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Mulching
What is the function of mulch?
Mulch insulates the plants, moderating the soil temperature from both extreme hot and cold. It also helps retain moisture
In the soil, allowing more water to be taken up by the plants and less lost to evaporation. Mulch will help control weeds by
blocking sunlight from reaching seeds on or in the soil. Mulch can also help prevent erosion and is a natural fertilizer for
Your plants.
What is a good mulch?
A good mulch is an organic product that is ground fine enough that it has already began decomposing. It is very important
That the mulch is finely shredded and is decomposing before you install it. If you install freshly ground mulch or larger chips,
They will require nitrogen to begin decomposing. Those types of mulch actually take the nitrogen out of the soil and limit the
Growth of your plants.
There are many different types of good mulch. In my opinion the mulch that we have most accessible in the Twin Cities is
Western Red Cedar. It is very finely shredded and creates a dense mat to hold moisture in and help prevent weed growth.
Like cedar construction lumber, cedar mulch is resistant to many animals and insects and is slow to decompose, allowing
longer times between reapplying. Hardwood mulches, both natural and dyed, are good products as well, but they break
down in about one year and you may need to reapply more often than with Western Red Cedar.
Why not to use fabric or poly under mulch?
Mulch is a natural organic material that over time will decompose and become soil. Plants will start to grow roots into the
Soil that is above the fabric. Those roots will be very susceptible to insects, disease, and temperature extremes. The
Plants will not be nearly as healthy as plants grown in areas without fabric.
If a fabric is installed under mulch, that soil layer will remain on top of the fabric. After a year or so, weeds will begin growing
on top of the fabric and are extremely difficult to pull out without ripping out the fabric. The short term benefit that you get
From installing the fabric will quickly become a long term problem.
How to apply mulch?
It is best to keep a layer of 3-4” of mulch on your beds. You should be extremely careful not to pile mulch up the stems of
Trees or single stemmed shrubs. Piling mulch on the stems will help create a likely fatal problem for the plants called
Stem Girdling Roots. Most plants will not show signs of this for several years, until it is too late to fix.
AVOID THE MULCH VOLCANO. Apply the mulch around plants in a donut shape, covering the root system, but keeping
the mulch a few inches away from the trunk. You should always be able to see the area of the trunk where the roots
begin to flare out from the stem.
What is the function of mulch?
Mulch insulates the plants, moderating the soil temperature from both extreme hot and cold. It also helps retain moisture
In the soil, allowing more water to be taken up by the plants and less lost to evaporation. Mulch will help control weeds by
blocking sunlight from reaching seeds on or in the soil. Mulch can also help prevent erosion and is a natural fertilizer for
Your plants.
What is a good mulch?
A good mulch is an organic product that is ground fine enough that it has already began decomposing. It is very important
That the mulch is finely shredded and is decomposing before you install it. If you install freshly ground mulch or larger chips,
They will require nitrogen to begin decomposing. Those types of mulch actually take the nitrogen out of the soil and limit the
Growth of your plants.
There are many different types of good mulch. In my opinion the mulch that we have most accessible in the Twin Cities is
Western Red Cedar. It is very finely shredded and creates a dense mat to hold moisture in and help prevent weed growth.
Like cedar construction lumber, cedar mulch is resistant to many animals and insects and is slow to decompose, allowing
longer times between reapplying. Hardwood mulches, both natural and dyed, are good products as well, but they break
down in about one year and you may need to reapply more often than with Western Red Cedar.
Why not to use fabric or poly under mulch?
Mulch is a natural organic material that over time will decompose and become soil. Plants will start to grow roots into the
Soil that is above the fabric. Those roots will be very susceptible to insects, disease, and temperature extremes. The
Plants will not be nearly as healthy as plants grown in areas without fabric.
If a fabric is installed under mulch, that soil layer will remain on top of the fabric. After a year or so, weeds will begin growing
on top of the fabric and are extremely difficult to pull out without ripping out the fabric. The short term benefit that you get
From installing the fabric will quickly become a long term problem.
How to apply mulch?
It is best to keep a layer of 3-
Stem Girdling Roots. Most plants will not show signs of this for several years, until it is too late to fix.
AVOID THE MULCH VOLCANO. Apply the mulch around plants in a donut shape, covering the root system, but keeping
the mulch a few inches away from the trunk. You should always be able to see the area of the trunk where the roots
begin to flare out from the stem.