Anonymous



I have to do it annually. We have too much wash away because of a sloped yard that goes into a creek. Costs a fortune, but I don't know what else to do.

Use pine needle mulch. They sell it in bales at nurseries. The needles interlock and will not wash down a slope.

If you have new beds, mulch twice a year for the first year or two. With new plantings you have a lot of seeds in the soil(seed load) that will grow all through the season and in to the fall. Established beds just need spring mulching and weeding. In the fall the growing season is over. So everything slows down...include the growth of weeds and the break down of the mulch.

Anonymous wrote:We pay gardeners to do it twice a year, spring and fall.

Ditto. It's about $700 or so to have them clear out the debris, pull weeds, edge, and put down all new mulch in Spring. In Fall its usually after all the leaves have been removed and you are prepping your plants to weather the coming cold months. That is a bit less because the prep work was diner when they remove the leaves.

Usual recommendation is to keep 3-6 inches away from all shrubs or trees. Also, when planting, don't plant too far into the hole - the break of the main root should be ABOVE the ground, not below.

Anonymous wrote:Why shouldn't mulch be put up against trees?

Don't put it up against the stems of shrubs either. Mulch against bark promotes rot and damage from wood-boring insects.

I usually add new mulch once per year, in the spring right as I'm planting annuals. In the early fall I "freshen" the mulch up, usually just by giving it a good rake. Late fall I cover perennial beds with mulched leaves and grass clippings, which I work into the beds in late March or so before those beds are very active.

New mulch, particularly high quality, can get expensive, but it provides good benefits for the plants and beds and makes the garden look attractive.

1x a year. Probably should be more, but 1x a year is all we seem to manage. Obviously we do not consider ourselves "gardeners."

Anonymous wrote:I have been researching recycled rubber mulch. It is made out of recycled tires. It more expensive up front but is guaranteed for 10-12 years depending on what kind you get. I am going to do a trial run with one bag and see how it goes. As long as it stays put, it should hopefully mean I wouldn't have to mulch for several years at a time.

you can complement with great plastic flowers and bushes: they last for years too, no need for watering ever, and the flowers are there all year, even in the winter.

Every year. Makes the yard look nice and cuts down on the weeding. Also holds water in the summer when it is so dry around here.

Why shouldn't mulch be put up against trees?

Fall, three inches, sometimes I do it sometimes I hire someone to do it. Make sure it does not get close to house foundation or up against trees.

I don't do it and I have an ok looking if not gorgeous yard.

I have been researching recycled rubber mulch. It is made out of recycled tires. It more expensive up front but is guaranteed for 10-12 years depending on what kind you get. I am going to do a trial run with one bag and see how it goes. As long as it stays put, it should hopefully mean I wouldn't have to mulch for several years at a time.

Thanks everyone!

I'll just have to plan on mulch being an annual expense.

I tried to do it myself last year and it was too overwhelming. In the fall, I finally hired someone to clean up the beds and put down mulch. But, they didn't put down very much and I feel like I should put down more soon - to help keep the weeds at bay which was my biggest problem last year. Since the beds are still in pretty good shape, I'm thinking it wouldn't be too difficult for me to prepare and mulch them myself - but may I'm just fooling myself again. Although this time I am going to get the mulch delivered.

We do it twice a year, in spring and fall, usually to replace what got raked away. Buy about 2x as much as you think you need - it doesn't go as far as you'd think. Arlington county has free mulch for haul-away - I think it's at a lot on Old Glebe Road. (downside is that free mulch is more likely to have weeds.)

Anonymous wrote:Not sure where you're located, but you can look into free mulch if you have a truck or could borrow one. Fairfax County I-66 transfer station offers free mulch.

Never again will I use the free mulch. Too much fungus in it. Destroyed my beds and the hideous spores it produced were something out of a scifi movie.