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 "To Mulch Or Not To Mulch…" If you have large areas that need complete remulching, give Garden Design a call. We recommend triple-ground hardwood bark mulch no more than 2 to 3 inches deep. Be wary of companies that have begun to provide a "blown-on" mulch process. While delivering on their promise to provide that "newly mulched look" this application process can dump uncontrolled inches of product on the tender shoots of new spring growth. Continued applications can even endanger substantial and well-established trees and shrubs by suffocating their surface root systems and girdling their trunks. A new client in 1999 lost 30% of her perennial planting when an over zealous blower applied 6" to 8" of product on the newly planted beds. Artillery Fungus Penn State has done extensive testing on the source and dissemination of "Artillery Fungus." If you have experienced it, you recognize it as hard, crusted black spots the size of a pinhead on light surfaces. These impossible-to-remove grains are the spores of fungus that cultures in wood and wood by-products. Tests have determined that it is more likely to appear or be attracted to chipped wood than decomposed triple ground bark mulch. The County Extension Agents are recommending what Garden Design has been using exclusively for many years: triple ground hardwood bark mulch. Many area pallet manufacturers have begun recycling old pallets by turning them into non-composted (described as "green") wood chips. Because they are not a decomposed natural brown color, these wood chips are usually died to make them more esthetically pleasing (see below.) They are still wood. This type of "mulch" should be avoided at all costs. It's hot and green. As such it puts new plantings at great risk. More importantly, it's an attractant for artillery fungus. As such it puts your house and vehicles at great risk. The New Colored Mulch Everyone should be informed about the new colored mulches. The verdict is still out on whether there is any long-term effect that the dyes have on the growth and development of plants in a typical Garden Design installation. Although there are several new chemistries that promise longer color retention, none of the colorants last longer than one season. Generally, the companies that use color additive are chopping old pallets or mill debris. Most of these materials have not been properly composted, are generally "hot" and can cause serious root burn on tender stock. We strongly advise investigating where the supply has been ground, what's been used for the supply, and what chemicals are in the color or leached into the wood stock. Tests have shown that colorant will delay invasion by artillery fungus on chipped wood mulches. Because this undecomposed wood material does not break down over many years, subsequent applications of high quality triple ground bark mulch may appear to be the cause of an artillery fungus infection. In reality, if Garden Design applies its normal mulch to a job that was initially treated with dyed or natural wood chips, the artillery fungus may not appear until the summer after the quality mulch has been installed. Garden Design strongly urges its clients to tell us about any artillery fungus that they suspect was delivered with colored mulch or undecomposed chipped wood. Free Municipal Mulch Many municipalities are in the business of grinding landscape debris and providing free mulch to the residents. Caution should be exercised in using this material for the danger it presents. It is a great opportunity to transmit the infectious diseases that many trees and shrubs have been cut down to prevent. Also, many of the municipal piles have not been composted enough or ground fine enough to provide a suitable growing medium. The Diseased Mulch Be prepared to remove/replace mulch on roses or other herbaceous perennial planting where mildew has been a problem. Cut back the dead wood and remove all old growth perennials. Dig away and remove old mulch after all danger of frost has passed, and allow the ground to be exposed to daylight before re-applying. Remove all hiding places for bugs and blights. |
