FYI: new fact sheet about wood mulch

[treedimensional]

cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/FS160E/FS160E.pdf

[nomad100]

I love the term Mulch Volcano. I see those all the time around here. But my dad taught me years ago that this is bad to do and to not have the mulch right up against the bark of the trees.

[treedimensional]

Jan 27, 2015 23:24:10 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

Well, that thin layer of mulch info explains my weed problem last year.

Note to future self: don't cheap out on mulch!

treedimensional, what do arborist tree trimmers generally do something w/ their chips? We had a big maple pruned in the fall (by a real arborist, thanks to you), but I didn't think to ask for the chips. I wonder if they'd drop a load at my house in the spring...

That's a good question! I'll ask some colleagues and report back to you.

I don't produce wood chips in my practice because I don't take down any really big trees. I cut up small trees and branches and carry truckloads to a city facility where they are chipped. They are used for various public projects, and residents can have all they want for free.

[msmerymac]

So.. mulch newb question. How do you care for it in the winter? Should I cover my beds with fabric? I have one bed next to the garage with a rose bush, tulip bulbs, dandelion bulbs and some flowering shrubs. I then have some bushes next to the house (between the house and driveway), which wrap around in front of the porch. I need to put something in the beds in front of the porch - something low maintenance. And mulch. Recommendations welcome. I'm in Zone 7.

We bought in October 2013, and the winter was not kind to the mulch, but since we had a fire in December 2013, we were worrying about other stuff.

So. Is mulch one of those things we should do EVERY spring? Every spring/fall? Or are there ways to care for it where it will still look good even after snow for like 2-3 years?

We also have a compost container, so we will be spreading a layer of that before the mulch this spring.

[treedimensional]

How do you care for it in the winter? You do nothing.

Should I cover my beds with fabric? Never do this!

I need to put something in the beds in front of the porch. I'm in Zone 7. Need more specific criteria (how tall/wide? want flowers? sun or shade? etc etc etc) to make suggestions.

Is mulch one of those things we should do EVERY spring? Every spring/fall? Or are there ways to care for it where it will still look good even after snow for like 2-3 years?
Mulch can be raked and top-dressed as needed/as it decomposes to maintain aesthetics. It does not need to be removed and replaced on any schedule.

[msmerymac]

treedimensional We had some large (too large) bushes out front before the fire, and some got damaged, so we ripped them out. The beds are semi-large and I'd like to try to cover the front of the porch, which is just stucco, with something more attractive. So something that's around all the time, vs blooming for a month or two, would be ideal. The house faces NE, so mostly shade (there's shade now, at about 11:30am). Low maintenance. Maybe some pretty shrubs that flower some of the time, but won't get big enough to block the view from the porch or damage the structure? We basically have 0 front yard, it's mostly porch, beds, sidewalk. It might be nice to alternate a few different plants, too, so it's not one solid wall of one thing.

[simpsongal]

Tree, do you have any guidance re: going from mulch to a groundcover? I know it's best to have mulch around trees and shrubs but we have so much mulch.

[treedimensional]

@domerjen most responses indicate that they give it away but charge for transporting/spreading.

[treedimensional]

Jan 28, 2015 11:39:40 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

treedimensional The beds are semi-large Be specific- length x widthand I'd like to try to cover the front of the porch, which is just stucco, with something more attractive. So something that's around all the time, vs blooming for a month or two, Do you mean blooming all the time? not possibe. You could get something evergreen so it doesn't drop it's leaves, but most shrubs only bloom for days or weeks. Flowers are enormously taxing on the plant's resources.would be ideal. The house faces NE, so mostly shade (there's shade now, at about 11:30am). Good! There are many options for flowering, shade tolerant, evergreen shrubs.Low maintenance. Give me an example of what this means. What would be a maintenance deal-breaker for you?Maybe some pretty shrubs that flower some of the time, but won't get big enough to block the view from the porch Be specific- heightor damage the structure? We basically have 0 front yard, it's mostly porch, beds, sidewalk. It might be nice to alternate a few different plants, too, so it's not one solid wall of one thing. Ok, we just need to know the dimensions.

[treedimensional]

Jan 28, 2015 11:40:58 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Tree, do you have any guidance re: going from mulch to a groundcover? I know it's best to have mulch around trees and shrubs but we have so much mulch.

I agree that mulch is the best groundcover, but if you MUST plant underneath trees, I always suggest bulbs.

Bulbs are small and easy to plant without cutting a lot of tree roots. They STAY small too, with tiny root systems, so you avoid space conflicts. And a lot of the most commonly available bulbs bloom early, when trees are still dormant, so they don't get shaded by the tree. Bulbs also store almost all the food they need to bloom, over a very long dormancy, and don't compete with the tree for water and nutrients the way other plants might.

[simpsongal]

Jan 28, 2015 13:15:28 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

Jan 28, 2015 11:40:58 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Tree, do you have any guidance re: going from mulch to a groundcover? I know it's best to have mulch around trees and shrubs but we have so much mulch.

I agree that mulch is the best groundcover, but if you MUST plant underneath trees, I always suggest bulbs.

Bulbs are small and easy to plant without cutting a lot of tree roots. They STAY small too, with tiny root systems, so you avoid space conflicts. And a lot of the most commonly available bulbs bloom early, when trees are still dormant, so they don't get shaded by the tree. Bulbs also store almost all the food they need to bloom, over a very long dormancy, and don't compete with the tree for water and nutrients the way other plants might.

While I'm picking your brain, we have a red oak that we planted a couple years ago (I think it's a red oak, we did research and we picked the heartiest one).  It's probably 15-20 feet high already.  Should we prune it at all or be on the lookout for structural issues? 

ETA: by way of follow up, we ripped out those 2 apple trees that had structural defects
I didn't dig up the magnolia but it's definitely doing better.  It's getting more growth on the sides and top, though it's still pretty bare at the bottom. 

[msmerymac]

Here's a pic of the front. The beds wrap around the house. The big bush-thing is no longer there, nor are those flowering bush things in the front, so that's what I'd be replacing. The fire started on the right side of the porch, outside that window, so the bush was half-burned and there was a lot of debris in the bed and some damage to the porch and steps.

The beds on each side of the steps are about 5 feet deep and 8 feet wide. The porch is about 3 feet high, so I'd like to keep plants that height or lower. As you can see, it's white, so some visual interest from plants would be nice all the time. The bed in the back yard next to the garage has some bulbs and plants that flower/grow at various times, but the woman who used to live here seems to have been a decent gardener! She knew how to alternate the blooms like that. It's nice to see the tulips come up, then the daisies bloom later, etc, but it's more important for me to have some kind of plant there all the time in front than it is in back. The one that runs along the side of the house goes for about 15 feet and is probably 4 feet deep. I'd say the side of the house is less of a priority and I've considered cutting the bed back to add grass because I have a black thumb. 

And that's what I mean by low-maintenance. I think evergreen varieties would be good to add some cover. I'm good with light weeding, fertilizing and adding mulch once or twice a year, and pruning either in fall or spring. Watering daily or some kind of weekly maintenance would be a lot for me.