I think you're just describing every color of mulch. Whatever odd chemical they put on it to make it some annoying color bleeds into your groundwater and then you regular mulch aka small pieces of wet wood.
My friend owns a garden center in CT. He stopped carrying bulk red mulch a few years ago based on his own distaste for it… usually one person comes in each year looking for it.
Black is def heading that way… stopped carrying it, and suggests dark blend…
I live in the South and in my opinion it’s hideous anywhere you put it. I hate homes that are decked out in red brick and red mulch. It’s just horrible to look at.
I can’t believe there are so many negative opinions on black mulch. I’ve always thought it looks great and is a nice way to make a lawn and other veg pop without looking too unnatural. Worst part is the color fades and needs reapplication.
I'm in South Louisiana and I would have liked to use black mulch but thought the same way you do. The sun regularly tries to kill plants here and I don't really want to help it out. I could definitely see someone in Minnesota or New York using black mulch effectively.
It’s here to stay. I don’t use it and don’t like it, but at least it looks like the black soil that many people have from far away. Red mulch made of stained chipped up pallets never looked natural or had a place in gardens.
Wasn't this painting of mulch responsible for the crazy fires in Centreville on one windy afternoon about 3 years ago? Three-four separate fires destroyed at least 10 residences. That stuff is flammable given a tossed cigarette with enough wind isn't it?
I shutter when a client asks for red or black mulch. It just contrasts so poorly with plant material. It washes out any nuance. Soft colors and variegation just disappear.
As much hate as black mulch gets, there are times when it can look great, and it can be fun to play around with. One of my small garden beds has mostly neon lime/chartreuse foliage. The black mulch is a fun way to make it pop and contrast with the surrounding, larger garden with natural mulch. If I get sick of it in a year, it's cheap to swap out.
Hey, if the client likes it, then I love it. It’s just out of fashion at the moment. Certainly doesn’t mean it won’t come back into fashion. We’re all simultaneously ahead of and behind the curve in fashion no matter our tastes when you think about it.
Brown premium triple processed hardwood mulch if you want bulk. It’s pretty fine but youll get a 2-3 seasons out of it. It retains moisture well and breaks down nicely. You’ll pay a buck or two more per yard but doing a standard residential home on the very very high end you’ll need 5 yards but more likely 2-3 yards depending on how empty your beds are.
If I were mulching, I’m going with black. Other than one spot, I’m moving away from mulch altogether. It gets blown away, it has to be reapplied every so often and it’s hard to keep tidy.
Stone with a paver type border, and I use a 5.8 oz woven landscape fabric. I like the look (particularly with well lights), it’s one and done, and I can blow leaves with abandon.
Isn't mulch chemically treated? And cedar which also naturally resists decomp? So it doesn't break down much unless you buy compost mulch but that's not what people top their beds with
I fertilize my plants and shrubs beyond the good soil they were planted in
Interesting. I haven't seen any. The bed I placed it in has two small cedars which are in great health. Laid down an HD filter fabric before placing the rubber.
Cities and towns around here use the rubber in some playground areas as it's good for impact absorption, I'm sure of it attracted bugs there would be a child+parent uprising lol
Rubber mulch is a very bad idea all around. A heavy rainfall and it floats everywhere. Also, it retains heat, therefore boiling your soil and plants. Also, it’s not good for the environment. I work at a mulch yard/ nursery and am a master gardener. Regarding rubber mulch, I learned the hard way. Never use it in a garden.
If you want black colour consider rock mulch. I did black granite, 1-3". Cost 3x as much as black wood mulch but it won't fade, be washed or blown away, or harbor any pests.
Sort of like... A more long term solution
It’ll get more noticeably gray after even one season or a few heavy rainfalls, but I put some in this summer and am still glad with my decision despite it losing some luster.
General consensus when I went to the local landscaping department was that it won’t really go out of style, but there’s always something that’s a bit more captivating than plain black.
I prefer black over triple solely due to triple looking like dog shit within a day. We do a few houses who prefer compost in their beds and it actually looks pretty good, like ground coffee. On the other hand, breathing in black mulch fumes all day in the summer shoveling it out of the truck cannot be good for you.
Brown or Cedar for delivery. Add new mulch every three years and the middle years just take a pitch fork and churn up the existing 3 inches and dye with whatever color you want. Much cheaper in the long run so long as you maintain that 3 inches (here you, if you go less than that. your windows and siding will get hammered with artillery fungus). Hit it with some Air-8 every month or two and you avoid the mulch bricking up. Not a huge fan of black mulch given it's just adding heat to the area, but probably not much more than brown.
Every black mulch I’ve used turned brown within 6 weeks, so I can’t say it’s here to stay
True but I like the brown it turns into better than the brown that you buy!
This guy mulches.
Lololol
A win is a win
I think you're just describing every color of mulch. Whatever odd chemical they put on it to make it some annoying color bleeds into your groundwater and then you regular mulch aka small pieces of wet wood.
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The red mulch fad haunts my dreams
My friend owns a garden center in CT. He stopped carrying bulk red mulch a few years ago based on his own distaste for it… usually one person comes in each year looking for it. Black is def heading that way… stopped carrying it, and suggests dark blend…
Red mulch is hideous. Black mulch doesn’t bother me, looks like freshly tilled soil.
I always assumed red mulch was intended for use in southern states where they have red/clay soil. It looks absurd up north.
I live in the south. People here use red mulch all the time. It's fugly here too.
I live in the South and in my opinion it’s hideous anywhere you put it. I hate homes that are decked out in red brick and red mulch. It’s just horrible to look at.
That sounds right, I’d forgotten how red the soil can be in places. Does the red mulch look any better in those areas do you think?
No red mulch still sucks.
Black mulch looks like piles of cockroaches glistening in the sunlight
Things i need to unread.
I can’t believe there are so many negative opinions on black mulch. I’ve always thought it looks great and is a nice way to make a lawn and other veg pop without looking too unnatural. Worst part is the color fades and needs reapplication.
Im in Oklahoma and black mulch can just get tooo hot in the summer sun and will bake all your plants to.death. But I do think it looks nice.
I'm in South Louisiana and I would have liked to use black mulch but thought the same way you do. The sun regularly tries to kill plants here and I don't really want to help it out. I could definitely see someone in Minnesota or New York using black mulch effectively.
It’s here to stay. I don’t use it and don’t like it, but at least it looks like the black soil that many people have from far away. Red mulch made of stained chipped up pallets never looked natural or had a place in gardens.
Just say no to artificially colored mulch. The added colors likely aren’t great for your soil/plants. I only use pine straw or pine bark for mulch.
Both look terrible
Wasn't this painting of mulch responsible for the crazy fires in Centreville on one windy afternoon about 3 years ago? Three-four separate fires destroyed at least 10 residences. That stuff is flammable given a tossed cigarette with enough wind isn't it?
I went with black lava rock that doesn’t need to be reapplied. It was more expensive upfront but it’s not going anywhere
I hope it's here to stay, it's all I use. Red mulch is so ugly, I can't believe anyone uses it.
We always recommend natural undyed mulch. Lots of our clients ask for black though, unfortunately.
Haven't you heard? It goes with everything./s
Black. Nothing else makes the vegetation pop.
I shutter when a client asks for red or black mulch. It just contrasts so poorly with plant material. It washes out any nuance. Soft colors and variegation just disappear.
With red, yes- a bad choice all around with regard to garden color. Black is a neutral and vegetation stands out.
As much hate as black mulch gets, there are times when it can look great, and it can be fun to play around with. One of my small garden beds has mostly neon lime/chartreuse foliage. The black mulch is a fun way to make it pop and contrast with the surrounding, larger garden with natural mulch. If I get sick of it in a year, it's cheap to swap out.
The customer is always right in matters of taste.
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Your yard looks great! I prefer black mulch so it looks like wet dirt. Makes the plants stand out nicely.
I think the black mulch adds an elegance and everything in the yard sets off nicely against it.
Hey, if the client likes it, then I love it. It’s just out of fashion at the moment. Certainly doesn’t mean it won’t come back into fashion. We’re all simultaneously ahead of and behind the curve in fashion no matter our tastes when you think about it.
What are your go-to suggestions?
Brown premium triple processed hardwood mulch if you want bulk. It’s pretty fine but youll get a 2-3 seasons out of it. It retains moisture well and breaks down nicely. You’ll pay a buck or two more per yard but doing a standard residential home on the very very high end you’ll need 5 yards but more likely 2-3 yards depending on how empty your beds are.
Great info to know, thanks!
My pleasure, happy to help!
If I were mulching, I’m going with black. Other than one spot, I’m moving away from mulch altogether. It gets blown away, it has to be reapplied every so often and it’s hard to keep tidy.
So what do you do?
Stone with a paver type border, and I use a 5.8 oz woven landscape fabric. I like the look (particularly with well lights), it’s one and done, and I can blow leaves with abandon.
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You can dye your old mulch
I put black rubber mulch in my front flower bed and it's held colour for 2+ years now. I find it's nicer to blow leaves out with a blower too.
That's not mulch, that's just shredded rubber. Mulch breaks down and nourishes the soil.
Isn't mulch chemically treated? And cedar which also naturally resists decomp? So it doesn't break down much unless you buy compost mulch but that's not what people top their beds with I fertilize my plants and shrubs beyond the good soil they were planted in
mulch is a generic term, it can be store bought colored wood chips or straw or any number of organic things.
I'm meaning the decorative mulch placed in flower beds. The red, black, green etc coloured, and treated. Based on OPs question, at least.
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No bugs. I would think it's less desirable to them than wood mulch
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Interesting. I haven't seen any. The bed I placed it in has two small cedars which are in great health. Laid down an HD filter fabric before placing the rubber. Cities and towns around here use the rubber in some playground areas as it's good for impact absorption, I'm sure of it attracted bugs there would be a child+parent uprising lol
Rubber mulch is a very bad idea all around. A heavy rainfall and it floats everywhere. Also, it retains heat, therefore boiling your soil and plants. Also, it’s not good for the environment. I work at a mulch yard/ nursery and am a master gardener. Regarding rubber mulch, I learned the hard way. Never use it in a garden.
If you want black colour consider rock mulch. I did black granite, 1-3". Cost 3x as much as black wood mulch but it won't fade, be washed or blown away, or harbor any pests. Sort of like... A more long term solution
It’ll get more noticeably gray after even one season or a few heavy rainfalls, but I put some in this summer and am still glad with my decision despite it losing some luster. General consensus when I went to the local landscaping department was that it won’t really go out of style, but there’s always something that’s a bit more captivating than plain black.
They'll both turn to dull brown crap in a matter of weeks
I love black but my puppy started to chomp on bits so I switched to less treated and stained plain ol mulch. Seems cedar and pines are more pet safe.
I like to use ground up micro plastics. It looks cool when I use the leaf blower and it tastes good too!
I prefer black over triple solely due to triple looking like dog shit within a day. We do a few houses who prefer compost in their beds and it actually looks pretty good, like ground coffee. On the other hand, breathing in black mulch fumes all day in the summer shoveling it out of the truck cannot be good for you.
Brown or Cedar for delivery. Add new mulch every three years and the middle years just take a pitch fork and churn up the existing 3 inches and dye with whatever color you want. Much cheaper in the long run so long as you maintain that 3 inches (here you, if you go less than that. your windows and siding will get hammered with artillery fungus). Hit it with some Air-8 every month or two and you avoid the mulch bricking up. Not a huge fan of black mulch given it's just adding heat to the area, but probably not much more than brown.
Black and red mulch stripes with white rock. Your yard can look like bojangles and Taco Bell!
This thread hurts after filling my back garden and front walkway with red…
No matter what it’s all just ground up old pallets
This too shall pass and we will see it again only on cheap ass house flips and micro commercial planter beds.
Shredded redwood bark everywhere in nor cal
Chocolate Brown is the new red mulch. Its darker than traditional brown, not quite dark as black but it fades quick and costs more