Couldn't do it...the search for mulch goes on

Kikaida · June 10, 2015

So we had a heat blast yesterday, 104 degrees. Some of my plants had some pretty wilted tops. I hydrated them very well then applied some mulch I bought for a slope. Thing is, this mulch is dyed...They say its "safe" but after getting some wet, the water looked like hot chocolate. Got home from work today and removed all of it. Just can't bring my self to 'trust' a product saturated with dye.

peebee · June 10, 2015

Someone here posted that those are not 'real" wood chips in the sense that they are freshly processed from trees. They are recycled wood products like pallets, cabinets, and such, and they are dyed to look uniform and presentable. I had no idea.

I am so glad I only bought a couple of bags once, and used them only on a pathway, not around plants.

heirloomtomaguy · June 10, 2015

That is true. Some of the dyed mulch is even derived from pressure treated wood. If you go to home depot they sell a natural forest mulch that is not dyed under the earthgro brand. It is from bark that is removed in the lumber industry. If im not mistaken its about 5 bucks a bag. Or you could get forest material mulch from a nursery or a mulch company in bulk.

Kikaida · June 10, 2015

Yeah, I'm so glad I took it out...Pain in the butt, however I feel much better about it. I'll head out this weekend to see what I can find. I liked what I saw though, typically the soil is bone dry at the surface...nice and damp when I took the 'mulch' out.

Sojourner · June 20, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

That is true. Some of the dyed mulch is even derived from pressure treated wood. If you go to home depot they sell a natural forest mulch that is not dyed under the earthgro brand. It is from bark that is removed in the lumber industry. If im not mistaken its about 5 bucks a bag. Or you could get forest material mulch from a nursery or a mulch company in bulk.

The only Earthgro product I could find on the Home Depot website is a Scott product which is dyed. From the description:

Tackle your next outdoor project with the Scotts Earthgro 2 cu. ft. Red Mulch. Made from pine, this mulch helps deter weed growth while conserving soil moisture and moderating soil temperature. Color advantage helps preserve color throughout the year to keep your yard or garden looking great.

Helps beautify landscapes while deterring weed growth
Also helps conserve soil moisture and moderate soil temperature
Shredded wood mulch helps beautify the yard
Color advantage helps retain color throughout the year
Available in 3 colors: red (647218), black (356031) and brown (647185)
For best, long lasting color results, do not allow colored mulch to get wet within 24 hours of application

Try one of the Mountain Magic products (except soil pep, that's pretty well composted) or cypress or cedar mulch instead.

Both the Big Boxes have drastically cut the number of large bags of mulch and soil amendment products they carry (or that you can order in). Its getting harder and harder to find what I need these days.

Bipetual · June 23, 2015

http://www.groworganic.com/miracle-m...-expanded.html

Have you considered this stuff? It's a bit of a pain to decompress but it's kinda cool that you can reasonably order it through the mail!

rnewste · June 23, 2015

This is what you want at Home Depot:

$4.50 per 2 cu. ft. bag.

Raybo

AlittleSalt · June 23, 2015

I use oak leaves, but understand everyone does not have oak leaves laying around to use. I like the idea of mulch turning into soil and adding micronutrients/trace elements/micro-minerals. You get the benefits that mulch provides and you're adding beneficially to your soil by just basically being lazy and leaving the mulch where it lies. Till it in or no till - doesn't really matter.

Many trees have roots that grow as deep as the tree is tall. Those roots are feeding on micronutrients in soil that has not seen the light of day for thousands of years. Those micronutrients are found in leaves of that tree. Putting them in your garden enriches your garden. Taking advantage of their mulching properties just seems right to me.

Ed of Somis · June 23, 2015

K...I agree with others here...that you will be happy that you became a "mulcher". I am in Somis...and although my temps are 25 degrees cooler than you...I really like the mulch on top. In my area it is possible to occasionally catch tree trimmers that are "chipping". They are usually happy to dump their load at your house if you are close by. I always look in the back of their truck BEFORE I let them dump. Some stuff just does not have enough wood for my tastes. Some leaves are OK with me...but I like the wood/bark the best.

TheUrbanFarmer · June 23, 2015

Have you considered using something as a living mulch?

You seed it. It grows. Creates shade. Helps controls soil temperature. You cut it. The trimmings form a traditional mulch layer which eventually decomposes and returns any nutrients removed from the soil. (exactly as AlittleSalt discussed above with trees in post #8)

I know this will sound backward to many, but a great combination would be lambs quarters, dandelion and clover. That combination would accumulate specifically phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and boron from the soil which are all key to growing healthy tomatoes. Not to mention, you would be attracting pollinators directly to the plants which is never a bad thing!

kurt · June 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kikaida

So we had a heat blast yesterday, 104 degrees. Some of my plants had some pretty wilted tops. I hydrated them very well then applied some mulch I bought for a slope. Thing is, this mulch is dyed...They say its "safe" but after getting some wet, the water looked like hot chocolate. Got home from work today and removed all of it. Just can't bring my self to 'trust' a product saturated with dye.

http://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/u...wood-chips.pdf

Kikaida · June 23, 2015

I found me some good bark mulch at Lowes. Was going to collect pine needles from the park but the pine trees there have perfect, unvegitated circles under them...So they probably spray grass killer there.

Thanks for the replies!

Sojourner · June 24, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by rnewste

This is what you want at Home Depot:

$4.50 per 2 cu. ft. bag.

Raybo

Raybo, if you can still get that at your HD, you're lucky. I can't get it here anymore. Only the dyed products and the Mountain Magic products, and some Western Red Cedar shredded stuff. It doesn't even show up on the website for ordering.

Oh yeah, and that chopped rubber nonsense. Yuck!

But I had some of it last year (looking for bark for potting mix) and it was mostly wood instead of bark - which doesn't matter if you actually intend to use it for mulch.

I'm pretty hard up here for potting medium ingredients since Home Despot and Lowe's both have stopped carrying so many things.

June 10, 2015	#1
Kikaida Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Valencia, CA Posts: 258	Couldn't do it...the search for mulch goes on So we had a heat blast yesterday, 104 degrees. Some of my plants had some pretty wilted tops. I hydrated them very well then applied some mulch I bought for a slope. Thing is, this mulch is dyed...They say its "safe" but after getting some wet, the water looked like hot chocolate. Got home from work today and removed all of it. Just can't bring my self to 'trust' a product saturated with dye.

June 10, 2015	#3
heirloomtomaguy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: glendora ca Posts: 2,560	That is true. Some of the dyed mulch is even derived from pressure treated wood. If you go to home depot they sell a natural forest mulch that is not dyed under the earthgro brand. It is from bark that is removed in the lumber industry. If im not mistaken its about 5 bucks a bag. Or you could get forest material mulch from a nursery or a mulch company in bulk. __________________ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

June 23, 2015	#10
TheUrbanFarmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Zone 8a Posts: 64	Have you considered using something as a living mulch? You seed it. It grows. Creates shade. Helps controls soil temperature. You cut it. The trimmings form a traditional mulch layer which eventually decomposes and returns any nutrients removed from the soil. (exactly as AlittleSalt discussed above with trees in post #8) I know this will sound backward to many, but a great combination would be lambs quarters, dandelion and clover. That combination would accumulate specifically phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and boron from the soil which are all key to growing healthy tomatoes. Not to mention, you would be attracting pollinators directly to the plants which is never a bad thing! Last edited by TheUrbanFarmer; June 23, 2015 at 03:11 AM.

June 10, 2015	#2
peebee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southern CA Posts: 1,714	Someone here posted that those are not 'real" wood chips in the sense that they are freshly processed from trees. They are recycled wood products like pallets, cabinets, and such, and they are dyed to look uniform and presentable. I had no idea. I am so glad I only bought a couple of bags once, and used them only on a pathway, not around plants.

June 23, 2015	#6
Bipetual Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Illinois, zone 5a Posts: 579	http://www.groworganic.com/miracle-m...-expanded.html Have you considered this stuff? It's a bit of a pain to decompress but it's kinda cool that you can reasonably order it through the mail!

June 23, 2015	#7
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	This is what you want at Home Depot: $4.50 per 2 cu. ft. bag. Raybo

June 23, 2015	#8
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I use oak leaves, but understand everyone does not have oak leaves laying around to use. I like the idea of mulch turning into soil and adding micronutrients/trace elements/micro-minerals. You get the benefits that mulch provides and you're adding beneficially to your soil by just basically being lazy and leaving the mulch where it lies. Till it in or no till - doesn't really matter. Many trees have roots that grow as deep as the tree is tall. Those roots are feeding on micronutrients in soil that has not seen the light of day for thousands of years. Those micronutrients are found in leaves of that tree. Putting them in your garden enriches your garden. Taking advantage of their mulching properties just seems right to me.

June 23, 2015	#9
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	K...I agree with others here...that you will be happy that you became a "mulcher". I am in Somis...and although my temps are 25 degrees cooler than you...I really like the mulch on top. In my area it is possible to occasionally catch tree trimmers that are "chipping". They are usually happy to dump their load at your house if you are close by. I always look in the back of their truck BEFORE I let them dump. Some stuff just does not have enough wood for my tastes. Some leaves are OK with me...but I like the wood/bark the best.