All you need to know about Garden Mulches

All you need to Know about Garden Mulches

Other than Growing Media, our Garden Mulches come a very close second as the next most popular product rolling out our gates.

There are a variety of different mulches that we sell and I will talk about each one individually below. But first, it is important for you to know why  is more than just a decorative option for your garden.

All mulches have 3 main purposes in the garden.

Decorative
You need to choose Mulch that suits your garden and which satisfies your individual taste.

Moisture Retention
As Mulch is made up of natural, normally woody materials it will retain moisture which your plants can draw on in drier times. The Mulch layer also prevents the sun from drying out the soil thus allowing the soil to hold more moisture also.

Weed Suppressant
As long as Mulch is applied at the correct depth or thickness it will act as a weed control. In order for a Mulch to act as a weed suppressant it needs to be placed at a thickness of 100mm across your garden bed. Mulches are generally stringy and contain both large and small particles. Thus when they are placed at the required thickness, the Mulch will knit together forming an impenetrable top layer which will prevent any sunlight from reflecting through to the soil below. This is where any dormant weed seeds sit waiting the required conditions to occur. They need a growing media (soil or garden mix) for nutrients, moisture, and sunlight to photosynthesize. (the conversion of sunlight into energy which is be used to grow) Now by cutting out the sunlight through the use of a Mulch layer, the weeds can’t photosynthesize therefore they can’t grow, hence the term “Weed Suppressant”

Generally speaking, Mulches are not the most expensive products in the Landscape spectrum. However they won’t cover as much square area as a decorative stone. This is due to the Mulches needing to be spread at twice the thickness as a decorative stone or chip. (100mm as opposed to 50mm) In most cases you can rely on one cubic meter of decorative stone covering 15 to 16m2. Where one cubic meter of Mulch will cover 9 to 10m2.

Mulches we can supply you.

Bark Mulch
Black Coloured Mulch
Natural Mulch or Shredded Wood Chip *
Leaf Mulch or Aborist Mulch
Wildfire  Coloured Mulch*
Red Coloured Mulch*
Brown Coloured Mulch*
Custom Coloured Mulch*
Playground Mulch – both Kindergarten and School grades*
Equestrian Mulch

Bark Mulch

This is a shredded bark product which is great for moisture retention and weed control. It also looks great, giving a more natural look especially suited to a native garden. It will silver over time. However by the time you notice the colour change it will almost certainly be time to top the garden up to get the Mulch thickness back to 100mm.

Black Coloured Mulch

This is Mulch which is produced from 100% recycled industrial products. Unwanted timber in the form of old pallets and crates etc is ground up and denailed using magnets then left in piles to dry. Once it is ready it is off to the colouring station where it is coloured with oxide colorants. These colours are non toxic and are 100% safe. The colours will last for more than 2 years and the Black looks sensational with lots of green foliage to contrast with.

Natural Coloured Mulch – Wildfire- Red- Brown- Custom Colours

The Natural option has no colouring added to it. The Wildfire is a 50/50 blend of Black and Red which looks stunning. And we can have custom colours made for corporate gardens as long as there is enough product required.

Leaf Mulch

The Leaf Mulch is a very cost effective ground cover option. This is a 100% recycled product consisting of trees and branches which have gone through a reducing process which results in an attractive but slightly raw looking product, possibly suited to more practical gardens or as a coverage where a large square area is needed to be covered. Leaf Mulch will decompose a little faster than the other Mulches. However at the cheaper price, it can be topped up easily without too much impact on the wallet.

Playground Mulch**

Cushionfall Mulch placed at 300mm depth will satisfy all NZ standards for playground safety. We can supply both a Kindergarten grade, which is made from virgin timber (i.e. new timber), or a school grade which is made from recycled timber as described above.

Equestrian Mulch

Great for Show jumping and dressage arenas. This mulch does a great job of minimizing the shock impact through the legs and joints of a landing horse.

Remember Mulches are “soft celled” products, meaning they will breakdown over time. We recommend you check the mulch bed thickness every 6 to 8 months and top the bed back up to 100mm thickness. You will find that your garden will look like new again every time you do this as all Mulches will silver or fade slightly due to our harsh UV environment.

So topping your Mulch beds up, not only gets your weed control back to where it should be but also rejuvenates your garden aesthetically.

Happy Gardening !

*Whilst we do not currently list these products on our website, please contact us if you are interested in any of these products as we can source these on request.
**We supply many schools, Kindergartens and Play centres with premium mulch and bark to cushion any tumbles in and around the outside pay area.  Whilst our products are perfect for this use they are not graded by the Ministry of Education.