Got Sick Plants? Get Rid of Your Mulch Now

Mulch serves several purposes. It provides a layer of insulation that keeps the soil moist and helps it retain optimal temperatures. Weeds have trouble breaking through it, and as organic mulch breaks down, it feeds the soil. But mulch isn't always good for plants.

How did your plants fair last year? Did they grow as robustly as usual? Did you notice any brown, yellow or grey spots? Discolored leaves? Dropped foliage? Any of these can be signs of plant disease. Not all diseases are serious. Some just make your plants look ugly or sick.

During the winter months, the signs of most plant fungal and disease infestations disappear with the foliage on your plant. But they don't die. They overwinter in the mulch at the base of your plant. This insulating layer allows fungi and disease to weather the cold and come back even stronger next year.

Put on a pair of gardening gloves and grab a trash bag. Scoop out all of the mulch from your garden bed and chuck it. Make sure to get all of the dead leaves too. Tie the bag up and throw it away far from your garden bed.

If the winter temperatures are mild and rarely drop below freezing, you don't need to replace the mulch. If your plants can't weather the low temperatures alone, replace the mulch with gravel or other types of inorganic mulch.

In spring, when it's clear that your plants are free of disease you can go back to organic mulch if you like. My favorite type of mulch is pine bark chips. It decays slowly and provides a little resistance against fungal growth.

Don't make the mulch layer any deeper than three inches. Once you're done spreading, scoop the mulch away from the base of your plants. There should be one inch of bare soil around each plant's base. When mulch touches the base of a plant it actually encourages the development of fungi and plant disease.