Though working on your home’s landscape may not have made your list of New Year Resolutions, it is a great time to spruce up your curb appeal. It may be too early to be thinking of new plants, but it is a great time to apply mulch. In fact, the cooler weather and lack of mosquitoes, makes it the perfect time.
The local garden center has many choices when it comes to mulch. There have been many studies when it comes to the best mulch, but in the end they all pretty much accomplish the task. The one you like the most, is the best mulch for you.
Pine Bark Mulch
“Maybe you didn’t know pine bark comes in several sizes. Most gardeners only see the big chunks in the bags at garden centers. To us, they give a very coarse surface texture that does not blend in with as many of our plantings. Pine bark also comes in at least medium size chunks and fines. The fines are small pieces that give a very neat and uniform look to the flower beds and shrub plantings,” according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel
Now, there are some rules to using mulches no matter which one you choose:
• No more than an inch or two in annual and perennial beds.
• Up to three inches in other planted areas.
• Use as much as you want for walkways.
• Yard waste mulches can be used for walkways but otherwise should be composted.
• Keep mulches several inches to a foot from the base of plantings.
• Use no mulch or only a thin layer over the root balls or new trees and shrubs.
• Mulches can be applied up to the edge of root balls of new trees and shrubs.
• No mulch under citrus trees or keep it way back from the trunk.
It is important to remember to purchase a quality mulch. Those with weed seeds or hazardous chemicals will end up causing you more work and contaminate your soil.
As a leader in the mulching industry in Central Florida, Reliable Peat sells a variety of mulches and soil to both residential homeowners and commercial landscapers. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about mulch or soil. Don’t miss out on our Winter special, if you purchase a bulk order over 6 yards you can save 10%.
