Mulch provides lots of benefits for your landscape beds, such as keeping them pristine and helping your plants stay healthy, so you'll want to ensure that this ground cover is in prime shape. The general rule is to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds every year. This is because it is made of natural materials that will eventually decompose. When this happens, your plants will not be able to maximize the health benefits that it provides. The best time to freshen up the mulch in your landscape beds is in the spring. When you do, it will help improve your yard's visual appeal and gear up your plants for the summer season in Michigan!


Why should you replenish the mulch in your landscape beds?

Replenishing mulch is a necessity to keep your landscape beds and plants in great shape. Mulch is made of natural materials, which means it will break down over time and decompose into the soil. That's the primary reason why you need to do it. While this natural decomposition process is good for your plants because mulch releases organic matter and nutrients, it won't be as effective in providing its many other benefits. By regularly replenishing mulch, you can fully reap and maximize its benefits, like making your landscape beds more attractive and keeping your plants healthy and strong.


How Often Should You Replenish the Mulch in Your Landscape Beds

The general rule of thumb is to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds annually. Aside from mulch naturally breaking down, there are also other various factors that can thin out the layer of ground cover you have in your landscape beds, such as the wind and seasonal changes. Because of this, refreshing your mulch every year helps ensure that they look neat and are in great health!

The ideal thickness of a mulch ground cover in your landscape beds should be around 2 to 3 inches.


When is the best time of year to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds?

The best time of the year to refresh the mulch in your landscape beds is in the spring. This season is ideal because it reinvigorates their visual appeal after the cold winter and helps them enter the new year in tip-top condition. What's more, replenishing mulch in the spring prepares your plants for summer, which is right around the corner! Here's how it does this:

  • Mulch helps the soil retain moisture. The hot and dry conditions during summer can cause water to dry quickly, which can stress out your plants. By replenishing mulch in the spring, the soil can retain water and stay moist for longer, which means your plants won't require as much watering.
  • Mulch regulates soil temperature, which means it acts as a natural insulation for the roots of your plants. During the summer, mulch can help keep the soil cool enough for your plants!
  • Mulch suppresses weed growth by preventing weed seeds from settling in the soil where they can grow. It also blocks sunlight from any existing weeds to hamper their growth.

Call us today to schedule our mulch installation service!

Mulch is your landscape's little helper. From improving the appearance of your landscape beds to helping your plants stay healthy, it's a much-needed resource! Here at Outdoor Expressions Landscaping, we offer a mulch installation service to commercial and residential properties, as well as HOAs, in East Lansing, Okemos, Haslett, MI, and nearby areas. Before we install your mulch, we'll remove weeds from your landscape beds, tidy them up, edge them, and apply a pre-emergent treatment. Call us today at (517) 333-7999 to schedule this service!