RE: mulch

Kitty: I use cypress mostly...it's affordable, it doesn't break down
quickly, it resists termites so I don't have to worry about attracting
those, and it looks nice. I rake my mulch, too, though, a couple of
times a year, to keep it from compressing so much.


Melody, IA (Z 5/4)

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."    
--Albert Einstein

 --- On Mon 05/10, Kitty < kmrsy@comcast.net > wrote:
From: Kitty [mailto: kmrsy@comcast.net]
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 23:24:49 -0500
Subject: [CHAT] mulch

Question - poll, maybe.<br>What kind of mulch do you use?<br><br>I ask,
because I spent the entire day at my niece's new house redoing
her<br>mulch. In front, some lamebrain used black plastic about 15 yrs
ago and<br>then piled on the mulch. The beautiful birch tree did find
ways around it<br>so that the roots were growing on top of the plastic
in the somewhat<br>decomposed mulch - of course making it harder to
extract. On top of this<br>was some other mulch, hard to identify, more
like sun-bleached wood scrap.<br><br>In the back the previous owners had
built a large deck. When they<br>landscaped around it they used fabric
this time, but the holes they cut for<br>the plants were barely big
enough for the trunks. One hibiscus had thefabric<br>wrapped loosely 5
inches up the trunk. Over this they had a layer of<br>Cypress mulch,
thin in some areas, thicker in others. I fail to understand<br>why this
mulch is so popular. In the 2 yrs it had hardened into an<br>impermeable
mat such that when I poured water on it, it just rolled off like<br>a
duck's back. so I cut out more fabric and broke up all the mulch -
should<br>have pitched it, but tried to save her a little by just
topdressing. I used<br>pinebark all around.<br><br>So why is cypress so
popular other than that it takes forever to decompose -<br>another
reason I don't like it? As I understand, it is also in trouble,<br>being
harvested much too quickly. Many local suppliers carry no
pine<br>products. Those that do will get in 50 skids of cypress to one
of pine.<br>There's also hardwood mulch, but my experiences with that
include bringing<br>in my first slugs, and also it seems it's appearance
is more variable.<br><br>So what kind do you use, if you use
mulch?<br><br>Kitty<br><br>---------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Support
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