What Is The Best Mulch To Use Around Trees?

Tree care professionals prefer organic mulches, such as wood chips, pine needles, hard and soft wood bark, cocoa shells, leaves and compost mixes, as they decompose, improve soil structure and increase soil fertility. Shredded bark is one of the most common and least expensive types of mulch.

Tree care professionals prefer organic mulches, such as wood chips, pine needles, hard and soft wood bark, cocoa shells, leaves and compost mixes, as they decompose, improve soil structure and increase soil fertility. Shredded bark is one of the most common and least expensive types of mulch. It comes from a variety of sources, including cedars. Shredded bark is one of the best types of mulch for use on slopes and breaks down relatively slowly.

As an added benefit, some crushed bark mulches are by-products of other industries and are considered environmentally friendly. See the mulch packaging for more information. When it comes to providing your new trees with the best mulch, you’ll want to choose an all-natural mulch (our favorite mulches are made from tree bark or recycled wood chips). Research from Kansas State University found that if best mulching practices are followed, a young tree can benefit from a growth rate close to twice that of trees without mulch.

Tree and Shrub Mulching When planting new trees or shrubs, a deep layer of mulch can help get these larger landscape features off to a good start. Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of placing mulch around shrubs and trees, as well as the appropriate ways to apply mulch. But how much mulch is enough? And is it possible to use too much? As a general rule, one to three inches of mulch spread over the ground will serve to keep garden beds protected and weeds at bay. A thinner layer of mulch over a larger area is much better than a mulch volcano for the health and longevity of the tree.

Unfortunately, many people think that having a lot of mulch is good, so they create a mulch volcano around the base of the tree instead of spreading it over the root system. Learn from the gardening experts at HGTV about the types of mulch you should use and where to use it in the garden, along with other helpful tips on mulching flower beds and orchards. Inadequate mulching, such as a mulch volcano, can be fatal to the tree because of the risk of excess moisture entering the bark of the tree trunk. While mulching may seem like a simple part of gardening, there are some facts you should know about the different mulches you can use and the benefits of each.