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Mulch is important to the health of your flowerbed plants. There are many types of mulch material you can choose from. What options for mulch material are out there? How do you decide which is the right choice for your landscape? What are the pros and cons of each type of mulch? We're going to discuss all of these question in this blog post! Keep reading to learn more about mulch.
Types of Mulch
The mulch you choose to install in your landscape is mainly a matter of your personal preference. There's not really a right or wrong choice in most cases. Each type of mulch material has a unique set of pros and cons. The mulch material you decide to use depends on which best suits your needs and the look you want to achieve in your landscape.
In the video below, Terry McNair, owner of Real Turf Solutions discusses some things to keep in mind when selecting mulch for your landscape and flowerbeds. Watch the video, then we'll break down different types of mulch options. Pinestraw
Pinestraw is a common mulch material used in the Middle Georgia area, and many other places. It is fairly easy and cheap to obtain and adds that glowing orange color in the landscape.
Benefits of Pinestraw
Pinestraw has several qualities which make it a popular mulch material installed in Middle Georgia. We've listed some of the main benefits of using pinestraw in your landscape below.
Pinestraw Pros:
Drawbacks of Pinestraw
Pinestraw does have a few weaknesses you should be aware of.
Pinestraw Cons:
Wood Mulch
Wood mulch is another common mulch material used in landscaping around Middle Georgia. It requires a bit more work to install than pinestraw, especially for large areas. However, wood mulch provides you with more options than straw as well.
Benefits of Wood Mulch
There are several reasons to choose wood mulch for your landscape and flowerbeds. We've listed the main benefits of wood mulch below.
Wood Mulch Pros:
Drawbacks of Wood Mulch
Wood mulch does have a few drawbacks like everything else. We've listed the main ones below.
Wood Mulch Cons:
Pine Bark Nuggets
Pine bark nuggets are basically chips made from the bark of pine trees. They are not commonly used for large landscape beds. Pine bark nuggets are a more specialized type of mulch material. They are mainly used as a mulch material in small flowerbeds and large planting containers.
​You may see beds with flower arrangements in an area of pine bark nuggets surrounded by pinestraw in the rest of the bed. An example of this can be seen in the photo below. Benefits of Pine Bark Nuggets
While they aren't commonly used, pine bark nuggets have some qualities which make them great for smaller areas.
Pine Bark Nuggets Pros:
Drawbacks of Pine Bark Nuggets
There are some reasons why pine bark nuggets aren't the best choice for large bed areas in the landscape.
Pine Bark Nuggets Cons:
Egg Rock
Organic mulch types aren't the only option for your landscape. Rocks are also used as a material for landscape beds. Egg rocks, or river rocks, are a common type of rock used in beds around Middle Georgia.
Benefits of Egg Rock
There are a few reasons why you might choose to use rocks instead of an organic mulch material.
Egg Rock Pros:
Drawbacks of Egg Rock
There are a few tradeoffs to using rock instead of organic mulch though. Some of the drawbacks are listed below.
Egg Rock Cons:
Artificial Mulch
Artificial mulch is a relatively new thing. It is made to look like pinestraw or wood mulch, but doesn't brake down since it is made of rubber material. We don't see many landscapes using artificial mulch yet, but the option is out there if you have the budget for it.
Benefits of Artificial Mulch
The main appeal of artificial mulch is that it lasts and doesn't break down. You have it installed once and then only occasional touch-ups are needed every few years or so.
Drawbacks of Artificial Mulch
There are a few reasons why artificial mulch may not be the best choice for your landscape. We've listed some of the main drawbacks of it below.
Artificial Mulch Cons:
Mulch is very important to the health of your plants. It is also a key part of making your property look good. We hope this helps you decide what mulch will be best for your landscape! There isn't really a right or wrong choice, it's mainly about the look you want in your landscape, and which mulch suits your needs.
If you have any questions about mulch, please feel free to reach out to us and we'll be happy to help. If you live in Middle Georgia, we'll be glad to give you a free estimate on mulch installation too.
2 Comments
1/6/2022 12:03:58 am
Thanks for pointing out that mulch is also a key part of making our property look good. My husband and I want to improve our backyard before our parents come to visit in March. With this, we are hoping to find a reliable company on Monday that can provide quality hardwood blend mulch at an affordable rate.
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1/20/2022 10:31:09 pm
The fact that different mulch materials can provide great natural color to your landscape was extremely interesting. I want my property to feel as natural as possible, so using colors that don't feel very fake at all sounds perfect for that. I'll definitely ask for organic mulch materials like the ones you talked about when I work with a landscaping contractor.
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By: William AdamsIn 09/2018 William started at Real Turf working in the field having never done manual labor before. He wasn't expected to last the first day. Terry recognized ways William could benefit the company more, and after 5 months of working full-time on lawn service and enhancement crews, William was given a position doing digital marketing, IT, & quality control work. Archives
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