Are you preparing for a major landscaping project? Considering choosing a different type of mulch this year? When it comes to lining your garden beds, there are a lot of options to choose from. We’ve compiled a few tips to help you pick the right product for you. When you are ready to place your order, simply visit our online order form and get your lawn project started.
Terrain Matters
Mulch nuggets can wash away easily on sloped terrain. If you are putting mulch on an area with hills or a steep pitch, be sure to choose a mulch that contains small nuggets or wood pieces of various sizes. In contrast, larger pine nuggets are great for flat areas. The larger pieces take longer to decompose and will hold up better as it filters water more quickly than mulch with smaller pieces.
Know Your Depths
Depending on what type of mulch you use, you will need to apply it differently. The general rule most people think of for mulch application is 3 inches. However, coarse nuggets should be 3 to 5 inches deep while shredded hardwood should only be 2 to 3 inches deep and loose straw should be applied up to 6 inches deep to protect plants in winter months.
Mulch Can Cook Plants
Darker varieties of bark mulch absorb more heat from the sun. This heat is radiated into the plants around it. If you are using a dark mulch, be aware of any areas that receive full sun. Be careful to select heat tolerant plants for these areas. You will also want to leave additional space around tree trunks. About 8 inches of space between dark mulch and tree trunks will help prevent the mulch from making an oven around your tree.
Mulch is DIY-Friendly
Irrigation and swimming pool installation are best left to the professionals but mulch is a more reasonable project for a homeowner to take on. While spreading mulch is laborious work, it does not require a highly skilled professional. If you are a homeowner looking to save a few bucks on a large landscaping project, you can stretch your budget by leaving the grading and irrigation to the pros and spread the mulch yourself. National Site Materials makes this even easier with our free materials calculator and online homeowner order form.
Pine Straw vs. Mulch
Mulch material selection largely comes down to personal preference. Pine straw is less likely to wash away in heavy rains and is a good insulator in the winter months. But keep in mind pine straw is acidic. While azaleas, junipers, magnolias and hydrangeas will appreciate the acidity, other plants may not fare well as the pine straw decomposes and mixes with the soil. Pine straw is also considered less effective against weeds but weeds are generally easier to remove by the root through pine straw.
Wood mulch offers a wide variety in size, texture and color. When you select your mulch color, be sure to keep in mind that as it dries out, the color will lighten, sometimes dramatically. If you opt to use a wood mulch, be sure to leave space around your houses foundation and any wooden structures. When mulch lines these areas too closely, it can trap moisture and promote termite infestations.
Try One and See What You Think
Thankfully, mulch is not a permanent fixture. If you try out a particular type one year and decide you don’t like it, you can simply switch to a different type the next year. Mulch is generally reapplied once or twice a year. Unless the type of mulch you have chosen is causing serious problems, you can simply lay a different type of mulch over top of it. If you have a thick layer of material remaining when you go to spread the your new mulch, you may want to rake some of it away and dispose of it with your household yard waste.
National Site Materials currently offers:
- Horse Bedding
- Pine Bark
- Pine Straw
- Red Mulch
- Eucalyptus
- Cypress
- Black Mulch
- Brown Mulch
Order Online Today!
National Site Materials offers a two online order forms to help make ordering quick and easy. Contractors can use our Contractor Order Form while residential customers can use the Homeowners Order Form. With either form, all you need to do is tell us what materials you need along with when and where you need them delivered. Our order fulfillment team will handle the rest.