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Questions tagged [mulch]

Mulches are gardener-applied ground covers.

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37 votes
9 answers
9k views

What's the best mulch material for a vegetable garden?

I want to lay mulch down around my already established plants to help retain moisture and discourage weeds. Is there a recommended material for this? Or at least some materials I should know to ...
Shane's user avatar
  • 3,509
23 votes
3 answers
4k views

How should I use corrugated cardboard for mulch?

I tend to have a lot of corrugated cardboard boxes laying around, due to getting various things shipped to my house. I have heard of using cardboard for a mulching material, but I'm not sure exactly ...
baka's user avatar
  • 2,760
17 votes
1 answer
12k views

Does a pine needle mulch make your soil acidic?

This article from Colorado State University states that alkaline soils resist change but several years of heavy pine needle applications would create a somewhat more acid soil. This article ...
kevinskio's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
58k views

What are these curly mushroom-like growths in my mulch?

In one area of the garden in the house I bought couple of months back, we have mulch and recently we are seeing the following. Not sure if this is a mushroom or not. My current guess is that the mulch ...
yasouser's user avatar
  • 1,529
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can cereal boxes be used for mulch?

This question asks about using corrugated cardboard for mulch. In the comments and the answer there are some questions about glues and inks possibly having "bad stuff" that you might not want in the ...
bstpierre's user avatar
  • 41.8k
17 votes
1 answer
2k views

How much should I mulch my cherry tree?

I just planted a cherry tree, and it has a light amount of mulching (mostly fragments of dried-up mulch). I'm not sure if I've mulched enough, or if I can (or should) mulch it more. Is there some ...
ashes999's user avatar
  • 2,313
10 votes
4 answers
29k views

How do I fix the worst lawn on the street?

I inherited this Picasso last year when my wife and I bought our first home. Now, there is plenty of potential, but first and foremost I want to remove all the vegetation I don't want, which includes ...
MDMoore313's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

What time of year to mulch/feed trees?

This answer recommends putting down a layer of compost mulch in the fall in order to slowly feed the tree. (In addition to the unmentioned weed control and moisture regulation.) It makes sense to me -...
bstpierre's user avatar
  • 41.8k
5 votes
3 answers
8k views

What are the pros and cons of rubber vs wood mulches?

This question is just concerning the realm of landscaping for flowers around a house. We need to add mulch again this year, as the previous mulch has broken down enough that there are some thin spots ...
Mike Guthrie's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
572 views

How much mulch should I put in my vegetable gardens?

I have heard some conflicting info on this, but mostly "about 3 inches deep" is what I remember. Are there some veggies that need more than others?
Randy's user avatar
  • 1,533
16 votes
1 answer
479 views

What is the risk of soil contamination via leaf mulch/compost?

Soil in the city I live in is quite often contaminated with nasty things like arsenic and lead. Levels are sometimes twice or more what's considered acceptable. For this reason, people usually ...
intuited's user avatar
  • 519
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What's wrong with planting a tree deeper than the root flare, or mulching higher?

People tell you that when you plant a tree, you should plant the root flare level with the soil line. And when mulching, that you shouldn't pile the mulch up over the root flare. What harm can be ...
J. Musser's user avatar
  • 51.9k
8 votes
6 answers
7k views

What can be done with hazelnut shells?

I've found a lot of empty and broken hazelnut shells lying under huge hazelnut shrub. (Most of them were eaten by squirrels but some have worm holes). Is it safe to use them for composting (maybe ...
False Identity's user avatar
8 votes
6 answers
9k views

What are the pros/cons of different mulches?

I know there will be differing opinions on this subject, from different people. I, for one, have always used bark mulch, and can attest to the fact that when used properly, it will build soil and grow ...
J. Musser's user avatar
  • 51.9k
6 votes
3 answers
6k views

What kind of mulch should I avoid for vegetable garden paths?

I checked out this question about what kind of mulch to use around plants. But this year I want to make some extra fancy victory-garden style paths around the places I'd probably just trample anyway ...
Peter Turner's user avatar
  • 9,201
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Sequoia needles as mulch or compost

I live in Portland, OR and I have a 100+ ft sequoia in my back yard. Keeping up with the falling needles/leaves is a year-round project. I've often wondered if they would make good compost. And ...
emersonthis's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
483 views

Is bark mulch termite resistant?

We're looking to freshen the mulch on our property and our pest control company is asking us to only use termite-resistant mulch. The closest alternative the landscaper has is a top grade bark mulch. ...
Jefferson's user avatar
  • 133
2 votes
3 answers
10k views

Improving water retention in potted plants

I live in a temperate climate zone. I have plants on a west facing balcony- they get full sun from about midday till sunset. I don't have a tap on this balcony, but have put an extender on my hose ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

What fungus is this?

I've got several patches of this fungus growing in my mulch. It grows in roughly a circular patch, and produces these growths above the surface. The effected area binds together into a disk, and when ...
tom.dietrich's user avatar