflect heat, so choose a lighter color if you live in a warm region and are concerned with overheating your plants.
When it comes to sprucing up your landscape and improving your plants' environment in a short period of time, adding mulch is a simple and speedy solution.
FAQs
Organic mulches, like wood chips, leaves, and other plant materials, are best at keeping soil moist and moderating its temperature in hot and cold weather. They also add some nutrients and improve soil structure and drainage as they break down. Organic mulches suppress, but don't block weeds.
How do you select mulching materials? ›
Consider individual mulch characteristics when making a selection. Durability and aesthetics are important, as well as availability and cost. The smaller the mulch particle size and the thicker the mulch layer, the greater the possibility of weed growth in the mulch layer.
What is the best type of mulch to use? ›
What is the best mulch to use? Organic mulch made from wood chips or bark is usually the best choice since it decomposes naturally, adding nutrients to the soil.
What should be the best material for making mulch? ›
Organic mulch materials include grain straw, fresh or old hay, fresh-cut forage or cover crops, chipped brush, wood shavings, tree leaves, cotton gin waste, rice or buckwheat hulls, and other crop residues. Hay and straw are among the most widely used organic mulches in organic horticulture.
What are the types of mulch and their advantages? ›
Your mulch is either organic or inorganic. Each has advantages and disadvantages; your budget, climate, soil type, plant type, and personal preference determine your choice. Some mulches decompose quickly, releasing nutrients into the soil, while others last longer and require less maintenance.
How do I know what mulch I need? ›
To calculate mulch in yards, it is essential to note that one cubic yard of material will cover an area of 324 square feet at a depth of an inch. To determine the total amount of mulch needed, the formula is: Square footage x desired depth (in inches)/ 324.
What are the disadvantages of mulching? ›
Disadvantages. Because mulch blocks sunlight, it prevents some seeds from germinating. This is good for keeping weeds away from the beds, but not for your good seeds. You can prevent this problem waiting until plants green up before mulching.
What mulch materials to avoid? ›
Among the worst offenders for tree mulch are rocks and gravel. Instead of conserving moisture, they heat up the soil, making tree roots thirsty and stressed. Their weight slowly compacts soil over time, and they provide no soil health benefits.
What type of mulch lasts the longest? ›
Which mulch lasts the longest? Stone is the longest-lasting mulch, followed by landscape fabric. Black plastic and rubber mulch last a long time, and help with both heat and water retention in the soil, though they're also more expensive than stone or landscape fabric.
What is the best mulch to prevent weeds? ›
Your best bet is bark mulch, such asScotts® Nature Scapes® Color Enhanced Mulch orScotts® Nature Scapes® Triple Shred Mulch. It gives your garden a clean, finished look while holding down weeds. Also, since it's a natural product, it amends your soil as it breaks down over time.
Again, you can use a garden hoe or hand weeder or follow the instructions for using a weed killer. If you're mulching around a tree, you can remove the grass or simply put down a layer of black-and-white newspaper, thoroughly water it down and then cover it with your mulch. Add mulch to a depth of 2 to 4 inches.
What is the best brand of mulch to use? ›
Top Rated Bagged Mulch
- NuScape. 0.8-cu ft Brown Rubber Mulch.
- 2-cu ft All-natural Cedar Mulch 100% Cedar Mulch.
- GroundSmart. Premium Nugget 0.8-cu ft Red Rubber Mulch.
WOOD CHIPS
CONS: May be acidic; may contain species toxic to plants (such as black walnut) or toxic to humans (such as poison ivy). Fresh chips can deplete nitrogen.
How to choose the best mulch for your garden? ›
For annual and perennial gardens, organic mulches are the best choice. Bark mulch is great at suppressing weeds, is very attractive, breaks down gradually, and may only need to be replaced every other growing season.
What is the longest lasting mulch? ›
Which mulch lasts the longest? Stone is the longest-lasting mulch, followed by landscape fabric. Black plastic and rubber mulch last a long time, and help with both heat and water retention in the soil, though they're also more expensive than stone or landscape fabric.
What is the best mulch to suppress weeds? ›
Straw is often used in vegetable gardens, but it tends to contain many weed seeds. Grass clippings are also popular, but they lack aesthetic appeal. Your best bet is bark mulch, such asScotts® Nature Scapes® Color Enhanced Mulch orScotts® Nature Scapes® Triple Shred Mulch.
What do I need to know before mulching? ›
How to prepare mulch beds
- Kill and remove weeds. ...
- Trim nearby trees and bushes. ...
- Rake your mulch bed. ...
- Cultivate the soil. ...
- Edge your mulch bed. ...
- Smooth out your mulch bed. ...
- Treat your mulch bed. ...
- Start mulching!
Proper Mulching Method
Cover as much area as possible with mulch, extending it to the outermost edge of the tree's canopy, known as the "drip line." Keep in mind that as the tree grows, the drip line expands. A layer of 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch is ideal but adjust accordingly if the soil has poor drainage.
