What is Mulch the Earth ???

Mulch the earth is a movement towards bettering our relationship with the urban landscape.  It is a simple and direct way to ensure the health of your trees.  You do not need to buy expensive products to have a botanical garden in your backyard.

We want to spread mulch on your trees!

Mulch supports the growth of trees increasing shade 

  • reduces evaporation and runoff increasing water infiltration 

  • adds organic material to the soil  

  • Reduces the heat island effect

Benefits of arborist chips:

  • Readily available and inexpensive

  • Because arborist chips are not uniform in size or chemical makeup, they resist compaction like more uniform mulches such as finely milled mulches, saw dust, or grass clippings

  • The diversity of materials in arborist chips (wood, twigs, leaves, fruit) encourage a richer diversity of soil organisms

  • Arborist chips breakdown slowly, offering a slow and steady supply of nutrients to the plants

  • Compared to other organic mulches, arborist chips hold more water and release it more slowly allowing for better water filtration into soil

Mulching vs soil amendments:

Mulch is different from soil amendments because mulch goes on the surface whereas amendments are mixed into the soil. In general, mulch is superior as it does not disrupt any soil structure that is already established. Amending the soil when planting a new tree or shrub is also not recommended: the amended soil in the hole can create a barrier with the native soil that can lead to water pooling in the hole and causing root rot and keep the plants roots from penetrating into the soil beyond the hole.

In general, trees and shrubs have pretty low nutrient needs. However, if you do want to add nutrients to your soil, for example a citrus tree, you can do a mulch sandwich with a layer of compost underneath a layer of arborist chips. The compost has already broken down and will contribute nutrients and organic material quickly to the soil, while the arborist chips will slowly breakdown and contribute nutrients over the long term.  

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