Mulches: Myth vs Reality. Part 3: "Spring Or Fall"

There's a lot to be said for mulching at both of the key gardening times of the year; the beginning and end of The Gardening Season: Spring and Fall.

To mulch or not to mulch, is not the question; how much to mulch is.

Mulching to two (2") inches in the Spring insures a fresh look to your Planted Gardens and really makes the plants stand-out as they make their way back to life and rebloom. And if you use annuals as fillers, it makes them look all the better. Plus a good solid layer of quality mulch improves the poor soils that are endemic to this area, holds moisture in and acts as a moderate weed barrier. Once again, don't use fresh wood chips, poorly-composted or treated mulch, or you and your Garden will pay a hefty price.

"Treated Mulch" means that herbicides, fungicides or pesticides (or all three) have been sprayed onto the still-rotting wood to reduce weed growth, fungus or termites and earwigs that live in junk or "hot" (composted less-than-2 years) mulch. Or maybe these deceitful people have used "fillers" such as mushroom compost or a local paper mill's toxic, carcinogenic sludge (read Dioxins and Furans) to bulk up the weight and you're actually not getting what you think or what you're paying for.These added chemicals can kill your plants and grass, plus cause deadly reactions (read cancers) to your children and pets if no precautions are taken against continued direct skin contact or ingestion. Fresh wood chips will turn your plants yellow, since the chips need bacteria to break down the wood celulose, and the bacteria needs the plants' nitrogen to live on as it decomposes the wood chips.

We don't carry treated mulch of any kind. Nor should you buy any treated mulch; it contains harmful and perhaps deadly chemicals that no one should have to deal with in any garden. If someone says they sell treated mulch, it's because it's cheap, substandard garbage in the first place, and you should simply hang up the phone and call us for the best Double-Shredded Premium Dark Bark Natural Mulch available anywhere.