Mulches and Weed Barriers
SHREDDED HARDWOOD
1-2" shreds of bark; darkens with age; coarse; decays rapidly
PROS: Enriches the soil, Good dark color, Affordable
CONS: Breaks down quickly
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Good around trees and shrubs and large areas.
Can be used with larger perennials.
Average depth for landscape uses: 2-3 inches.
SHREDDED CYPRESS
1-2" shreds of reddish wood; grays with age; coarse; long-lasting
PROS: Can last for years, Rot resistant
CONS: Pieces tend to be large; more expensive than most
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Good around trees and shrubs and large areas.
Can be used with larger perennials.
Average depth for landscape uses: 2-3 inches.
SHREDDED CEDAR
1-2" shreds of reddish wood; gets slightly darker with age; coarse;
PROS: Good, rich color, Rot resistant, Affordable
CONS: Not as available, Not available bulk
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Good around trees and shrubs and large areas. Can be used with larger perennials.
Average depth for landscape uses: 2-3 inches.
CEDAR CHIPS
Chips of light wood; darkens slightly with age; coarse texture
PROS: Light color, Rot resistant, Moderate price
CONS: Not available bulk, Very large pieces, Raw appearance
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Good around large trees and shrubs. Average depth for landscape use: 3 inches.
VITA BARK NUGGETS
Various sizes of red/brownbark chips; lightens slightly with age; texture varies
PROS: Lightweight, Holds the color, Moderate price
CONS: Not available bulk, May shift/move
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Good around large trees and shrubs.
Small size can be used with larger perennials.
Average depth for landscape use: 3-4 inches.
SHREDDED LEAVES
Small shreds of dark brown leaves; darkens with age; fine texture
PROS: Little or no cost, Readily available, Adds organic matter
CONS: Mats if not shredded, May acidify soil
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Excellent for winter mulching and around smaller perennials. Average for winter mulch: 3-6 inches. Average depth for summer mulch: 2-3 inches.
COCOA BEAN HULLS
Dark brown hulls, Fine texture
PROS: Lightweight, Fine Texture, Nice fragrance
CONS: May shift around, Degrades quickly, Sometimes molds
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Excellent for annuals and perennials. Can be used with landscape plantings.
Average depth for landscape use: 1-2 inches.
HAY
Long blades; dull green color; darkens with age; fine texture
PROS: Lightweight, Inexpensive, Good insulator
CONS: May introduce lots of weed seeds. Can mat down when wet
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Excellent for winter mulching. Average depth for winter mulch: 3-6 inches.
PINE NEEDLES
4–6” needles; reddish/brown; darkens with age; decays slowly
PROS: Beautiful, acidifies the soil, lightweight
CONS: Hard to find, acidifies the soil, sharp points
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Excellent around acid loving plants. Average depth for landscape use: 2-3”
STRAW
Slender long hollow stems, bright golden; darkens with age; decays slowly
PROS: Slow to pack down, insulates well, affordable
CONS: Slow to compost, may introduce weed seeds
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Excellent winter insulation, average depth for winter use: 6-12”
ROCK
Varies in color and size; keeps color; does not decay
PROS: Lasts forever, stays in place
CONS: Compacts soil, Heavy, Hard to clean, lasts forever
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Sometimes used around landscape plants. Average depth 2-3”
GRASS CLIPPINGS
Dull green to tan; lightens at first, then darkens with age; breaks down quickly
PROS: No cost, readily available
CONS: Could damage if weed killers have been used, can steal nitrogen
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Most commonly used in vegetable gardens. Average depth: can be built up but needs to go down in thin layers or it will smother plants.
COMPOST
Medium to dark brown; darkens with age; decays readily
PROS: Adds humus, fertilizes, warms soil
CONS: Disappears quickly
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Does a great job around perennials. Great in the vegetable garden. Average depth: 1-2”
WOOD CHIPS
Large light colored chips of various types of wood; gray then darkens
PROS: Affordable
CONS: Can steal nitrogen, Variable in size
Recommended Uses and Depth:
Used in large landscaped areas. Average depth for landscape use: 3”
Weed Barriers Used Under Mulch
NEWSPAPER
Gray sheets of paper, needs to be covered right away
PROS: Weed suppression, cheap, degrades
CONS: Breaks down quickly
Recommended Uses
Good for flower and vegetable. DO NOT USE SLICK COLORED SHEETS. Use 3-4 sheets thick.
PLASTIC
Lasts 3-5 years; black or clear
PROS: Affordable, warms the soil
CONS: Problem with water and air circulation
Recommended Uses
Commonly used under rock mulches and in vegetable gardens. Warms the soil.
FABRIC
Lasts 5-15 years; Black or dark gray
PROS: Allows air and water to flow freely. Longest lasting
CONS: More expensive than most barriers
Recommended Uses
Best used for landscape plants and clump growing perennials. Best for the health of the plants.
©Bachman's 2008
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