What is wood mulch?
Wood Mulch is material made from organic products and used as decorative landscape ground cover. It improves soil and helps conserve water usage. As it decomposes, it releases nutrients into the soil while adding to the attractiveness of your landscape or garden. Retaining moisture, it also reduces the growth of weeds. Wood mulches are a very popular choice, and if you decide to use this ground cover, be sure to prepare the area for mulch.
How To Choose The Best Type For Your Needs
There are many types to choose from. An explanation of the pros and cons of some major types follows.
Bark Mulch is an often chosen mulch because of its attractiveness. It provides a solid barrier which greatly reduces water loss due to evaporation. Most bark mulch, however, decomposes slowly due to its large sized chips. Shredded bark mulch may not look quite as nice, but will decompose quicker and therefore, more readily provide nutrients to the soil.
The best of wood mulch is Cedar Mulch. Cedar mulch has natural oils that repel insects, therefore is a great choice in areas where termites are common. It costs more initially, but well worth the investment if pest control is an issue.
Another popular mulch is Colored Mulch. This is shredded wood or wood chips that have been died a reddish color. Adding Colored Mulch to your landscape can enhance the look of your yard or garden, adding color and vibrancy to the overall look of your property. This type of mulch costs more, so the importance to you of the appearance of your landscaping must be weighed against price.
Natural Colored Mulch is wood mulch that is “naturally” colored. The lower cost of this type of wood mulch appeals to many homeowners. With the same benefits such as water retention, weed prevention and decomposing benefits, they are a popular choice.
Wood Shavings or Pine Peelings are the products of larger milling processes. They are collected and sold as wood mulch. This type of mulch may not be as attractive, but it does serves its purpose especially if you’re on a tight budget. Pine or other wood shavings or peelings can be found at local lumber yards or wood supplier.
Bark Mulch Warning
The prevalence of wood boring insect pests in your area is something you need to take into consideration if you are going to use bark mulch. For example, wood mulch is a favorite feeding ground for termites that prefer dead wood. Talking to a pest control or landscape contractor if you do live in such an area would be a good idea before buying wood mulch. Preventing future maintenance problems that causes larger problems down the road is well worth the investigation. If there are no termite problems in your local area, some type of wood mulch is a great investment and choice for your landscape. Wood mulches are the most attractive and performing mulches on the market.