Cypress vs. Cedar Mulch: Which Is Better for Your Garden?

Cypress Mulch

• Cypress mulch is created from the ground-up leaves, limbs, bark and sometimes the entirety of cypress trees. Cypress trees are natural wetland trees that provide a habitat for animals in the southern wetlands and naturally filter pollutants from the water. Cypress mulch is popular because of its low cost, but in recent years cypress mulch has come under scrutiny because of the limited number of these trees available and the destruction of natural habitats as a result of using the trees for mulch.

Cedar Mulch

• Cedar mulch is a hardwood mulch. Unlike cypress mulch, using cedar trees to make mulch is not a threat to the environment since cedars can be replanted at an adequate rate to sustain the tree population. Cedar mulch has a pleasant odor, and a good quality cedar mulch can last for several years before having to be replaced. Cedar mulch tends to be slightly more expensive than cypress mulch.

Insects

• Cypress mulch has been shown to attract termites, and only mulch made from old-growth cypress trees is capable of repelling insects. Unfortunately, most old-growth cypress trees were cut down many years ago, and the trees currently being used to create mulch do not have the natural ability to repel insects. On the other hand, cedar mulch has been shown to repel insects, including beneficial insects, from gardens. Cedar mulch has also been shown to help reduce termite problems.

Water Absorption

• Mulches can improve water retention in the soil in areas where the soil dries out quickly because of sun and heat, however, neither pure cypress nor cedar mulch is the best choice if your goal is moisture retention because both have a tendency to repel moisture or absorb it without allowing it through the soil and plants underneath. Cypress mulch both repels water when it is dry and absorbs more water than other mulches when wet, preventing it from reaching the roots of the plants that the mulch surrounds. Cedar mulch also prevents water absorption to some extent by repelling water. To get water through the mulch and get any water retention benefits from the mulch, you must completely saturate the mulch using a soaker hose or through significant watering. You may also have to clear mulch away from plant bases to get water through the mulch to the plants. A mulch that mixes a wood mulch, such as cypress or cedar, with more easily penetrated grass, leaves or compost allows water penetration more easily. Furthermore, cedar mulch does not deteriorate the way other mulches do, thus preventing nutrients from entering the soil.

In Conclusion

• While both cedar mulch and cypress mulch can benefit a garden, cedar mulch is generally considered to be more environmentally friendly and sustainable than cypress mulch. The additional benefit of repelling insects, including termites, gives cedar mulch an edge over cypress mulch in terms of convenience and beneficial side effects.