How To Choose The Right Mulch For Your Yard
One of the most important landscaping features you can choose for your yard is mulch. Mulch adds interesting visual appeal, and it also helps keep out weeds and hold in moisture. There are a few different types of mulch you can buy, and each one has its own advantages. Here's how to decide which type of mulch is best for you:
Enrich The Soil
Mulch does an excellent job of enriching and building up the soil if you choose a type that decomposes fairly quickly. Bark and other types of wood mulch look attractive and they are beneficial for your soil, too. This could be an important consideration when you're using mulch for flower beds or a vegetable garden where you want to maintain fertile soil.
Other types of organic matter such as leaves, newspapers, and straw could work for building your soil too, but they don't look very attractive in your yard.
Maintenance Free
The drawback to using mulch that decomposes is that it gradually disappears. That means you'll have to replace the mulch periodically. If you want to landscape your yard and then forget about it, you probably want to choose synthetic mulch. Small rocks and recycled tire pellets are two good choices if you want mulch you won't have to reapply as often.
Environmentally Friendly
If you want mulch that is environmentally friendly, you should avoid wood products that are made from recycled lumber. These could contain chemicals used to treat the wood to preserve it and repel insects. These chemicals accumulate in your soil and could affect the plants you grow. You want to use mulch that is free from contaminants around plants you will eat.
Chemically-treated mulch could also contaminate ground water. Choose natural mulch such as rocks or untreated wood if you want an environmentally friendly yard. If you prefer dyed wood chips, look for brands that use eco-friendly dye.
Appearance
Perhaps one of the most important things to consider when it comes to your choice of mulch is how it will complement your yard. Rock mulch is a natural choice around a cactus or succulent garden. Dark wood matches well with flowers, and dyed rubber or wood chips can liven a yard that is mostly green. Mulch can help you define borders and add color and texture to your yard.
Other things to consider when choosing mulch is price and availability. You can buy big inexpensive bags of wood chips at many stores, including some grocery stores. You may need to go to a landscaping center if you want more unusual types of mulch such as smooth river rocks or dyed recycled rubber. To learn more, contact a company like Marlowe's We Care Company with any questions you have.