Mulches for tree

[Green-Moo]

Could anyone advise me on the best mulches to use around the base of new trees please? I'm looking to suppress weeds and to retain moisture.

[Serenity]

Any new plantings I have I just buy a standard bag of mulch from the garden center. Organic mulches are probably the best quality of all but I'm too cheap to pay the price for them! :p I like to scatter the bark types on top. It really does help prevent the soil drying to a crisp.

[SageMother]

We are fortunate. The city has a free mulch give away every May. This year it is on May 3rd. The mulch is made from discarded Christmas trees and might be something that would work for your situation.

Does your city have a free mulch day?

[tater03]

You're so lucky that your community has free mulch day. We don't have that. I have used the red mulch around my trees.

[Green-Moo]

Thankyou for the posts. My area does not have a free mulch day, and I will not be buying something in to use. Tater, what is a red mulch? What's in it?

Currently I use a layer of cardboard or cotton based fabric for it's weed suppressant qualities, topped with something like dried bracken, straw or similar to make it look better.

[SageMother]

Thankyou for the posts. My area does not have a free mulch day, and I will not be buying something in to use. Tater, what is a red mulch? What's in it?

Currently I use a layer of cardboard or cotton based fabric for it's weed suppressant qualities, topped with something like dried bracken, straw or similar to make it look better.

Your solution sounds like the easiest, least expensive, and most eco-friendly.

I knew a lady who used shredded newspaper as compost. I wonder if plain, uncolored newsprint would work as part of a mulch mixture as well?

[mom2manyboyz]

I put down a layer of cardboard or paper sack to suppress the weeds. We have so many trees on our property that I run fallen limbs or dead trees through a chipper I bought a few years ago and make my own mulch. I use the mulch on top of the cardboard or paper sack layer.

If I were going to buy it, I would buy cypress for the trees and cedar for around the house. Cypress is the cheapest in my area. I've heard that cedar deters bugs.

[Green-Moo]

I wonder if plain, uncolored newsprint would work as part of a mulch mixture as well?


Paper decomposes nicely in compost or in a worm bin, and makes a nice mulch either shredded or as sheets. It has a tendancy to blow around the garden when it dries out, so I tend to only use paper myself as a sheet mulch when topped with something else.

Incidentally, most inks these days are toxin free so you can use most paper in the garden unless it is the glossy type.

[SageMother]

Paper decomposes nicely in compost or in a worm bin, and makes a nice mulch either shredded or as sheets. It has a tendancy to blow around the garden when it dries out, so I tend to only use paper myself as a sheet mulch when topped with something else.

Incidentally, most inks these days are toxin free so you can use most paper in the garden unless it is the glossy type.

This sounds ideal for a new garden bed. The strips of newsprint could be mixed in slightly, or have a little dirt sprinkled on to to hold them in place.

I would think wetting the area down would hold them in place as well.

[mom2manyboyz]

SageMother:

Did you know that's in the book, "Lasagna Gardening?" The book explains a system that begins by layering a garden in newspaper and wetting it down. That is one of the "layers." I know there is mulch, peat, and fertilizer added also, but I do not recall the order explained in the book.

Only water based inks are non-toxic. I personally won't use newspapers in the garden for this reason. But, I understand that others may choose to do so.

[tater03]

I want to say it is called Sierra red mulch. My husband always buys it I just know it is a reddish brown color.

[Roguegal]

This is very interesting. I didn't know paper or cardboard could restrict weeds around a tree. I think I will try and put some around the base of my trees when I plant them.

[mom2manyboyz]

Yes, mulch works by blocking light. I used to think it worked by weight, but some more sophisticated gardeners explained to me that mulch and landscaping fabric actually work by blocking sunlight. If there is enough of anything to block sun from the weeds they won't grow. The trick is to find something heavy enough that it won't blow away. Also, I've been told mulch should make a donut around a tree. I the mulch is right up against the trunk it can cause fungus and rotting problems for the tree itself.