Adding mulch may seem like an easy decision, but you may easily get overwhelmed when considering all your options. Should you choose organic mulch made from natural wood and plant products or inorganic mulch made of synthetic materials? Each type of mulch offers benefits depending on your gardening and landscaping goals.
Overall, organic mulch delivers more nutritional benefits for your plants than inorganic mulch can. During our hottest months, organic mulch can also help maintain cooler soil by minimizing evaporation. This allows soil to stay hydrated longer and lowers the amount of water needed to cultivate your plants successfully. Because the mulch gradually decomposes over time, it continuously improves the soil structure and replenishes nutrient levels.
Inorganic mulch does not offer the benefits of nutrition that organic mulch does, but it is exceptionally efficient at controlling weeds. This is because it does not decompose, so it stays in place without needing replacement. However, if your objective is to cultivate a garden full of gorgeous flowers and delicious vegetables, organic mulch is probably the best choice.
What is the Difference?
The main difference between inorganic and organic mulch is given away by their names:
- Inorganic mulch is manufactured from materials that were never alive, whether they naturally occurring or manufactured and processed.
- Organic mulch is made of organic material, usually plants or wood waste that was once living or an animal byproduct such as manure.
Organic mulch can be made from many different materials, such as bark from hardwood (oak) or softwood (pine) trees; yard or green waste, including grass clippings, leaves, or trees; compost from vegetable and kitchen scraps; and newspaper products.
Inorganic mulch can be made from rocks, landscape fabric, plastic, and rubber.
Benefits of Organic Mulch
Creating thriving, beautiful, and bountiful landscapes or gardens is a fulfilling personal undertaking, but knowing that you are helping the environment is even better. Organic mulch is good for the earth and good for our community. There is a significant amount of satisfaction that comes from harvesting and cooking with food you’ve grown yourself or creating a beautiful bouquet from fresh-cut flowers. But many of these plants don’t grow without planning, care, and attention. Choosing an organic product allows you to feel good about the process.
Organic mulch:
- Preserves the moisture in the soil by minimizing evaporation
- Helps protect against soil erosion
- Moderates soil temperatures, protecting roots from fluctuations that could harm them
- Helps to control weed growth
- Facilitates the growth of beneficial soil microorganisms
- Limits the spread of soil-borne pathogens and diseases
Not only are all those benefits associated with organic mulch, but you can also feel good about returning nutrients to the soil, protecting our watershed from chemical leaching, and rejuvenating the soil’s natural robustness.
At Veransa, we recycle wood and yard waste to manufacture organic mulch products that are beautiful, effective, and responsible. Whether you need mulch for a commercial playground or a home garden, we have the products for you. Residential gardeners or commercial landscapers can shop at our stores, and homeowners are welcome to drop off yard waste for recycling as well. (Click here to view our five area locations.)
Are you a municipality looking for a professional partner for wood waste collection and disposal—either during routine pickups or after a weather event? Call Veransa today to learn more about our services.
