Make sure you’re using the right kind of topdressing for what and where you’re planting
Since get into gardening professionally over a decade ago , I ’ve mark a correlation on the Colorado Front Range between woodwind instrument mulch ( also called arborist chips ) andwater - wise gardens . A attractively designed garden goes in , with appropriateirrigationand plant palette , and the garden reckon great — shortly — before languishing . Plants in these beds never quite take off , or they fail before their natural lifespans are over . I nonchalantly bear on to this as plant / mulchmismatch , and it ’s an issue I see too often , maybe because mulch is anything but exciting to the middling householder .
To get to the bottom of why these mulch mistakes are happen in the Mountain West , I spoke to expert horticulturists from across the region . I asked the following questions : “ What mulch do you advocate to gardeners in your arena for use around trees and shrubs ? ” “ What about a ‘ classical ’ perennial layer ? ” “ What mulch do you urge for a H2O - wise or native - heavy garden ? ”
I assemble the insight below from interviews with Robb Smith , Nich Boynton - Steele , Guy Banner , Lauren Carvalho , Michael Guidi , and Jacob Mares , who practice in northern New Mexico ; the Colorado Front Range ; southerly Wyoming ; Salt Lake City , Utah ; and Boise , Idaho .
In some areas, mulch selection is straightforward
Mulch mismatch was least pronounced in Boise , where it seems that all kinds of plantings do well with the quality of arborist chip mulch available in the area . This included everything from xeric , native plants to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and shrubs . I ’ve discussed the absence seizure of mulch / industrial plant mismatch with experts in the surface area and , candidly , none of us are completely sure why they do n’t experience it . no matter , it realize selecting an appropriate mulch an easy exercise for the Treasure Valley and surrounding areas . Mulch / flora mismatch was n’t wide noted in Wyoming or northerly New Mexico either . This could be due to the fact that inorganic mulches , like pea gravel , are preferred , though for unlike intellect .
When and where inorganic mulches are recommended
In the geological breaking wind burrow that is Wyoming , most do n’t bother with constitutive mulch ( like wood ) because of their tendency to conduct like migrant species that quick disperse from their stand for beds and into the “ Great Beyond ” .
In northern New Mexico , organic mulch were point to be so slow to break down that their benefit do n’t reliably seem to overbalance their drawbacks , though they are used in some configurations — like around shrub , trees , and in the occasional recurrent bed — with sizable result . Instead , pea gravel and blow up shale were recommended for most applications other than tree rings .
In the Wasatch Front of Utah and the Front Range of Colorado , inorganic mulch should be used for weewee - fresh gardens . In fact , inorganic mulch is so in force for xeric gardens in the region that the Colorado - based water system - wise plant - evolution nonprofitPlant Select ® trials new plants exclusively in gravel mulch .
Why is pea gravel so popular?
pea plant crushed rock tends to be “ set it and forget it , ” needing only one chief coating of 2 inch and then the occasional refresh after dirt is mixed in during planting . This strike that your bed has been properly prepared to seat an inch or two below side by side sidewalks or has been adjoin to obviate errant gravel grains rolling onto hard aerofoil . However , if your bed ask place , it can be done easily with a flathead power shovel .
pea plant gravel ’s success stems from its tendency to keep plant crown dry and to warm the soil more or less ( valuable for root growth during our chilly shoulder seasons ) while insulating plant crowns and etymon against extreme temperatures and temperature swinging . Like wood mulch , it importantly reduce soil water supply losses by vaporization and drastically cuts weed pressure . For those in flak - prone areas , rock mulches — including pea gravel , scoria , and expanded shale — are also the safest options , as they ’re fireproof .
Where and how organic mulch works
Though pea gravel and other inorganic mulches can attain peachy outcome in the ripe setting , there are still situations where organic mulch reigns supreme . Applying constitutive mulch 2 to 3 inch recondite fruit first-class results for tree / shrub borderline and classic perennial bed in the Wasatch Front of Utah and Front Range of Colorado .
Wood mulch can flatness , which shorten water infiltration into the soil during light precipitation events , but it is still urge in these areas for its dirt - construction qualities and easy acquisition .
Most gardeners in our area can have woods mulch deliver to their driveway for free through third party that join arborists with gardeners or , with some shoveling and hauling , municipal programs . An internet search for “ arborist / wood chip mulch distribution ” is closely certain to yield consequence . It ’s worth take note that wood / arborist mulch is n’t the same as bark mulch ; the latter can result a waxy coating on the grease , reducing infiltration , and is more inflammable than woodwind instrument mulch .
Keep mixing and matching until you find the right mulch fit
No single trend drive mulch habit , except a desire to see planting do well . But as with most thing in sprightliness , “ one size fits all ” does not apply , so the best practices describe here should avail guide your mulching intrigue while you take into consideration the unique spot in your individual garden . If you suspect your garden may be experiencing mulch / works mismatch , do n’t let the dirty topic bring your garden down ; consider act some mulch before your flora move on .
For more Mountain West regional account , click here .
Bryan Fischer lives and gardens at the product of the Great Plains and the Rockies . He is a horticulturist and the curator of plant collection for a local botanic garden .
Photos , except where noted : Bryan Fischer
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Evoking a xeric, western aesthetic, gravel mulch does much more; it’s been shown to improve rates of water infiltration into soil, helping gardeners make the best use of the precipitation their gardens receive from weather events large and small.
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Preliminary evidence in horticulture research at Denver Botanic Gardens suggests not only that inorganic mulches are effective when used appropriately, but that some (like crusher fines—also known as breeze—or decomposed granite) can be used as seeding mulches to develop meadow gardens, with wildflower seeds embedded in the mulch at time of application.Photo: Michael Guidi
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Despite its impressive suppression of weed-seed germination, gravel mulch remains a good seedbed for many short-lived western natives that will disappear from a garden if not able to self-sow, like many penstemons and other wildflowers. If this is your desired aesthetic, apply your gravel mulch 2 inches deep instead of 3.
Far and away my favorite implement for weeding gravel is the stirrup hoe (also called a hula or scuffle hoe). Because it slides through the gravel easily, undercutting weeds at their root, I can cover large areas quickly. In cases of coarse gravel, the implement is virtually worthless, so stick to pea gravel or similar sizes of other inorganic mulches, such as expanded shale or scoria (aka cinder).
Wood mulch delivered directly to your garden is not only convenient, but you can also often get it for free or purchased in bulk for very cheap.Photo: Karen Beaty
