Raking scattered pine bark mulch back into flower beds.
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During heavy storms and strong winds, some types of mulch have a hard time staying put. When we bought our house, it came with fresh pine bark mulch, and after the first storm I found mulch scattered 25 feet out into the yard!
When that happens, mowing becomes difficult and dangerous, your sidewalks and driveways look messy, and your planting beds soon sprout weeds.
After putting all that work into spreading mulch in your garden, the last thing you want to do is spend time raking it back in after every rainstorm! Here are some tips for keeping mulch in your planting beds where it belongs.
Choose the Right Mulch
All mulches will float and wash away in a flood, but some are more likely to stray than others. Here are the common types of mulch and their floatability factor:
Chips and Nuggets: Wood chips and bark nuggets are infamous for floating away in heavy rain. If you go this route, get larger nuggets that will be heavier.
Shredded Bark or Wood: Shredded mulch is a good choice because the pieces tangle and hold each other down. Look for medium or coarse ground mulch with a mixture of large and soft pieces. Hardwood mulches are heavier – and stay in place – better than softwood (pine) mulch.
Pine Straw: Pine straw is my favorite choice because the needles entwine and help it stay put. For this reason pine straw is often used on slopes.
Remove Landscape Fabric and Plastic Sheeting
If your garden is on a slope or has a tendency to wash out, avoid putting landscape fabric or plastic sheeting underneath your mulch. These create a nice slick surface for the mulch to slide right out of the bed. Instead, to keep weeds at bay, apply multiple thin layers of mulch, watering each layer to help pack it down.
Edging the Beds
The only way to keep mulch completely in the flower bed or garden is to edge it with something high enough to hold in the mulch in place during a storm. Some ideas include:
Landscape Edging: Wood, metal, plastic, or stone edging can help keep mulch in its place. Make sure the edging is several inches high.
Plants: Edging plants make a great border to hold in mulch. Monkey Grass (Liriope sp.), Hostas, and ground covers are great choices if planted closely together along the edge of the bed.
Pine Straw Edging: Gardeners who love their bark or chip mulch may have success by edging the beds with a foot-wide row of pine straw to catch floating nuggets.
Trenching: A small trench (3-4” deep) around the edge of the flower bed can catch washed-out mulch before it gets into your grass. It’s easy to then rake it from the trench back into the bed.
Edging with Mulch: You can also try piling your mulch deeper around the edges of the bed to form a low barrier that may keep it from washing as much.
Help for Slopes
On steep slopes, you’re going to need to take additional measures if you want mulch to stay where you put it.
Ideally, steep slopes should be terraced to create smaller, flatter areas that will hold soil and mulch in place. Terraces help create more garden space, too.
Another option is to cover the mulch with bird netting, then use landscape fabric staples to hold the netting in place and keep the mulch from sliding downhill.
Further Information
Using Mulch in Your Garden (article)
Types of Mulch for Your Yard (video)
How to Choose Mulch for Your Yard (video)
Tips for Using Mulch in Your Garden (video)
How to Apply Mulch in Your Yard (video)
Danny Lipford
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Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.
or garden is to edge it with something high enough to hold in the mulch in place during a storm. Some ideas include: Landscape Edging: Wood, metal, plastic, or stone edging can help keep mulch in its place. Make sure the edging is several inches high.
The best way to keep your mulch from washing away is by planning ahead. Valenzuela suggests installing physical barriers like edging, or using rocks, logs, or other natural materials. "Another effective strategy is digging trenches around garden beds to capture any mulch that moves during heavy rains,” Valenzuela says.
Cypress mulch is dense, fibrous, and shredded so pieces stick together without dislodging in heavy rain, making it a "no-float mulch." Otherwise, cypress mulch shares the other benefits of wood mulch: Suppresses weeds: It prevents weeds from growing by blocking the light weeds need to germinate.
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could just hairspray all the mulch in place? Well you can with Mulch-Lock®. This water-based adhesive solves this irritating problem by “locking” in place mulch and other ground cover, such as wood chips, pine straw, gravel, sand and dirt.
For maximum benefits, the mulch layer in your landscape beds should be about 3 inches thick. If the new mulch you're planning to add to your landscape beds will make it exceed that amount, then it's okay to go ahead a remove some of the old mulch before adding the new layer.
Some gardeners use edging materials to create a physical barrier, preventing mulch from spilling onto the surrounding sidewalk and lawn. Another option is to taper the edge of the garden bed, so it is lower than the surrounding area.
Mulch is known for harboring termites and other insects. Termites thrive in the moisture held by mulch and feed on the cellulose in the wood. They also like the cover of mulch and use it as an avenue to get into the wooden framework of your home.
Wood edging can enhance your landscape and keep the soil and mulch inside your garden bed. Flexible backing and sturdy spikes allow easy installation in a straight line, circle or curve. The staggered height of a half-log design gives a natural-looking border.
In hot climates, plants benefit from a loose, relatively dry mulch such as shredded leaves. These materials trap air and help insulate roots from extreme heat. If you live where summers are cool and rainy, compost and leaf mold are good options.
The presence of mulch in your yard might not mean you're going to get termites, but it does mean that you're increasing your risk. The best way to decrease the risk of termites in mulch is to maintain long-term termite prevention and control with a pest management professional.
Pine bark mulch also trails hardwood bark mulch when it comes to moisture retention in the soil. The lightweight wood can't quite hold in the moisture as well as heavier hardwood. Another effect of its low weight is that pine bark mulch is prone to floating away in rainstorms.
Mulch glue can be made by mixing one part of glue and two parts of water, shaking it well for one minute, putting it in a sprayer, and spraying it on the mulch/pea gravel.
SRW Mulch Stabilizer™ locks mulch in place and keeps it fresh all season long with this must have landscaping product. Enhance mulch color and reduce fading. Our product has a flexible bond, dries clear, and helps prevent weed growth so you can keep your landscaping areas looking pristine.
This product DOES work, but you have to apply a LOT of it for it to be a practical solution to stick medium-large mulch in place. In other words, the application area that is advertised is bigger than works with good sticking, in practice.
Mulch adhesive is an essential item for any professional landscaper looking to create a beautiful and stable landscape. Not only will it make the job easier, but it also ensures peace of mind knowing that your project will last.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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