No to Cypress Mulch

While those naturally insect resistant cedar trees make an excellent mulch for the garden, pine is a much more environmentally friendly alternative. Why? For the simple reason that pine trees are grown on plantations and cedars are not. Cedars are also known as bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). Native to the southeastern US bald cypress are found as far north as the coast of Delaware, and typically grow in wetlands like the one pictured above. They also do fine when they don’t have “wet feet”, but I’ll save that for another edition of The Daily Dirt. Logging these trees for mulch creates big problems. Here’s why.

As we know, wetlands are extremely valuable ecosystems--particularly in places like Louisiana and Florida where hurricanes can cause significant damage. Cypress wetlands like these filter pollutants from water, provide habitats for wildlife, and recharge groundwater. More importantly (from a human viewpoint), they protect the coastline from storm surges by retaining storm water during hurricanes and buffering the effects.

It seems that in the past ten years or so cypress logging as an industry has taken off. In a recent article in Mother Jones it was reported that according to the Louisiana Forestry Association, loggers are razing up to 20,000 acres of cypress every year, most of it not for wood for furniture or houses, but for …mulch. And, it is all above board. Supporters say logging provides desperately needed jobs. But at what expense? If the present logging trend continues, it is only a matter of decades before southern Louisiana is obliterated. Then what?

To see what’s happening to the Louisiana coastline visit Louisiana’s Disappearing Wetlands, one of the April MGG video selections.

Source: mytqardenguide.com

 

I remember hearing, I think from WTOP's weekend gardener, that mulch is actually a bad idea in general. I don't remember exactly why but I think it had something to do with mulch attracting mold. Has anyone else heard this? Is it valid or just hype?

 

Actually yes it is not very good for the trees. We had our "master gardener expert" check our yard for landscaping ideas and the first thing he did was moving the mulch away from the trunk of the trees. He said after 2 years of establishment, trees don't need mulch. It is bad for the trunk and the over all health of the tree. Well, he also mentioned how nicely the trees were mulched along the Clairborne. Not necessary and it's waste of time and money is what he said.
Here is his link if you are interested. www.gardeningadventures.com

 

Some years I haven't purchased new mulch, I've just used a tool to break up the mulch that was out there. There's plenty of mulch out there already. The layers of mulch get so hard that sometimes the rain won't soak through but will just run off and not benefit the plants.

 

Not only mold, but termites as well.

 

My parents are master gardners in IL and they do not use mulch. They lay down several layers of newspaper and then several inches of cut grass on top. Over a little time it dries and adds to the organic matter and helps fertilize naturally. I am curious why I have not seen anyone use this method here. When the grass dries it looks like a light mulch. And no need to bag the grass! Savings on that area.

 

Wow!:scaredeyes:

This anti-mulch movement is news to me. Last year I used leaf mulch, and all of my shrubs & trees thrived. It also allows me to reduce trimming around shrubs and trees, and weeding my flower beds

 

I was told that mulch was to keep grass from growing near the tree so you don't hit it when mowing the lawn.

 

From 1st hand experience, mulch + moisture = fungus/mold. I am in the process from removing all of the mulch from around my home and replacing it with peat moss or rubber mulch. Moisture and mulch can cause nasty shotgun fungus that will actually shoot mold spores onto your house and car up to 25 feet away.

See here:

http://www.dcs1.com/articles/shotgun.html

Has anyone used rubber mulch? It is about 5x as much as wood mulch, but will not need to be replaced for 10+ years and no mold/fungus can grow on it.