Benefits of Using Wood Mulch

Mulch does much more than just beautify your yard as trees, shrubs and flowers all benefit from a thick layer of wood mulch.

• Apply mulch in a layer approximately two to three inches thick to maximize weed control and reduce moisture evaporation. Reducing the sunlight that reaches the soil will help prevent seed germination and weed growth.
• Mulching around trees can help prevent damage from weed eaters chewing up the bark at ground level. Damaged tree bark at soil level inhibits moisture and nutrients from reaching the top of the tree where growth occurs.
• Wood mulch keeps the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Summers in Nebraska are hot, especially July and August, so it's important to reduce the temperatures of the soil to help maintain moisture levels and facilitate healthy plants.
• Proper landscape mulching can prevent water runoff from removing soil and undermining landscape block walls and other yard features. The fiberous makeup of wood mulch helps it "lock" together and not be washed away by downspouts and on hilly terrain.
• Bagged mulch is convenient for small areas in your yard, but if you need more than a cubic yard then bulk mulch is the way to go. There is no packaging waste with bulk mulch, and it can be deposited wherever you need with a gardners cart or wheelbarrow.
• Wood mulch naturally decomposes over time and this adds organic matter to your soil. Nebraska has heavy clay soils in most areas and the addition of wood mulch helps loosen the soil and make it better for plantings. The extra organic material is also hospitable to earthworms, which also aid in aeration of the soil.