Key Takeaways
- Mulch suppresses weeds by blocking sunlight and occupying space they need.
- Organic mulches decompose, enriching soil with nutrients for healthier plant growth.
- Inorganic mulches like rubber and plastic provide durable, long-lasting weed control.
- Effective mulching requires proper thickness and periodic maintenance for best results.
Weed growth is the last thing you want to see on commercial or residential properties.
While you may sometimes feel helpless in stopping weed seeds from spreading, mulching can inhibit annoying weeds. Additionally, it’s excellent at augmenting your existing landscaping.
While commercial mulching services are always an option, our team at SunCo has prepared this guide for the DIYer eager to try their hand at a healthier yard.
Discover how mulch aids in weed prevention and the best mulch materials for weed control.
What Is Mulch And How Does It Assist in Weed Suppression?
Most of us could recognize mulch if we saw it, but what exactly is garden mulch?
Mulch can comprise a myriad of materials, from wood chips to pine straw. Organic material is popular for mulch since it can naturally break down.
We already discussed how mulch can improve your landscaping, but besides that perk, why else should you use it? Well, mulching is an excellent way to discourage weeds. Here’s how.
Less Sunlight
A thick layer of organic mulch wholly covers the soil, leaving weeds with fewer resources. Weeds may grow much faster than your average plant (mostly due to the propagation and spread of weed seeds), but don’t be fooled.
At the end of the day, weeds still require sunlight to grow.
Wood chips and other thick forms of mulch prevent as much sunlight from getting through. You can think of mulch as a weed barrier that slows and even inhibits growth.
Healthier Soil
Organic mulches serve another valuable purpose in your garden: healthy soil structure.
Wood mulch and other types of bulky mulch keep the soil nice and airy. This allows water and nutrients to travel to healthy plants so they can better withstand weed growth.
Additionally, as the natural mulch material begins to break down, it provides nutrients to vegetable gardens that further encourage plant growth.
Takes Up Valuable Space
Weeds will look for any available space in your yard to grow and spread their weed seeds. You can keep your vegetable gardens freer from weeds by using mulch.
Besides the above weed-related perks, mulching can also:
- Prevent or slow down soil erosion for a healthier lawn.
- Protect plants from direct exposure to extreme temperatures, especially frosty cold.
- Maintain healthy water levels in the soil, as H2O will evaporate slower with mulch covering the soil.
The Best Types of Mulch for Weed Control
Ridding your vegetable garden of pesky weeds is easy when you have so many mulch types to explore.
Mulch generally fits into two categories: organic and inorganic.
Organic mulches break down naturally as the materials within decompose. Oppositely, inorganic mulch typically lasts for much longer, so you’ll need to consider safe, responsible discarding.
Both types will suppress weeds and can promote nutrient-rich soil. Before you resort to pulling weeds, try the following mulch types to improve your property.
Bark Mulch
By far one of the most popular organic mulch types is bark. This mulch is often sourced from softwood and hardwood trees, with the most common species used being spruce, cedar, fir, hemlock, ash, hickory, and oak.
Bark mulches are available in different sizes to prevent weeds.
For instance, you can buy or make shredded pine bark, or perhaps you’re interested in something more substantial, such as bark chunks. Chips are a popular form of bark mulch.
As bark naturally degrades, it releases nitrogen into the soil. While it probably can’t replace your regular fertilizer application, nitrogen can contribute to protein synthesis and photosynthesis for healthier, greener plants.
Geotextiles
Here’s an example of an inorganic type of mulch.
Geotextiles aren’t just the old sweaters or hoodies you have lying around in your attic; they’re a specialty fabric known as landscape fabric.
Water and air can still permeate but weeds will struggle to get through. This is one of the best methods for suppressing weeds.
Although geotextiles aren’t organic, they still naturally break down. However, this isn’t a good thing.
First of all, their composition doesn’t lend the soil any benefits like bark mulch. And secondly, the thinning landscape fabrics aren’t as effective.
Fortunately, you can add another layer atop the existing one and repeat as needed.
Rubber Mulch
Another type of inorganic mulch to consider for your garden beds is rubber. This mulch usually comes from discarded vehicle tires.
The tires undergo shredding and dyeing. Although it shouldn’t, rubber mulch may sometimes have small metal shrapnels from the wheel.
You can purchase rubber mulch in many forms, including rings, sheets, crumbs, nuggets, and shreds.
No matter the size of your lawn, you can rely on this material to limit weeds around your newly planted trees.
Just be advised that rubber mulch doesn’t decompose. However, it’s still considered somewhat eco-friendly since it saves tires from sitting in landfills.
Plastic Mulch
Preferred in commercial and residential landscaping alike, plastic mulch is an inorganic solution that suppresses weeds.
The type of plastic used varies. It can be plastic film, embossed plastic, or plastic sourced from common materials like polyethylene or PE.
The tight yet malleable plastic usually has holes or slits throughout to ensure some sunlight gets through, although weeds won’t be able to grow much.
This form of mulch is excellent at retaining moisture, elevating soil temperature, and increasing the rate of crop growth and its yield.
Hay and Straw
You can also prevent weeds with pine straw or hay.
Straw mulch comes from any of the plants you already harvest, or you can always buy it. Popular choices are rice, rye, barley, oats, and wheat.
You can keep straw mulch tidy by purchasing it in bales. You then place the bales over the bare soil.
Purchasing straw mulch ensures that you get a 100 percent organic mulch product you can feel good about using.
Then there’s hay mulch, which uses dried legumes and grass clippings.
Using herbicide-treated grass clippings especially is a surefire way to kill weeds rather than inhibit their growth as mulch usually does.
That said, you should be aware of which other plants are in the vicinity, as they can be killed by herbicides too.
Putting too many grass clippings down can also collect standing water, remaining damp or wet for long periods of time. Beware – this can become a breeding ground for mosquitos!
If this happens to you, look no further than SunCo’s Mosquito Barrier service. This natural, highly-effective service temporarily rids your yard of mosquitos with just a few treatments.
Compost
Finally, there’s compost, another use for your organic grass clippings if you want to stop seed heads from spreading weeds all over your yard.
You can create a nice mulch layer using compostable material. Here’s a list of recommended products to get you started:
- Shredded newspaper
- Leaves
- Pine needles
- Grass clippings
- Cardboard
- Unbleached paper products
- Coffee grounds
- Mushrooms
- Manure
- Cut flowers
- Straw
- Fruit scraps
- Garden waste
Mulch Maintenance FAQs
Check out these FAQs to make using organic or inorganic mulch more profitable for the health of your lawn.
How Much Mulch Do I Need To Apply for Weed Control?
While the amount required depends on the material, the rule of thumb is to apply mulch two or three inches thick.
It’s better to go a bit thicker than it is thinner, as a thinner layer could allow in more sunshine, meaning weeds will continue to grow and detract from your newly planted trees.
How Long Does Mulch Last?
This is another question that’s heavily dependent on the type of mulch you choose. For some, you’ll have to apply it to the soil yearly, while for others, it will be every four or six years.
Organic materials tend to break down a lot faster. However, even then, some organic materials last longer than others. For example, straw and pine won’t last nearly as long as cypress and hardwood chips or bark.
Inorganic materials like rubber and plastic last for many years, so they’re a longer-term form of weed control than other mulch.
Is Mulch With Weed Control Worth It?
Yes, certainly! Mulch as a form of weed control is advantageous for a lot of reasons.
You can make the mulch yourself or purchase it, and you can add enough until you’re sure the weeds can’t get through.
However, you have to be realistic. Mulch doesn’t kill weeds. It only prevents them from growing.
Likewise, it won’t be effective on fully-grown weeds. You have to use a glyphosate herbicide or another chemical product on those weeds first, then apply mulch.
Contact SunCo for All Your Mulching Needs
SunCo is the premier choice for a better residential or commercial lawn. We can create a protective layer on your landscaping using mulching materials and colors of your choice.
You can enjoy healthier soil and better moisture retention while treating the garden bullies that are weeds. Contact SunCo today for a greener lawn.
