Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [mulch]

Mulches are gardener-applied ground covers.

The term refers to a ground cover artificially applied to mimic natural leaf cover. Mulches are usually applied to provide nutrients, retain moisture, reduce erosion, for visual appearance, and/or suppress weed growth.

A range of different materials can be used for mulching, including wood chips, pine needles, leaves, cardboard, manure, compost, grass clippings, and gravel. Note that most of these are organic in origin and will eventually break down. Some will provide nutrients (e.g. compost) whilst others will change the soil chemistry and deter the growth of particular plants (e.g. pine needles).

Use these tags for all questions about applying mulches. Questions about specific mediums (e.g. "how to create compost") should use the appropriate tag instead. Use the mulch tag for questions about applying these mediums.

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Preparing ground for reforestation / grass clippings for mulch

I'm at the earliest stages of toying with planting a food forest or reforesting part of my property (in rural Auckland - Zone 9a I think). The ground is mainly unmaintained grass and weeds sitting on clay soil - luckily on ground that is not overly…
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Can mulch/gravel protect soil against cockchafer?

Last year I had a big problem with cockchafer (or some other bug, maybe Japanese beetle) grubs in my potted plants. I wonder if covering the soil with mulch or gravel can prevent bugs from getting into the pots and laying eggs there. Does anyone…
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How to feed and mulch fruit bushes

I found some good information on looking after fruit trees of types common in the UK here (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=539) Essentially: Clear ground of grass around the trunk Apply appropriate fertiliser in late winter/early…
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Decorative Mulching Options for Base of Tree?

I'd like to put something decorative in the circle of dirt between the mulch ring and the base of a tree. Are there any options that are considered acceptable? A thin layer of decomposed granite? Same thing pea gravel? White stone? Large bark…
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Can gravel be used beneath wood chips for weed control?

I would like to put a picnic table in my front yard and I like the look of wood chips, but I don't like landscaping fabric. Would gravel, laid beneath the wood chips, prevent weed growth in this low-traffic area? Would the two mostly stay separate…
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Should I still add mulch on top of my garden bed when the soil already has mulch mixed in?

I filled my raised garden bed with Kellogg's raised bed and potting mix and have planted my vegetables (plants, not seeds). I've read that it's best to add a layer of mulch on top but this brand of soil already has mulch mixed in. Should I still add…
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I am considering mulch for my orchard but i worry about fire?

I am considering some types of mulch for my orchard but I am really worried about fire. We have about three month(summer) without any rainfall and humidity is about 20-30%. For example if I use hay or straw It would be like gasoline under trees…
Mehdi Azizi
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Anyone here using wood mulch for their succulents?

I've been wanting to create a succulent garden and I've been doing alot of info gathering on how to provide the best care/environment for such plants. Everything was going fine untill mulching became a topic of research. When it came to opinion…
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Using mulch over cyclamen bulbs

I intend to plant cyclamen coum bulbs this fall. My plan is to lay hardware cloth over the bulbs to protect them from squirrels, and cover that with mulch. Cyclamen coum are very sensitive to planting depth, and prefer to be planted close to the…
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Cooked rice and peanut shells?

Some background: I’m a beginner gardener (and that’s being generous) with a rooftop and a balcony, so everything I grow, if it survives, is in planters and pots. But I know almost nothing about gardening. With that said, Ive read that I can use…
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Mulch/compost over partially exposed roots

Location is Portland, Oregon. TL;DR I want to plant shrubs and shade tolerant ornamentals under trees in one corner of my lot. The soil is clayey and very compacted, and due to long-term slow erosion the tops of some of the tree roots are partially…
Jim Garrison
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Does cardboard suffocate plant roots?

I decided I need a community garden plot this year, and since I do a cardboard cover barrier will plant roots be able to survive under the cardboard, or are they going to suffocate due to a lack of oxygen?
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Mulch + raised garden for a desert water saving Vegetable Garden?

I am planning a raised bed vegetable garden in dry Southern California. I wish to produce food in my dry climate, and am concerned for possible future water restrictions. Besides the water savings from a raised bed garden, I understand that a layer…
Jon Galt
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What do I do with this pile of branches, collected from pruning?

After pruning my trees I piled up branches and I was thinking of shredding these with some wood shredder and using them as mulch. But unfortunately there is no shredder nearby this village and I can't do it. My options are: Get rid of them (Burn…
Mehdi Azizi
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Are they snails in the mulch?

Are they snails? They are in mulch of my mulberry tree. I read they are dangerous to plants. What should I do? https://youtube.com/shorts/NlB4EqgUm_o
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