To keep weeds from growing in your flowerbeds, you need to avoid making the 4 most common mulching mistakes. Each of these mistakes can lead to more weeds and more work trying to keep them under control.
There’s no denying that a covering of mulch can greatly aid in weed prevention. Mulch is great for keeping weeds at bay, but it also has a significant impact on the well-being and growth of the annuals and perennials you cultivate in your beds.
1. Using Super-Shredded Mulch or Ultra-Fine Mulch
In the landscaping business, making ultra-fine mulch has been a major focus during the past decade. These mulches, which are often referred to as triple shredded or ultra-fine shredded mulch, are not recommended for use in flowerbeds.
While ultra-fine mulches may have a stunning initial appearance, they are unfortunately terrible at stifling and inhibiting weed growth. Worse, they do a poor job of insulating the soil and keeping moisture levels up for plants.
Extremely fine mulch frequently resembles soil more than mulch. To create the end result, the selected material is repeatedly fed through a shredder. The mulch is refined with each subsequent sifting.
It does spread more quickly, that much is certain. The “appearance” of the soil can be very attractive in flower gardens. Well, until the weeds grow quickly and take over. Weed seeds can sprout in ultra-shredded mulch because of how fine it is.
This makes it easy for weeds to grow from seeds that blow in or are brought in by animals and birds. Mulch that is extremely fine decomposes rapidly into the ground. Unfortunately, this necessitates the use of more and more mulch, which can be rather costly.
Recommended Mulch Types
Single or double shredded products are the greatest mulch option to use for flowerbeds. These are still sturdy enough to prevent weed growth and keep the soil warm. As far as mulch goes, hardwood and hardwood bark are at the top of the list. They are excellent at the aforementioned tasks, and as they decompose, they enrich the soil with nutrients.
