Looking for a quick way to spruce up your Michigan landscape? Why not install mulch around your garden beds, trees, and shrubs and use it for accentuating different elements of your landscape. Mulch helps suppress weeds, protect your soil, and helps provide it with the nutrients needed to stay healthy. But there is much more to mulch than just picking up a barrel of wood chips. There are different kinds, colors, shapes, and sizes. And certain types have more benefits than others. Before you decide to have mulch installed on your residential or commercial property, read on to find out everything there is to know about mulch and mulch installation.
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What is Mulch Made Of?
Let’s start with the basics. First, what is mulch? Most of us are familiar with it and have seen it in other landscapes, but do we actually know what it is? It is defined as a protective layer of various organic or inorganic materials spread over soil or around a tree or plant. Organic mulch includes formerly living materials such as grass clippings, compost, wood chips, sawdust, pine needles, and shredded bark. Inorganic includes synthetic materials such as black plastic and landscape fabrics.
Most Common Types of Mulch Used in Michigan
The two most common types of mulch in Michigan are wood and stone mulch. Made from wood chips, wood mulch is considered organic because it breaks down over time and deposits nutrients back into the soil. It also protects the soil by regulating its temperature, retaining moisture, and acting as a ground cover. However, because it is basically cut-up wood pieces, it can attract and harbor pests.
Stone mulch is also known as rock mulch and requires less maintenance. It doesn’t have to be replaced as often and can help prevent weeds because it is heavier. But because it’s synthetic, it doesn’t provide any nutrients to the soil like wood mulch and doesn’t decompose organic materials into the ground.
What Colors Does Mulch Come In?
Mulch comes in three main colors, red, brown, and black. Typically you’ll want the colors to flow together, but using a specific color or certain colors can help accentuate lawn decorations and different areas of your lawn. Black mulch will absorb the heat from the sun faster, making the soil beneath warmer, so you may want to consider using this color only in the shade if possible.
Why Is Having Mulch Installed So Beneficial?
Protects and Improves Your Soil
The hot summer heat and cold winters we experience in Michigan can cause exposed soil to dry up, crack, and become unusable. Mulch provides a blanket of protection in the winter and a layer of insulation in the summer. This helps keep your soil at a balanced temperature. If using organic mulch, insects and weather will help break it down, depositing organic matter into your soil offers the following additional benefits:
- Increased moisture retention
- The ability to retain extra nutrients
- Improved soil structure
- Improved draining process
- Aids in Preserving Water
Smothers Out Unwanted Weeds
Weeds require two things to survive, water and sunlight. They are nutrient thieves taking the valuable minerals your vegetation needs. Add a crisp, clean layer of mulch into the picture, and it smothers out existing weeds by cutting off their air supply and preventing sunlight from reaching them. By shading the soil, it will also help prevent new weeds from germinating. And just like that, those extra nutrients are returned back to your trees, shrubs, and flowers, allowing them to flourish throughout the year instead of those obnoxious, annoying weeds.
Adds Curb Appeal to Your Michigan Landscape
Adding mulch adds instant appeal to any landscape. There are so many different types and colors of mulch, you can match them to coordinate with other areas. Adding curb appeal to your home, mulch will complement your flower beds, garden, plants, and even your trees.
Protect Your Garden Beds and Accentuate Your Lawn With Mulch Installation
At PPM Landscape Contractors, we work hard to provide our customers with a landscape they can be proud of. We offer over ten years of experience working with residential and commercial properties throughout Westland, Michigan, and beyond. We offer various landscaping services, including bed maintenance, bed edging, trimming, pruning, and ongoing seasonal maintenance. We also provide mulching installation.
Our Landscape and Construction team has over 10 years of experience in a wide range of landscaping projects and services. Whether your needs are installing mulch, or something else, give us a call, and let’s get started today. You can learn more about all of our services by contacting us online, or giving us a ring at 877-454-8733.