What Are The Benefits Of Installing Bark Mulch In Your Garden Or Landscape Beds?
Here are three clear benefits of installing bark mulch in garden or landscape beds:
Moisture Retention: Bark mulch helps retain moisture in the soil, which can benefit the plants in your garden. According to a study by the University of Rhode Island, bark mulch can reduce soil moisture loss by up to 25%, which can help plants grow better and require less watering. This can be especially beneficial in areas with hot and dry climates or during periods of drought or when water restrictions might be in place.
Weed Suppression: Another benefit of bark mulch is that it can help suppress weed growth in your garden or landscape beds. When applied in a thick enough layer bark mulch can reduce weed growth by up to 90% for extended periods of time. This is because the mulch creates a physical barrier that prevents weed seeds from germinating and growing.
Soil Improvement: Bark mulch can also improve the quality of your soil over time. As the mulch breaks down, it adds organic matter to the soil, which can improve soil structure, and nutrient content. These can both benefit plant growth and health in the long term.
Preparing Your Garden And Landscape Beds For Mulch Installation
It's not really a good idea to just start spreading out mulch without some preparation to the garden and landscape beds.
For a proper, professional level installation you'll want to properly prepare the areas where the mulch will be installed. This can include removing any weeds in the beds, removal of any brush, undergrowth, or organic debris in the beds.
Landscape cloth can be laid down if necessary but with proper preparation it is seldom needed. Shrubs and bushes and any surrounding tree cover should be pruned and trimmed back. This will prevent organic debris from falling into your newly spread mulch.
We are happy to add garden and landscape bed preparation and clean up services into your estimate. It makes an amazing difference in how good the mulch will look after installation.
Edging Your Garden Beds Before Mulch Installation
Edging service is offered for all mulch jobs, and while this service is optional it is highly recommended. Edging a garden bed is done using a special machine or in many cases we just do it by hand. Edging the garden beds will create a more established edge to separate your mulched beds from other landscaped areas and provides a distinct line of separation between your landscaping features. This also helps keep the mulch in the bed and not strewn about your lawn or hardscaping. A defined edge can also keep the grass from growing into the garden beds as well.
Lastly, edging the beds will give your garden beds a nice, clean, and uniform look.
Mulch Delivery & Installation Pricing
Minimum Mulch Delivery/Spreading = 5 Yards. Mulch is sold and delivered by the yard. 1 yard of mulch spread about an 1″ thick should cover approximately 324 square feet. We can arrive to your location with up to 6-10 yards of mulch in one of our dumping trailers and orders larger than that will need to be delivered via a dump truck or in multiple trips.
*Each trip for mulch or other materials comes with an individual delivery charge.
Our mulching estimates include delivery costs, spreading (approx 1 man hr per yard), edging of your garden beds, and a clean up of the delivery area. You'll be really happy with the new, uniform look your garden beds will have!