Redwood Mulch Use

Beauty

• Redwood mulch is commonly used to improve the beauty of a garden or landscape. The color and shape of the mulch gives the landscape a woodsy look and feel. Redwood mulch also has a unique, forest smell that may enhance enjoyment of the area. Redwood mulch placed under trees and shrubs protects the roots from mower damage by eliminating the need to mow the area.

Pest Control

• Redwood mulch prevents weed seeds from germinating by keeping light from the seeds. Pull any weed seedlings that appear among the mulch. According to the University of Florida, termites do not like to consume redwood mulch, but prefer to devour pine mulch. Redwood mulch tends to repel wood-eating pests, which die of starvation instead of eating the redwood.

Environment Control

• Applying a layer of redwood mulch around flowers and shrubs keeps the moisture in the soil around the root zone. The mulch provides another layer between the moisture and the air, which slows the rapid evaporation of the soil moisture. This mulch barrier also protects the root zone from rapid temperature changes. The soil insulated by the mulch cools down more slowly than bare soil. This provides protection from freezing temperatures. It also stops soil heaving by preventing the freezing, thawing and freezing cycles that push up soil and expose plant roots. Redwood mulch also shades the soil during hot sunny days so the soil does not overheat.

Warning

• Spreading a very thick layer of mulch around plants in the landscape cuts off air flow to the roots and causes the decline of the plants. Use only 2 to 3 inches of redwood mulch in a flowerbed. Shrubs and trees can survive up to 4 inches of mulch as long as the mulch is kept about 6 inches away from the trunk. It is better to use less mulch than more. Redwood mulch does have a toxic effect on young plants when fresh. Let fresh redwood mulch compost for a month to age and release any toxins it contains. Fine redwood mulch does not benefit most plants, so use the coarse varieties of this type of mulch.