April 3, 2001 DRAFT

Wild Ones Arrowhead Chapter

WHAT IS MULCH?

Mulch is usually made of natural materials such as wood, straw, leaves or rocks. There are a number of purposes and benefits to using mulch in a landscape project. Mulches are most often used to help suppress weeds by depriving them of light. Most mulch materials also help to keep moisture in the soil around a plant and keep the roots cool. Dark rock mulch can be used for the opposite effect. Some landscapers use black plastic covered with rocks as a "permanent" weed suppressant. Although there are some cases where this may be appropriate, it is usually better to use natural sources of mulch that let moisture and air penetrate. Biodegradable mulch such as leaves or shredded wood also helps to increase the organic matter of the soil over time.

WOOD MULCH is most often used for natural landscaping, since it looks natural and will disappear (biodegrade) over time to make more room for plants as the garden grows. It’s also one of the more affordable options. To prepare an area for planting, one option is to cover the area with newsprint, at least 8 pages thick, then cover the newsprint with 3 to 4" of mulch (roughly the depth of an adult index finger). The area should be left undisturbed for at least 3 weeks (ideally longer) to kill the underlying vegetation.

To calculate the quantity of mulch needed for a project, measure the size of the area in feet, multiply the area by 0.25 feet (3") to calculate the cubic feet of mulch, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. For example, an area 10’ by 20’ would be 200 square feet in size. Multiplied by 0.25 (or divided by 4) = 50 cubic feet. Divided by 27 = about 2 cubic yards.

Sources of wood mulch:

1. Wood mulch from ground trees and brush is available at the WLSSD Yard Waste Composting Site on and off throughout the gardening season. This is also a good place to get compost. There is no charge for shredded mulch. Compost costs $10/cubic yard. Wood chips (uniform in size) cost $2/cubic yard. Some people prefer to use wood chips because they find that they have a more neat appearance. However, because the chipped mulch washes away more easily, shredded mulch works best on a steep hillside. The WLSSD yard waste facility at 27th Ave. West and Courtland is open from mid-April (depending on weather) through Mid-November. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from noon to 5:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday noon to 5:00. Call the WLSSD Hotline at 722-0761 or see www.wlssd.duluth.mn.us or the community pages in the phone book for more information.
2. Shredded wood mulch is sometimes also available at the WLSSD Rice Lake Landfill site, free of charge. The landfill is located just off of Rice Lake Road, approximately 1.5 miles north of Arrowhead Road. The landfill is open year round, Monday through Saturday from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The phone number at the landfill is 218/723-2361.
3. Wentworth Lumber on Hwy #2 in Wisconsin sells wood chips for $5 - $15 a pick-up load.
4. Most local garden centers also sell mulch, however, it’s often only by the bag and relatively expensive. Some also sell it by the cubic yard and may deliver it for a fee. Last year Mac’s Landscaping seemed to have the best price around on delivered mulch, although the mulch contained a fair amount of dirt.

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