6 Organic Mulches Pros, Cons and How to’s: Lawn Care Westlake, TX Experts’ Tips

The Texas weather compels all homeowners to find solutions against the heat in order to protect their lawns and landscapes. Luckily for everybody, organic mulches are easy to make, being a good answer to lawn maintenance problems. Today, our lawn care Westlake, TX specialists decided to offer you a guide on six most common types of organic mulch, together with their pros, cons and how to’s.

Grass Clippings

Where to Apply: flower beds, the lawn, tree plantings, vegetable garden

Pros: excellent fertilizer and good insulator, keeping the soil cool

Cons: grass clippings can mat together and obstruct the soil’s natural air flow

How To: mix the clippings with other vegetal mulches to avoid compaction; follow the 3-3-3 rule of mulch application. In case you don’t master it, ask your lawn care Westlake, TX specialists to give you a hand.

Shredded Leaves

Where to Apply: flower beds, tree plantings, vegetable gardens

Pros: excellent fertilizer rich in nitrogen; good soil insulator reflecting heat well during summer

Cons: may contain too much nitrogen for plantings needing just a little to thrive; it scatters easily; wet leaves attract diseases, pests and weeds, also compacting quickly.

How To: collect fallen leaves and let them dry; apply the mulch in a layer of 2 inches thick; sprinkle fresh soil over the mulch layer to prevent the leaves from scattering;

Shredded Bark

Where to Apply: tree plantings and other visible areas of the landscape;

Pros: it looks great and is mostly used for its aesthetic purposes; excellent barrier against pests and weeds.

Cons: it decomposes slowly, so it is better used for its looks rather than its fertilization properties; it can be too acidic for plants thriving in more alkaline soils.

How To: mix the shredded bark with grass clippings or shredded leaves for nourishment; mix bark with inorganic mulch (landscape fabric, plastic film) to create weed / pest strong barriers; or mix with lime to balance acidity.

Seaweed

Where to Apply: tree plantings, flower beds, lawn, vegetable garden, less visited areas of your landscape

Pros: excellent heat insulator, fertilizer and pest repellent (mostly against snails in lawns and edible gardens).

Cons: it decomposes quickly and it can leave behind dry patches of soil which further entertains weed attacks; store-bought fresh seaweed can be too salty for some plantings or edibles.

How To: mix seaweed with grass clippings or straws to avoid compaction and formation of dry patches; refresh the layer often; rinse the seaweed if too salty for some types of ornamentals.

Buckwheat Hulls

Where to Apply: flower beds, tree plantings, lawns, visible areas of your property

Pros: excellent fertilizer and heat insulator, weed and pest repellent; has gorgeous texture and looks great.

Cons: more expensive than other store-bought mulches, it scatters quickly.

How To: apply a layer no more than 2 inches thick; mix with coarser mulches to avoid scattering.

Straws

Where to Apply: flower beds, tree plantings, vegetable gardens.

Pros: good fertilizer; excellent heat insulator due to the light color, looks interesting in a country-retro way for more natural, raw designed landscapes.

Cons: may contain weed seeds; it scatters quickly; may compact if wet.

How To: apply a layer no thicker than 2 inches; mix with coarser mulches to prevent scattering; you may need to clean it to get rid of weed seeds.

Our lawn care Westlake, TX specialists will offer you further advice on organic mulches should you need help with choosing the best ones for your lawn and landscape.