The Great Coverup: Which Mulch is Best For You?

Saturday March 26, 2005

The great coverup: Which mulch is best for you?
By ELAN MIAVITZ, Collier County Extension Service
March 26, 2005

Spring is here and the garden beckons us to return. Time to prune overgrown shrubs and trees, plant new annuals, vegetables and vines for summer enjoyment.

A reapplication of mulch is needed in home gardens and landscapes, too. The benefits of using organic mulches can not be overstated. A mulched garden 1) looks better; 2) conserves water; 3) reduces weed competition; 4) returns some nutrients to the surrounding plantings; and 5) buffers soil temperature.

With so many types on the market, what is the best to use for our gardens? The following information is adapted from study on organic mulches conducted at the University of Florida by Mary Duryea, professor and extension specialist in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation.

When you're reapplying mulch this spring season or considering to purchase another type for a new or old area of the garden, review the following information before you buy. from University of Florida fact sheets available on the Web at www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu or from the Collier County Master Gardener Clinic at 353-2872. (fact sheet numbers to seek follow their titles):

"Landscape Mulches: What are the Choices in Florida"; FOR80

"Landscape mulches: How long do they retain their color?"; FOR68. .

"Landscape mulches: Will subterranean termites consume them?" ;FOR79.

Current statistics show that 60 percent of Florida's landscape mulch sold at home and garden centers is cypress and 20 percent is pine-bark mulch. "Red mulch" composed of either mixed hardwoods or recycled wood waste (and often dyed a red color) make up 17 percent. Pine-straw, eucalyptus, and melaleuca mulches only make up about 1 percent of the sales each.

Of all the choices that exist to the consumer today, the following descriptions should help to tell them apart and help the gardener come to a decision.

Pine bark is made up of 2 to 3 inch length pieces and is a by product of the forest industry. When paper or lumber are harvested, the bark of Pinus elliottii or Pinus taeda must be stripped from those trees. The bark and some wood ends up being chipped into various nuggets that are bagged or sold bulk.

Pine straw is harvested from pine plantation floors. Pine straw has been more prevalent in communities, commercial sites, and golf courses with pine flatwood forests adding a more natural look. Pine straw can be harvested, baled and sold to landscapers and garden centers.

Cypress mulch is created from two species of cypress, Taxodium distichum and Taxodium distichum var. nutans. Cypress mulch is composed of both wood and bark. Cypress trees grow in oak-gum-cypress wetlands that currently cover 3.6 million acres in Florida. Lumber, fencing, siding, flooring, paneling, furniture and other products are produced from these wetland trees. Mulch is often the waste product from these timber products although mulch more recently is produced from whole trees.

Eucalyptus mulch currently used in our medians and many developments is produced from trees grown in plantations. Plantations of Eucalyptus grandis (which may be seen used as a hedgerow in some older county developments) are grown in central and south Florida. The entire tree is chopped into chips or shredded into mulch.

Melaleuca mulch, a relatively new mulch product developed by Forestry Resources and Supply, is created from removing this invasive exotic tree, whole, from native plant communities. Thanks to the research efforts, an eco-friendly product has been developed that wont spread the nemesis — don't worry; you won't have melaleuca seedlings sprouting in your flower garden.

Whole trees are harvested, chipped, shredded, and composted to kill all weed seeds. The great thing about melaleuca mulch is that it repels subterranean termites and lasts more than two years in the landscape. For more information on melaleuca mulch, visit Forestrys commercial office on Domestic Ave. off of Airport-Pulling Road or go to www.gomulch.com.

Mixed hardwoods are bottomland or upland forests used for paper or wood production. The scraps of this industry, both bark and wood, are ground, shredded, sometimes dyed, and bagged for mulch.

Yard waste includes grass, shrub, and trees taken from yearly clippings. Larger materials can be home-composted onsite and recycled in the landscape or chipped to produce mulch. University of Florida Home Composting fact sheets on how to do this. Compost, a versatile product, can be used as a top dressing or soil amendment for vegetables, flowers and containers.

Utility mulch is so named because it comes from utility companies clearing electrical lines. A $3 billion business, all the plant material, limbs and leaves are chipped into mulch. The plant species vary from community to community but the greatest concern is over weed seeds.

Recycled Wood Waste is recycled waste construction material that would otherwise be taken to the landfills. Most of the wood is fir, pine, spruce or other softwood. The wood products are ground and shredded into mulch and the nails removed. In some instances the mulch is dyed.

Price, longevity, harvesting environmental impacts, color, and insect resistance all have a part in our decision for garden mulches. Consider all this before making a purchase and changing the look of your home landscape this season. Happy spring to you.

Elan Miavitz is the urban horticulture educator with the Collier County University Extension. E-mail queries can be sent to the Collier County Master Gardener Clinic at colliermg@ifas.ufl.edu or call 353-2872.