How to Put Down Landscaping Mulch

Landscaping mulch serves several purposes. Mulch provides a base color to highlight flowers, shrubs or trees. Mulch shields the soil from sunshine that dries soil, and helps restrict weed growth since sunlight is not reaching the soil. Landscaping mulch is available in organic forms such as wood chips, shredded bark or pine needles. Rubber chunks, as a man-made mulch, and river rock or gravel, as inorganic mulch, are also options. Mulch is sold in large bags or loose by the truckload. Homeowners can make their own mulch from collected autumn leaves that decay to create leaf mold.

Gloves
Garden rake

Instructions

- 1
  Water plants thoroughly before applying mulch to boost the moisture-retention process. Mulch can be spread around vegetables, flowers, shrubs or trees. Mulch can also be spread in play areas.
- 2
  Cut open bags of mulch directly in the landscaping area. When using loose mulch, use a wheelbarrow to transport the mulch.
- 3
  Toss the mulch around the plants. In large areas, use a garden rake to distribute the mulch, otherwise, distribute the mulch with your hands.
- 4
  Spread loose mulch, like pine needles, to a depth of about 4 inches. Spread all other mulch varieties to a depth of about 2 inches. In flower beds and vegetable gardens, spread mulch across all the soil surface.
- 5
  Apply mulch about 2 feet out from the trunk of a tree or shrub or to the edge of the root ball, whichever is greater. Pull mulch about 2 inches away from small plant stems and trunks of trees and shrubs.
- 6
  Replace leaf mold two or three times a year. Replenish other organic mulch, like pine chips, every one to two years. Rubber and gravel mulch last indefinitely.
  
  As small trees and shrubs grow, extend the ring of mulch to the drip line, an imaginary circle on the ground equal to outreaching limbs.

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