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September 14, 2013 at 7:18 pm #609098
BreezyParticipantPlease share your favorite mulch. Come Dec./Jan. we’ll be laying down 9-10 yards (best guess) of mulch around ornamentals, small & big. Research has led me to several popular types in the area, including Steerco, Groco, and others. Objective is weed suppression while adding nutrients.
September 14, 2013 at 9:09 pm #797497
anonymeParticipantBreezy, I’m guessing you’re asking for opinions/advice, not donations?
IMO, Moodoo from Burien Bark is the best of both worlds in terms of combining nutrition with weed suppression. It’s half manure and half composted sawdust, so the same thing as Steerco but (again, IMO) a bit better quality. I used to use Beauti-Gro from Sawdust Supply, but it’s expensive and very woody. Lots of splinters. Moodoo gives a nice finish to your beds and performs very well. I “steer” away from Cedar Grove products.
I would make one other recommendation, and that is in regard to your timing. One of the other functions of mulch (aside from nutrition and weed suppression) is protection of the root zones. While it’s possible to mulch any time, it’s ideally done in the ‘tween seasons – spring and fall. Now through November would be ideal – before heavy rains and freezing cold.
September 15, 2013 at 7:58 pm #797498
BreezyParticipantanonyme, this is the kind of feedback I’m looking for – thanks! I was steering toward using Steerco, but it’s always great to hear from gardeners and not just salespeople.
Had read enough comments about Cedar Grove that I had not seriously considered them. The splinter info about Beauti-Gro is good – it’s nice, but it is a bit more expensive and I hate splinter-ful mulch!
I’m hoping to put the mulch down in October or early Nov.
September 15, 2013 at 11:08 pm #797499
PangolinPieParticipantAnonyme, I appreciate that info too. Do you think that a large treeful of maple leaves would be enough mulch for the average (say, 150 sq ft) garden? I keep reading that the winter isn’t predicted to be too severe, so I was kinda hoping to get through it without having to pay for a load of mulch this fall…
September 16, 2013 at 12:22 am #797500
anonymeParticipantPP, you raise some very good points. There can be some confusion about compost vs. mulch (some products, like Moodoo, are both) and when and how to use them. Anything that creates a surface barrier, including stone, can be considered mulch.
Its sounds like your needs are different than Breezy’s. He/she wants to add nutrition and weed suppression; it sounds like you just want some surface protection. Leaves are fine for that, and usually they break down by spring. Pile ’em on. You really don’t need to “mulch” (as with a compost product) every year. In fact, it’s not a good idea as you can raise the soil level so much that it could suffocate tree roots. Also, don’t mulch up around the tree trunk as it can encourage rot.
Hope that helps!
BTW, “neutral” winters can sometimes hold the biggest surprises, according to Cliff Mass…
September 16, 2013 at 4:56 am #797501
PangolinPieParticipantThanks, Anonyme. That does help. I have a new garden area that I want to coddle a bit in its first year, so I’m hoping we don’t get any of those surprises, unless it’s a surprisingly warm winter. :)
September 16, 2013 at 1:56 pm #797502
JoBParticipantthis is also a good time to transplant… before you lay in mulch
September 16, 2013 at 7:59 pm #797503
BSGMatthewParticipanti’ve done everything from bark to rock to compost to manure for mulch and my favorite is pure compost for winter protection. as far as which brand to use i am not sure. a well cooked compost holds the least surprises as far as weed seeds and such. the half manure half compost blends have served me well in this regard too. I have worked with this stuff since i was 16 and unfortunately the only one i have used without any weeds ever is premium bagged compost. and lately where i work we have been getting complaints about cedar grove for the amount of garbage and other undesirable stuff in it. looking into other manufacturers currently…
September 16, 2013 at 9:19 pm #797504
anonymeParticipantThe name of the game this time of year is “musical plants”. Some of the poor dears must wonder if they will ever find that forever home.
September 17, 2013 at 1:58 am #797505
JoBParticipantLOL.. musical plants.. i like that:)
hoping to find a few more their forever home this fall:)
September 17, 2013 at 1:08 pm #797506
wakefloodParticipantGreat posts, all! I too have stopped using Cedar Grove for the reasons noted above. I admit to being a little conflicted about it though.
I WANT to use it since it’s what we produce locally and buying it adds some $ back into the system as “nourishment” (bad pun) for our clean green coffers. I’m hoping that our mutual decision to NOT use it doesn’t reduce the county’s desire to keep collecting the raw materials?
I hope my fear is unfounded but I admit to not having a clue how that process is funded or where the revenue goes so I could be all wet.
Or maybe, in a more perfect world, Cedar Grove would better communicate with us about keeping our green cleaner AND they’d be more diligent about both filtering out the bad stuff and cooking it better. Like that’s gonna’ happen? ;-)
September 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm #797507
anonymeParticipantWake, the issue of CG’s dirty (no pun intended) compost was addressed in the linked thread below about 2 years ago. Don’t know if they actually cleaned up their act or not. Based on what I’ve seen of landscape crews (and many homeowners) there’s little chance of the cleanup happening at the originating end.
September 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm #797508
wakefloodParticipantThanks, anon. I’ll check it out. I was just wondering if they spent a few bucks to re-educate folks about it, it might have some impact. Even if it’s just embarrassing a few more folks who don’t bother to worry about it now. Sometimes just knowing your neighbor knows what you do is enough peer pressure. I realize it’s a longshot…
September 20, 2013 at 5:33 pm #797509
BSGMatthewParticipantI’ve talked to cedar grove about their products and there really is little to nothing they can about getting the “garbage” out…its just a matter of what people throw in their cans…what machine can distinguish between lettuce and plastic wrap? keep your yard waste organic everyone! education would be the best solution. start at home, tell your neighbors something good comes out of the little extra thought and effort
September 21, 2013 at 12:40 am #797510
BreezyParticipantThanks for your input folks! hee-hee ‘musical plants’ :)
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