5 Mulch Secrets of Professional Landscapers You Can Use in Your Yard Today

What is the best kind of mulch to use? Are there some types of mulch that will do more harm than good? Will mulching your flower beds turn them into dens for undesirable insects? You may only know mulch from the big heavy bags at the local home improvement store, but there is actually some hard science behind the shredded bark. Landscapers know how to manipulate prettily colored wood chips in their favor - now you can, too!

What is the big Deal with Mulch?

Flower beds look really pretty after you apply a fresh layer of mulch. Yet the benefits of mulching are more than just a layer deep. First and foremost, mulching prevents the easy germination and spread of weed seeds in your flower beds. Secondly, mulch offers water conserving properties as it shields the soil from the sun's heat and the wind's dryness. The wood chips discourage pets and other fauna from digging in areas where you have planted ornamental flora. Last but not least, organic mulch gradually decomposes. In so doing it improves soil qualities.

1. Color-enhanced Mulch stays true to its Shade

Pass by the tinted mulches that turn gray after a season of heavy sun exposure. Although they still offer the water-saving benefits of other brands, their lack of colorfastness calls for frequent replacement. If color matters to you, opt for a color-enhanced mulch that is guaranteed to keep its hues even after months of sun exposure. While some weathering is to be expected, these brands maintain their tints for multiple seasons - usually up to three years.

2. There is a Place for partly decomposed Mulch

Let me be honest here: Partially decomposed mulch is not much to look at. It will do precious little to dress up your landscape. Even so, professional landscapers know that this product is a perfect addition for some yards, especially if these landscapes feature problem spots. If you have a flower bed or bare corner where nothing grows, virtually everything seems to suffer stunted growth -- or merely dies -- partly decomposed mulch is a perfect soil enhancer. Apply it over soil treatments to maintain moisture levels and, during the next growth season, it adds top soil that might leave the soil is ready to host some flora.

3. Quantity matters

Do not try to save money when mulching. For maximum effectiveness, buy enough bags to allow you to spread a three- to four inch deep blanket of mulch. The one-inch deep spread might let the bags go a lot further but -- other than some cosmetic improvement -- there is little value to the application.

4. Flora and Nature dictate Mulch Preferences

Did you know that pine needle mulch is a perfect fit for acid-loving plants, such as Ohio buckeye, Russian olive or the Colorado blue spruce? If run-off from the home's gutters routinely washes out a flower bed, mid-sized pebble mulch is a much better option than large wood chips; the heavier pebbles are more likely to stay in place than the lighter wood.

5. Mulch Mistakes to avoid

Professional landscapers know that the color-enhanced mulch is not as organic as some of the packaging would lead you to believe. Raw materials vary from reused pallets to waste wood. Some of these scraps have been treated with fungicides, which makes them useless for the organic gardener. Rocks as mulch can look gorgeous, but in high-sun-exposure areas the pebbles are likely to bake your plants. Choose rock mulch only for shaded areas or partial sun exposures. Very wet flowerbeds will do better without mulch; it sounds counter-productive - I know, I have been singing the praises of mulching throughout this entire article - but if you apply mulch to a very wet locale, you are likely to encourage slug and snail populations to explode.

More by Sylvia Cochran

4 Gardening Secrets for a Bountiful Fall Harvest

Balcony Butterfly Gardens for Beginners

The Newbie Gardener's To-Do List for the Fall Garden