There are many benefits of using Mulch on your garden and one of the most common forms of mulch is wood chips from your local arborist or tree service company. Often called Bush Mulch, Wood Chips or Arborist Mulch, wood chips from a chipper are an excellent form of mulch for your garden but there are a few pro’s and con’s as well.
Some of the advantages of using Wood Chips are:
Wood Chips Decompose into the Soil.
Over the course of a year, the wood chip mulch’s organic components will decompose or rot down and replenish the essential nutrients in the soil of your flower beds and vegetable gardens.
Although this is not needed in quality soils, adding this mulching option at the beginning of planting season can greatly improve the performance of soils lacking in fertility.
It Will Raise Plant Soil Temperatures in Winter
When applied with sufficient thickness on top of the soil, wood chips act as an insulator, protecting your perennials from the harsh winter elements. It keeps the surface temperatures more stable, allowing you to grow healthier crops come spring. In addition, you will experience less damage from frost when it is in place, and this will not result in a reduction in the quantity of moisture that is able to reach the roots of your plants whenever rain falls on your property.
Keep Weeds Out of The Garden
Mulches made of wood chips are dense, and using an appropriate amount around a plant can help limit the likelihood that weeds will grow there. In practice, it is very similar to stopping the growth of weeds by covering the ground with a plastic mat; the main difference is that this cover offers additional advantages in addition to preventing weed growth.
Add Mulch to Prevent Soil Erosion
By using wood chip mulch, you can protect your flower beds and gardens from erosion while adding a decorative touch.
Wood Chips are often also used as a base for paths and walkways, and they are more resistant to becoming muddy with regular traffic compared to grass surfaces and the likes.
It Can Improve Soil Moisture Retention
Moisture retention is a challenge for plants grown in the open. Much of the soil’s surface water can evaporate very quickly, especially in warmer climates and in windy conditions. Less rain runs off when you use wood chip mulch in your yard and gardens and if you rake and fluff the mulch around once a month, you can reduce the water your plants need.
Some of the negatives that you need to be aware of when using Wood Chip mulch includes:
It Can Cause Tree and Shrub Diseases
Wood chip mulch can be used around trees and shrubs, but it should be applied so that it does not accumulate at the base or up the trunk. If that happens, you risk exposing them to diseases or fungi that can swiftly weaken their immune systems and health. Particularly in the case of trees, using the incorrect application method can bring about disease in your plant. Mould growth and rotting are potential outcomes, as is the smothering of the plant’s roots in some instances.
Your Termite Risk Will Increase
Adding wood chip mulch to the yard or garden will attract more termites to your home if you already have an infestation. You’re inviting these insects to investigate your home for weaknesses by providing them with a food source and also as a ground protection, allowing them to travel from tree to tree and potentially even into your house so keep this in mind if you have termites in your area.
Not all Wood Chips are Equal
Wood Chips are created from all types of timber, being dependent on what work the Arborist has just been doing. As a result, every load of wood chips will be different and this can have a big impact on your garden. If the loads has Pine or Cypress in it, these timbers are high in acidity and will have a negative impact on plants that require a neutral pH soil. Likewise, Black Walnut wood chips are poisonous to most plants so should never be used as mulch. There is also a possibility that the trees trimmed and then chipped had ivy or some other sort of weed growing around them or infection, so you want to ensure you know what you are getting when buying Arborist mulch to reduce the risk of spreading diseases around your garden.
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