What is the best mulch for landscape plants?

Answer 1

It depends on where you live and what your personal preferences are.

I go for hardwood mulch because I think it looks friendlier and it's easier to change plants around.

Grass clippings are good, but too much can make the soil too full of nitrogen - or so I've read - which isn't good for the plants.

Some people use rock but I think they retain heat and can bake the plants.

Happy Gardening.

PS - snopes.com says the rumors about mulch from home improvement stores carrying termites from Katrina trees is false

Answer 2

If your intent is only to use it as a top dressing, then yes, just about any shredded plant material will do, but you will want to be careful of anything containing seeds. Generally clean wood chips look good and work well too. You may even contact a local tree service to see whether they can dump a load of clean chips in your yard, but you'd better need a lot of it.

If you intend to mix it into the soil, it must be fully composted first, otherwise it will decompose under the soil, taking up all the available nitrogen along with it.

Another thought for anyone having a tree removed. If you have the stump ground out, the chips left in the soil will do the same thing, rob all the nitrogen from the soil and leave nothing for anything planted in that soil, so be sure to clear that all out. Of course that soil can even be used as a top dressing too.

Answer 3

I use cypress mulch, termites don't like it, however they are making a rubber mulch that is awesome, it is a bit pricey but will hold up alot longer and comes in several colors, it is fade resistant, just type in rubber mulches and do a web search, you can see the colors offered and it can be ordered on line, in the long run it would be cheaper that adding wood mulch every year.

Answer 4

It depends on what kind of plants you are using the mulch on. Will plants require a more acidic soil or alcholi soil when the mulch starts to decay. This will greatly affect the kind of plants you intend to put in the mulch. Goos Luck!

Answer 5

I once saw a comparison test of about 12 different mulch/soil conditioners. The winner was redwood compost. It's not that expensive but I've been using grass clippings lately....and they are free!!!!

Answer 6

not any from New Orleans.Bama
make sure you ask the company you purchase your mulch from where the had theirs shipped from...i hear that there are toxins from Katrina in Mulch made/shipped from that area

Answer 7

whatever is at hand, especially grass clippings will work just fine if the purpose is merely to protect the soil from drying and reduce weed growth.

If appearance is important, large bark chips are very attractive.

Answer 8

i use cypress mulch in my gardens.

Answer 9

Miracle grow?