What Is Mulch?

Mulch is a landscape staple and a great help to your garden. If you’re new to gardening or lawn care, we’ll show you what mulch is and the difference between organic and inorganic mulch. In short, mulch is any material you use to cover your soil.

When properly applied, mulch retains the soil’s moisture, minimizes erosion, and prevents weeds from growing. It’s also very attractive, and is an important part of any home’s landscaping.

What Is Mulch Made Of?

Mulch can be almost anything. As long as you’re using it to cover the bare soil in your landscape, it’s mulch. That isn’t to say that you should be using, for example, nuts and bolts as mulch (especially if you live in an arid region). However, any reasonable material that doesn’t harm your plants can be mulch. There are two basic types of mulch: organic and inorganic.

Here’s a rundown of organic and inorganic mulch:

Organic Mulch

Organic mulch is just what the name implies: a mulch made of organic material. Wood chips are a common choice for organic mulch, but they’re far from the only option. Organic mulches are better for retaining moisture around plants and regulating temperature, and will add nutrients to the soil.

Here’s a short list of common materials used as organic mulch:

• Wood chips
• Tree bark
• Leaves
• Grass clippings
• Pine needles
• Straw
• Sawdust
• Cocoa hulls
• Composted mushrooms
• Hazelnut shells

You can even have live mulch that’s composed of ground cover plants like creeping jenny or clover. Living mulch has the advantage of not needing to be replaced, but it does take valuable moisture and nutrients from your other plants.

Inorganic Mulch

The other option is inorganic mulch. Again, just like the name describes, this is mulch made out of inorganic matter, most commonly stone. Inorganic mulch has the advantage of being less of a fire hazard, as well as controlling weed growth better than organic mulch.

Inorganic mulch should be used in locations with lots of shade so that the mulch doesn’t overheat and is best for drought-tolerant plants that don’t require much water. It’s excellent for xeriscaping (never heard of it? Check out What is Xeriscaping?).

Some common types of inorganic mulch include:

• Seashells
• Stone
• Tumbled glass
• Plastic tarp
• Landscape fabric
• Rubber
• Reflective metal

Pros and Cons of Mulch

Mulch has several benefits for your plants, but when used wrong, it can also have its downsides. Check out some of the pros and cons of using mulch here:

Pros of Mulch

Mulch’s primary benefits are its aesthetic appeal and the weed protection it provides. It can be of great help to your garden as long as you use it correctly and don’t smother your plants with it.

Here’s a short list of the benefits of using mulch:
✓ Mulch helps retain moisture
✓ Mulch, especially inorganic mulch, protects against weeds
✓ Mulch provides protection against soil erosion
✓ Organic mulch adds nutrients to soil
✓ Mulch helps regulate soil temperature
✓ Mulch is more attractive than bare dirt

Cons of Mulch

Unfortunately, and surprisingly, mulch can also have its downsides. Particularly, mulch has the potential to rot plants and become a nest for pests. Most downsides are due to incorrect application, so you won’t have to worry about them too much so long as you know what you’re doing. Check out these guides for proper mulch application tips:

• How to Mulch Around Trees
• How to Improve Your Lawn With Mulch
• How Deep Should Mulch Be?
• How Often Should You Replace Mulch?

Here are some of the downsides of using mulch:
✗ Mulch can be expensive
✗ When applied wrong, mulch can rot plants
✗ Inorganic mulch can make plants overheat
✗ Pests can make nests in organic mulch
✗ Organic mulch needs to be reapplied periodically
✗ Improper sourcing for organic mulch can result in dyes leaching into your garden beds and the local groundwater
✗ Some mulches can blow away in strong wind and become shrapnel if they’re too light
✗ Some mulches, like landscape fabric, can suffocate soil life like worms
✗ Rock-based mulches make the soil difficult to dig in

FAQ About Mulch

What is the difference between compost and mulch?

Mulch is used on the top layer of soil to control weeds and aid in retaining moisture, whereas compost is used beneath the top layer to help enrich the soil itself. However, compost can be used as mulch when placed on the top soil layer.

Is mulch absolutely necessary?

While it’s not impossible to make a landscape without using any mulch, it’s certainly much more difficult. Without mulch, your hard work is far more susceptible to bad environmental conditions. For example, heavy rains can wash away your flower beds’ soil, weeds can sprout, and extreme temperatures can make your blooms wilt in no time flat.

To sum up, mulch isn’t a prerequisite for a landscape, but it is an extremely important component.

When is the best time to apply mulch?

The best time of year to apply mulch is in the springtime. Ideally, you would do it after a light rain. Mulch helps to slow down the soil warming up, so it will protect your soil from the summer heat. Fall is also a good time for new mulch.

How do I use grass clippings as mulch?

There are many different ways that you can use grass clippings as mulch. The simplest is to simply gather up your grass clippings after you’re done mowing and apply them to your garden beds.

Alternatively, if you have a compost pile, the grass clippings make a great addition to it. Just ensure that you don’t add the clippings if your grass has a disease or has been treated with herbicides.

Or, you can simply leave the grass clippings on your lawn to act as a protective mulch layer for your turf. Check out our guide on Reasons to Use Grass Clippings as Mulch.

Find Your Lawn Care Pros

Mulch can be a great help to your lawn, but you must ensure you’re using it properly. Proper mulching can mean the difference between a flourishing landscape and a dying one.

If you need help mulching your flower beds, contact landscaping professionals near you. They can keep your landscape looking beautiful and handle your mulching needs.

Main Photo Credit: RustyBucket / Pixabay

Austin Geiger

Austin Geiger is a lover of all things nature. He enjoys writing comprehensive, easy-to-swallow articles about pest management solutions, landscaping tips, and ways for people to help their local pollinators.

Posts by Austin Geiger