Mulch Supplies Yorkshire

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Garden Landscaping Mulch Suppliers Hull & East Yorkshire

Bark Mulches are probably the best all-round garden mulch products available. They are visually attractive with a particle size to suit the scale of any landscape project can be chosen from our range.

Bark mulch and bark chippings have a relatively low nutritional potential which means that wind-blown weed seeds, the main contaminant of mulch products, fail to germinate. If a black landscape mulch fabric is used below the bark mulch, weed control is even more effective. Bark mulch, while relatively long lasting, has the added benefit of breaking down into a high quality soil conditioner.

Why use Bark Mulch?

Mulching is the process of spreading a material around plants to protect and improve the area of soil covered. Mulching can occur naturally such as with fallen leaves. The gardener can adopt this naturally occurring principle to his own advantage by applying mulches to planted areas.

Mulches can be organic such as leaf mold, bark chippings, manure; or inorganic such as pebbles, gravel, landscape fabric, black plastic etc.

The main benefits of using bark mulch include:

  • Inhibits weed growth, any weeds that do grow can easily be removed.
  • Reduces water loss by evaporation.
  • Helps maintain a more even temperature. Mulches keep soil cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
  • Reduces soil erosion in intense weather conditions, such as heavy rain.
  • Organic mulches will improve soil structure as they decay over time, adding nutrients to the soil.
  • Aesthetically pleasing. A good quality pine bark chipping mulch greatly enhances the appearance of a planting scheme.

When and How Often to Mulch?

The best time to mulch new plantings is immediately after planting. In the case of established plants, mulch is best applied in early spring. Plants are beginning to grow and weeds seeds have not yet germinated. As a frost protection measure, mulching should be carried out in the autumn, especially on new plantings of delicate shrubs.

How Often Mulch Needs to be Replenished Depends on the Mulching Material

Materials such as leaves or grass cuttings decompose quickly and need to be replenished frequently. Heavier organic mulches such as bark chippings will give a much longer service life, typically 2 to 4 years depending on type of bark and particle size. As plants grow and fill in the bed areas, less and less mulch is needed.

Inorganic mulches such as pebbles or crushed slate rarely need replenishment.

How to Apply Bark Mulch

Before applying mulch the area should be weeded.

Spread a layer of the selected mulching material over the entire planting area. It should be applied between 50mm and 75mm deep. Leave the area immediately around the stems of woody plants, about 50mm, this prevents decay caused by wet mulch during the Winter. Keep mulch 150mm to 300mm from the walls of buildings.

Newly planted trees require a circle of mulch 1 to 1.3metres in diameter.