Installing mulch in your landscape beds is not only a great aesthetic choice for your property, but it will also help keep your plants and shrubs happy and healthy. However, mulch needs to be installed correctly in order to reap the great benefits. This means that your whole landscape bed should be covered with mulch that reaches about 2-3 inches deep. It also needs to be replenished annually to make up for the gradual degradation and to make it look nice and clean again.

Not adding enough layers of mulch to your landscape beds will:

  • Increase the number of times you will have to replenish it
  • Leave your plants and shrubs susceptible to weed damage
  • Lessen the amount of retained moisture in your soil

Thin mulch layers will break down faster, creating more maintenance.

If you only add one or two layers of mulch to your landscape beds, there will be less mulch to break down and fade. As time goes on, you will have to maintain and replenish your mulch often to keep it looking fresh and new, leading to more maintenance and money over time. Most homeowners don't have time for this kind of upkeep! That is why professional companies like ours make sure to always add 2-3 inches of mulch for every installation or replenishment. This ensures that your mulch will take a long time to degrade and fade, leaving you with less maintenance and upkeep.

Improperly installed mulch will leave your plants susceptible to weed damage.

One of the greatest benefits of mulch is that it will help prevent weeds in your landscape beds. Since weeds will steal sunlight, water, and nutrients from your plants and shrubs, you want to make sure that they are prevented as best as possible. Mulch is one of the simplest ways to prevent weeds, not to mention it doesn't use any chemicals. It will cover your soil and deprive weed seeds of the light they need to germinate. Mulch will also prevent the weed seeds from gaining a foothold in your soil in the first place.

If your mulch layer is less than 2-3 inches thick, you are inviting weeds to grow in your lawn, thus damaging your plants and shrubs due to weed damage. This will create extra maintenance and money spending because you will have to spray and/or pull weeds more often than you would if your mulch was preventing those weeds for you.

Thick Mulch Layers Will Help Retain Moisture

A mulch covered landscape bed alongside paved walkway on a property in Elkhart, IN.

Another great benefit of mulch is that it helps retain the moisture in your soil. The hot sun can quickly suck up all of the water in your soil, leaving your plants thirsty and dry. Mulch will prevent the warmer weather from causing water evaporation.

However, if your mulch is installed incorrectly, this benefit ceases to exist. Thin mulch will still allow moisture to evaporate, causing you to use more time, energy, and money to keep up with watering your plants and shrubs.

Don't risk installing your mulch incorrectly - leave it to the professionals!

At Grow Pros Lawn Care, LLC, we have been servicing the lawns in and around Elkhart, Granger, and South Bend, Indiana since 2012. Our crew uses our extensive experience and training to get your lawn where it needs to be, both in health and aesthetics!

We have done mulch installation and replenishing for countless properties around the area. If you are at all nervous that you might incorrectly install your mulch, risking extra time and money down the line, don't think twice about hiring a professional team like ours for the job. We offer our services to both homes and businesses in the Elkhart area. Call us today at (574) 326-3526 to schedule your mulch installation service today!