Mulching trees in your yard is important. Why? Water is one of the essential factors in making a tree healthy. Having your trees on a regular watering cycle can be necessary for some trees, especially since recent summers in the Pacific NW have been drier than those in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want the trees in your Seattle, Eastside or North Bend property to be getting the most out of the water you and nature give them, here\u2019s how mulching comes into play. Mulching can help with many issues such as runoff, evaporation, and soil compaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three to four inches of a coarse mulch will help keep the soil around the base of the tree cool and moist. It acts as a sponge that keeps the water from running off. Please note that mulch should never touch the base of the tree directly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soil runoff is becoming a problem in many of our streams, rivers, and lakes as fertilizer finds its way into the waters and feed large algae blooms. Therefore, keeping the water in your yard is more important than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, on hot days, it keeps the soil cooler so less water is lost to evaporation. Less evaporation means that you will need to water less to make up for the loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mulch also drastically improves the quality of your soil.\nPutting down a layer of mulch (like arborist chips) that is full of readily\ndecomposable material is crucial. Arborist\nchips often contain leaves along with wood chips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The leaves breakdown quickly, releasing nitrogen and other\nnutrients that will be available the next growing season, and the wood chips\nbreak down more slowly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both the wood and leaves will eventually breakdown to become\nfertile soils. Products like bark chips aren\u2019t as good as they break down too\nslowly and aren\u2019t nutrient-dense enough to provide many benefits to your trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Water droplets and foot traffic will compact your soil over\ntime, and this affects the rate in which water is absorbed into the earth.\nCompaction also inhibits the plant’s ability to expand roots in the soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A layer of mulch provides a barrier for the ground thereby reducing the risk of compaction immensely. On top of all those factors, mulch is appealing to look at so your plants and eyes will thank you for putting down a layer of mulch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n