To mulch or not to mulch

Once you’ve decided on your garden plan and design, the finishing touch is often using mulch around your plants. Mulch has many benefits, plus it looks great!

Mulch plays an important role for healthy plants and a happy garden. It can stop weeds from growing by limiting how much sun they get. Mulch also absorbs water, so reduces evaporation on hot days and helps to retain the moisture for your plants. It is important to note, limit your mulch depth to between two to four inches at the most and keep a few inches distance away from plants to allow for proper air flow around plants.

Another great advantage to using mulch is for pest control. Mulch is usually made of different types of tree bark. Some contain natural oils that will repel some of the unwanted insects, thus keeping them away from your plants. A natural, untreated mulch can also be the ideal home for certain insects in our ecosystem and these insects can be beneficial to your garden.

Lastly, mulch can protect your garden soil from erosion. This means that it can help keep it from deteriorating and keep it in place, safe from heavy rainfalls, high winds and ice and snow.

The only reason we recommend not using any mulch would be in areas that are already too wet and damp naturally.