Mulch is a necessity for any form of landscaping or gardening. It holds in moisture, stops weeds, and protects your plants during the winter. In fact, mulch mimics what you would see in any jungle or forest. If you’ve ever walked in a highly forested area, you’ve probably noticed that the ground is covered in twigs. That’s nature’s form of mulch, and it’s where humans got the idea.
The many different types of mulch are easy to obtain and put to good use. Find the mulch that’s perfect for your yard and flex your green thumb!
Bark Mulch
Bark mulch comes in two varieties: hardwood and softwood. Each consists of bits of tree bark that serve as the base of the mulch. Landscapers often offer different colors of bark mulch, created by dyeing the chips of tree bark to give them a more stylish appearance. Bark mulch is most useful for:
- Perennial trees and plants
- The areas around walkways
- Shrubs
Hardwood bark mulch also comes in different sizes. These range from small chips to large nuggets. Softwood bark is less rigid than hardwood. Pine mulch is a type of softwood that is acidic in nature. That means it will take longer to decompose than other forms of mulch.
Leaf Mulch
Fallen leaf mulch is the most accessible type. All you have to do is collect some fallen leaves to cover your landscaping area, and you’re done! Of course, you must gather leaf mulch during the fall, but it can stay on your landscaping year-round. Leaves are organic and mesh very well with soil. For this reason, leaf mulch is ideal for:
- Plant beds
- Weed prevention
- Trees
- Lawncare
A downside of leaf mulch is that leaves may have various types of plant diseases. If you’re going to use leaves for your mulch, you need to make sure they’re in optimal health.
Straw Mulch
There are many benefits of using straw mulch—it’s very affordable and has excellent water retention. Straw is one of the best types of mulch for preventing weeds in a garden or on your lawn. It will help protect your plants from various diseases and dangerous winter weather. Of the many different types of mulch, straw mulch is the best for at-home farmers who want to get an early winter start on their spring gardens.
Remember, whenever you’re choosing a mulch for your home landscaping project, consider the different purposes of each type of mulch. Some, like bark mulch, look better in landscaping, while others, such as straw and leaf mulch, fertilize and nourish your lawn and gardens.