Mulch – Choosing The Best Variety For Your Landscape

In order to achieve great plant health and longevity, it is necessary to choose the best mulch for your gardens and beds. Below are some of the most common types of mulch and their characteristics:

Brick Chips: This includes wood chips and bark. This type of mulch is commonly used for garden beds and container planting. It can also be used to retain water and prevent erosion if applied to slopes or steep embankments. The downfall to brick chips is that they may attract termites or other insects.

Pine Bark Nuggets: This is very coarse material. Made from pine bark, it is typically found in two-inch sizes or larger. Because of the bigger size it will decompose slowly and last longer, but be careful not to choose a nugget size that is larger than two inches as they will wash out during heavy rainfall.

Straw: Straw is best used in edible gardens. It should not be used in flower beds. It is a dense material that retains the water needed to make your vegetables thrive.

Red Mulch: This type of mulch can be dyed to the color of pine, cypress, and other mulch products. It is often combined with pressure-treated lumber. It is long lasting and fairly inexpensive. If using this, you should also add a touch of nitrogen fertilizer.

Double Shredded Hardwood: Hardwood mulch decomposes slowly. It is a great choice and it continues to breakdown and adds nutrients to the soil and plants. It is also great for suppressing weed growth.

Before you put your mulch down, make sure you thoroughly weed and water the area. Spread it evenly, about two inches thick. Paramount can handle this task for you! Call today to schedule your Spring Clean-Up which includes weeding, bed clean-up, and mulching.