Gardening statistics show that 55% of American households have a garden. Approximately 18.3 million US households started gardening in 2021.
As a landscaper or contractor, you most likely work with people’s gardens. If this is the case, you should be using hardwood mulch for the best results.
There are all kinds of mulch options to choose from, depending on your clientele. This is a very standard service that you should offer when doing garden upgrades.
Keep reading to find out why you should be using hardwood mulch in your business.
What Is Mulch?
The first thing you should understand is what mulch is. This is a material made from wood, leaves, compost, or straw depending on the types of mulch you get.
It is a layering material that’s laid over the existing soil. A lot of people use mulch to improve the appearance of their gardens, as it creates a polished look.
But there are so many other reasons why you should use mulch in gardens. Since we are looking at hardwood mulch, you should understand what this is made of.
Hardwood mulch consists of aged bark from hardwood trees. This usually includes trees like hickory, ash, oak, or maple.
It is currently the most popular organic mulch option on the market. Because of this, mulch is something that you should be offering to your clients.
Why Should You Be Using Mulch?
There are all kinds of gardening materials that can come in handy. If you work in landscaping, these are materials that you will handle frequently.
They help you to create beautiful landscapes and make garden upgrades. This has remained consistently popular in the US as people want a nice landscape.
Mulch has a lot of benefits that go beyond how it appears. Here are some examples of why you should be offering hardwood mulch services.
1. Regulates Soil Temperature
The biggest benefit of using mulch is that it regulates the soil‘s temperature. Soil is very susceptible to the temperature that it is surrounded by.
This is why the ground freezes during winter and becomes hard and dry during summer. Using mulch can help you to counteract these extreme temperature changes.
Mulch is able to regulate temperature naturally because of its organic materials. It acts as insulation for the soil, keeping it nice and warm even when it is very cold.
It also acts as a protective blanket over the soil during the hottest days of summer. Because of this, it is a fantastic multipurpose gardening material you should be using.
Because mulch is layered over the soil, it also protects the soil and plants from the sun. On very sunny days, the soil can dry out, and plants can start to wilt.
Mulch helps to reduce these risks by keeping the soil covered and regulated.
2. Retains Moisture
Another big benefit of using mulch in gardening is to help retain moisture. A lot of moisture from the soil slowly evaporates over the day, especially on warm days.
This can be a problem for gardens where people may be trying to grow vegetables or flowers. The soil needs to retain its moisture so that the plants stay hydrated.
If the soil dries out, the plants will also dry out and wilt. This also means that gardens need watering very frequently throughout the week.
Mulch helps to reduce soil evaporation as it sits on top of the soil. Because mulch is organic, it also holds onto moisture when the garden is watered.
This is especially important for soil that is quite sandy and loose. This type of soil is much more likely to dry out as water evaporates faster.
3. Slows Progression of Erosion
People may not realize it, but their soil is progressively eroding over time. Soil erosion is a real problem for gardeners as it can really mess up the system they have created.
You can help with that by creating the opportunity of adding mulch to their gardens. Mulch is over the surface of the soil, creating a protective layer so that the soil is not exposed.
This protects the soil from erosion if the elements are more aggressive. For example, the soil will be protected from heavy wind and rain.
These are two common culprits of soil erosion that can cause garden beds to lose their soil. Mulch also helps to hold the soil in place during times of extreme weather.
It will prevent sandy soil from blowing away and allow clay soil to absorb the water slowly instead of being drenched.
4. Improved Soil Structure and Health
Mulch is a great option for improving the structure of the soil. It can help to break up compact soil that has a lot of hard clay.
It can also help to hold the soil together if it is very sandy and loose in texture. This material also helps to improve the health of the soil over time.
As it sits there, the mulch will start to break down and go into the soil. This organic matter enriches the soil and helps to create more microbes and good insect life.
5. Reduces Weeds
A huge benefit of mulch is that it can help to prevent weeds. The majority of people don’t enjoy pulling weeds, which is a great selling point for this service.
It creates a natural barrier that smothers seeds from weeds before they can sprout. It also protects the soil from seeds blown by nearby weeds.
6. Boosts Growing Season
Most people only utilize their gardens in the summer months. This is the best time to grow things like flowers and vegetables as they thrive in warm weather.
The good thing about mulch is that it can allow people to enjoy their gardens for longer. Mulch can be used to help plants to stay warm even during the coldest months.
It will insulate the ground and keep plants warm so that they can continue to grow.
7. Plant Disease Prevention
Soil and water often get splashed over plants, causing fungal and bacterial diseases. This is a big problem for gardeners, as it could kill the entire plant.
One way to counteract this is to have a thick layer of mulch over the surface. Mulch reduces soil and water splashing, keeping the leaves dry and healthy.
8. Reduces Pests
Hardwood mulch can also be used to deter pests. This thick layer of organic material does a good job of keeping certain types of insects away.
This will depend on what people are dealing with and what they want to prevent. Another great thing about mulch is that it encourages earthworms.
Earthworms are good for gardens because it improves the structure of the soil. It also encourages nutrient cycling so that the soil is richer and healthier.
As long as the earthworms are not excessive, they won’t do any harm to garden plants.
9. Creates a Finished Look
Adding a layer of mulch is the perfect way to finish off garden beds. It almost imitates how wood chips look when they are scattered in certain areas of a yard.
The mulch helps to cover the ground so that it doesn’t look like there are bare patches. It also gives garden beds a more polished look so that people can enjoy looking at the plants themselves.
People will also appreciate the easy nature of using mulch in their gardens. Mulch does not need to be up capped, just re-applied as necessary.
This is very different from other areas of landscaping that require frequent maintenance.
How to Use Hardwood Mulch
Garden beds should be cleared of any debris that shouldn’t be there. This could include things like leaves, weeds, or rocks.
Once the surface is exposed, layer a blanket of mulch that is between 2 and 4 inches thick. This should spread over the entire garden bed and any other areas that are desirable.
Keep in mind that mulch should not be very thick if applied around trees. This could suffocate the tree and encourage pests to make their homes there.
Hardwood Mulch: Why You Should be Using It
If you are a landscaper or contractor, you may want to consider using hardwood mulch. Mulch is the perfect addition to any garden and you can even arrange mulch delivery.
It is perfect for clients who want a finished look to their garden beds without the inconvenience of weeds.
Are you interested in purchasing hardwood mulch? Contact us today at Fox Landscape Supply for convenient mulch delivery options.
