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Wood chips or bark: What makes the best mulch?


Sacramento Digs Gardening logo
Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 9, 2019
Make a "donut" of mulch around a tree. (Photo
courtesy Sacramento Tree Foundation)
SacTree shares tips, hosts mulching event



What’s the best mulch for trees?

According to the Sacramento Tree Foundation, wood chips make the best mulch.

Avoid rocks or bark, said Pamela Frickmann Sanchez, the foundation’s education program manager.

Rocks absorb heat and add nothing to the soil. Bark takes too long to break down. But wood chips slowly release nutrients while also retaining moisture and keeping soil (and roots) cool.

“Put the wood chips directly on top of the soil (or lawn surrounding the tree),” Sanchez instructed. “Don’t use landscape fabric underneath; that prevents decaying wood chips from benefiting the soil. All that rich organic matter just ends up on top of the fabric, feeding weeds and not the tree. You’ll end up with worse weeds than with no fabric at all.”

Get more mulching advice – and help lots of trees – during SacTree’s upcoming Mulch Day at Bohemian Park in Arden-Arcade. Starting at 8:45 a.m. Aug. 24, volunteers will spread wood chip mulch around the park’s trees.

“We mix mulching with education,” Sanchez said. “You’ll learn as we work.”

That includes the correct way to mulch a tree. Spread the chips like a thick doughnut around the tree, leaving space next to the trunk.

All ages are welcome to join in during the Aug. 24 event, part of SacTree’s summer-long Mulch Mayhem campaign. Register in advance at SacTree’s website.

Bohemian Park is located at 3131 Wright St., Sacramento. Participation in Mulch Day is free.

For more tips and to sign up for Mulch Day: www.sactree.com/events .

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:
wood chips volunteering gardening Sacramento roots workshop events trees mulch Sacramento Tree Foundation soil moisture

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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