Mulching Tips

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• Do not place mulch directly against plant crowns or tree bases. This can trap moisture against the stem or trunk can retain too much moisture against the plant.  Overly wet soil can be home to a whole host of diseases, including crown rot. High piles of mulch can also attract predatory insects and bark and stem-eating rodents.  Give the base of your plants and shrubs a little bit of room to breathe.

• Apply enough, but not too much mulch.  A wood mulch more than three inches high will start to rot much faster than usual.  It can create a thatch-like mat that keeps water from penetrating through to the soil below. Therefore, the plants you were hoping to protect are suddenly deprived of the moisture they need to live. Mulching too deeply can also cause the soil to remain continuously damp, but not nourished, contributing to root and stem rot problems in addition to depriving plants of needed oxygen. Apply a mulch layer no more than one to three inches thick.

• Thoroughly water newly installed wood or bark mulches.  

• Feed your to garden soils before applying wood–derived mulches.  Lightly incorporate a source of nitrogen such as bloodmeal, urea, or a high nitrogen lawn fertilizer before applying mulch, and your landscaping will be good to go.

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Make the work you do on your landscaping count.  Take the time to occasionally water and rake your mulch, and you will enjoy the effects all season.