How the Pros spread Mulch
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 เม.ย. 2010
- Methods and techniques used by professionals who have spread shredded mulch for years.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Adverse information has emerged about one of the herbicides (glyphosate) used since this video was recorded back in 2010, even though it's still widely sold to the public under various labels. Just as many choose to to eat only organic or vegan foods, you may wish to keep your landscape as "herbicide free" as possible, as I now try to do with ours. If you decide to use herbicides, ALWAYS read and follow label directions!
Bob has been a TH-camr since 2010, sharing decades of landscaping and gardening experience in videos on BOBscaping (the "channel"). We grant you a nonexclusive, nontransferable, limited right to access, use and display the channel, provided that you comply fully with these Terms & Conditions. All data and information provided on BOBscaping is for informational and entertainment purposes only. BOBscaping makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of information on this site and will not be held liable for any errors or omissions in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Use your discretion before making any decisions based on anything you have seen here.
#mulching #landscapebeds #shrubbeds
Some good info for a beginner. I do a ton of mulching and just from my personal experience I don't like taking a big scoop and dropping it in a pile and spreading it. When you do that it can mix with the old off colored and show spots that you will have to go over again. Best way is to take your pitch fork and get a big scoop and hold the fork over the spot and shake your pitchfork back and forth so it falls through the bottom of the spikes. Gives it a more natural fall and look. Also, the fastest and best way is to sling it. When you sling it you have to give your pitch fork a turn at the very end of the sling so that the mulch spreads in the air an covers a much larger area. Nice tips for a beginner.
And some people like to mulch using a soil rake or their hands. We worked mostly with shredded mulch, others prefer the chipped mulch, which we found needs to be applied in dry weather and doesn't cover as much area as shredded mulch does.
Gotta love scooping Mulsch.
Scott Mims I kind of miss it, but my ailing shoulder and tennis elbow have sure appreciated the rest!
Nice I'm a bob scaper too!
Going to buy a pitchfork. Thanks
I'm so used to spreading mulch that way that I even dump bagged mulched into a wheelbarrow and spread it with a pitchfork!
Thanks
You're welcome!
The pros that want to make money use a FINN Bark Blower BB302 or something similar to blow mulch into the bed. I usually rains about 3-4 times a week in my area. That dusting of mulch would be gone in a month. I lay down about 4" or more in most areas.
Thanks for your insights Mickey. What state are you in?
When I first started landscaping in 1979, pieces of equipment like that bark blower, and the small 4x4 Kubota BX24 backhoe (awesome!) that we did own in later years, weren't available, and my back might be in better shape if they had been, but of course mulch still needs shoveled into the bark blower. Since the backyard plants in this video were closely spaced, and it was difficult access (up steps) the bark blower would have been very helpful for at least getting mulch into wheelbarrows or tubs.
We do get a lot of rain in the Pittsburgh area, and that depth was never a problem. If we had gone 4-inches deep, year after year with our regular clients, we would have had a major problem with bark build-up, and we were never into removing old mulch to apply new. Whatever works for you.
Some landscapers in our area are into the chunky, dyed mulch, wood chips basically, but we always preferred the double shredded, which became readily available in (dyed) colors in my final decades of landscaping work. I've always cautioned viewers to avoid buying any mulch from large piles at supply yards that smells like ammonia, since it can kill flowers and brown plants.
Thanks for watching the Bobscaping channel!
Mulchsz ❤️❤️❤️
LOL, yeah, lots of comments on that 'soft' pronunciation of 'mulch'... I picked that up from an older nurseryman ~ Buck Drake ~ who was a local legend, and has since passed away, so I've gone back to the 'hard' pronunciation of mulch. "Mul-Cha" We spread beaucoup 6 cubic yard truckloads and tractor trailer loads of mulch over the decades, one of the few landscaping jobs that worked pretty well in all weather and seasons!
Never ever heard it pronounced mulsh lol. Where are you from?
LOL.. near Pittsburgh Pa. where we are more commonly known for speaking 'Pittsburghese' with words like 'yinz.'
However, I started pronouncing mulch like that after hearing an old nurseryman (Buck Drake) use that softer pronunciation. It gets a bunch of comments here!
@@bobscaping I see that. It cracked me up. I'm from just down the road in Columbus and I never heard it pronounced that way there ever.
Buck taught us younger landscapers a couple things, like using more raised (mounded) beds with boulders for nice effect. Like he always said, boulders are profitable, and you don't need to worry about replacing them like some plants, since they don't die!
@@bobscaping gotta look that up
Completing a long bed truck load of mulch burns about 500 calories. However, if you use more legs than back, you will burn at least 200 more calories. It's one of the greatest workouts you can do, especially when that mulch is wet.
We did our share of wet and dry mulch, for sure! My greatest focus was making sure to put on the tennis elbow strap.
Way too much build-up around the plants lol
Funny you say that, because other landscapers who have commented go two or three times as deep, like 4-inches! Not sure how they do it!
@@bobscaping 2 to 3 inches deeper ? You really should go at the deepest 3 inches. A little less around plants because it can suffocate them
@@bobscaping Haha well just because someone is a landscaper, that doesn't mean they know what theyre doing.My boss and i work on business owners, lawyers, judges, doctors and all very nice properties with expensive plants. You go too deep youre gonna suffocate them plants and when theyre 30 to 40 bucks plus a pop that adds up lol
Dyed mulch is not good. Use wood chips.
Are you referring to wood chips from a tree service chipper?
Mostly good advice, but I turned off the video at the recommendation of Roundup
Billion dollar lawsuits and negative information about glyphosate have appeared since that video was published. Ironically, it is still widely available on store shelves and many homeowners choose to use it -- hopefully they at least carefully follow label directions.
Don’t b like old-school Bob... please don’t use Round Up or herbicide. It’s not worth it. Also.. i like to break up the ground a bit (give it a little air) before applying my multch. Bob obviously does it lazy mans way. Herbicides and quick dump-n-spread.
Great reminder Jaeger Mah! Lots of adverse information has emerged in the 11-years since this video was made, even though that herbicide is still sold under various labels in big box stores. Also rather surprising that 2,4-D is still on the market. In the same vein, we should also quit eating meat and fish -- especially after watching that new video on Netflix: SEASPIRACY.
Jaeger Mah - I just re-watched that video, and you are way off when you say "quick dump-n-spread" since putting mulch down one pitchfork full at a time does not apply. Not sure where you got that!
The video also mentions the dual option people have when it comes to weeds in their shrub beds, mentioning "hand pulling" as an option.
Thanks for watching the Bobscaping channel, and please stop back to comment often!
I actually started my landscape career over 30 years ago spreading mulch by hand, which still has to be done in tight areas of beds, but the pitchfork method helps save your back, keeps your knees dry and hands cleaner (especially with dyed mulches) and speeds up the mulching process, at least for us. To each his own!
We typically use an Echo power edger with a spinning metal blade, but for deeper edges we have to use a sharp, square-nosed metal nursery spade, our favorite being the long-handled model from the KING OF SPADES in N.J.
That makes sense and is consistent with what I've seen as a homeowner-landscaper, thanks.
I still see lots of people using a rigid steel rake (like used for raking topsoil) so to each his own!
Very informative great job.
Thank you!
We've also seen other landscapers use steel rakes, like the ones used for grading soil, but the pitchforks work best for us.
Works for us!!!
Great vid, thanks for the tips!
Glad our method worked for you!
We either use a gas-powered Echo edger or a sharp spade, but either way, be sure to mark any sprinkler heads or shallow wires (like electric dog fence) before proceeding.
Re: christschool comment 3 days ago ("Nice video but that isn't shredded bark, that's shredded pulp")
Indeed, bulk mulch can be from a wide variety of wood-based materials. It is my understanding that the popular chipped hardwood mulch which is dyed various colors is made from old shipping pallets. Some supply yards also sell a cheaper generic mulch from ground-up tree branches and other wood waste. Sawdust is also added to some shredded bark mulch products. The dyed mulch in this video was sold as "Dyed brown double-shredded bark" but without any 'labeling standards' it is difficult to know the exact make-up of most bulk mulch products.
I use a hi yield granular to prevent weeds and grass. Last up to a weeks. We apply before mulch. That's where they start growing, underneath. Pitch forks are awsome. East to use. They glide through anything .
Aaron Reust Once we switched to 5-prong pitch forks we never looked back!
I have mostly tree areas so I use roundup 365 before I mulch and hit again with 365 within 60 days. The most I ever got out of roundup 365 is 90 days before the weeds and grass start popping back up. I'm guessing that people that get 365 days out of roundup 365 must live in the desert or in some drought affected area but here in NJ, you get 90 days max (if your lucky).
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Very helpful - thanks!
You're welcome!
If I were at an earlier point in my landscaping career it would probably be worth investing in a bark blower since there is nothing like having good equipment that saves time, especially during the spring rush. One of my best investments was a tool trailer; an enclosed 8-foot trailer (with an extra foot of inside height) that we keep most of our tools in... we just hook-it-up and head to a job! Fairly inexpensive to purchase with cheap annual registration. Win-win-win!!!
This mulch is a buffet for termites, it has a insecticide spray on with the color it was off after a couple of rainstorms, termite pest control companies love this mulch it provides them with a steady stream of customers for termite control.
Any type of mulch, and yes, even a decorative stone covering right next to a home's foundation favors insects since it holds moisture. Problem is that having "bare dirt" in that first few feet leads to mud splashing on the walls, so please share your ideal solution with us Mr. Carraway.
Our local dyed mulch supplier never added "insecticide spray" to the colorant they used on wood mulch, so just wondering where they do that, or where that information might have originated? Thanks!
When I lived in south Alabama there was a plant that produced this type mulch, during the manufacturing process the dye they used had a insecticide in it. Terminix pest control said the coating washed off after a few rains, as for what is best in the organic line is cypress, cedar mulch as these are natural pest deterrent, with decorative stone outlasting all the organics but quite costly.
You are welcome... I need to get back to making more videos instead of concentrating on the work so much!
Most professional exterminators I have spoken with over the years tell me that any kind of mulch (wood or stone) that holds moisture near your foundation can create insect problems. As for carpenter ants, they like to nest in wet structural wood, like wet wood in a wall or roof. A local exterminator recently told me that (Bayer) Max Force gel ant baits work best against carpenter ants. Also, be sure to trim tree and shrub branches away from your house since ants use them as bridges.
We spend more time ripping-out fabric than laying it down, since weeds will grow on top of it. Another downside to fabric under wood mulches is that mulch loses its natural ability to breakdown when it is not in contact with the soil. This can cause mulch buildup over the years. We only use landscape fabric under landscape stone installations.
We still see other local landscape companies using steel (soil) rakes, and even one or two companies who actually spread with their hands, but the pitchfork works best for us.
Thanks for the video!
It is Aug. 25th here in western Ky, fall is around the corner, and I have already weeded (hand pulled) one of our flowerbeds, removed most of the original mulch and loosened up the remaining soil with a four pronged garden tool that resembles a pitch fork but the forks curve around 90°, kinda like a garden hoe except it's forks. I didn't spray the bed with weed killer or spread a pre emergent before laying down about a three inch thick layer of Cypress mulch because we want to plant some more flowers, most likely fall flowers like mums etc. at this point, and I was afraid that it would kill the newly planted flowers. Is there anything I can do for weed control now that the mulch is already down? would it still be effective to put down a pre emergent over the mulch or am I just stuck with pulling weeds as they emerge?
Since you put down a 3-inch layer of mulch, that should control most weeds, besides, most weed "pressure" comes earlier in the growing season.
bobscaping Thanks for the info, I appreciate it!
Interesting video as well.
Thanks.
;0)
You're welcome!
I fill a wheel borrow with mulch and use a large preen bucket to evenly sift the mulch in a sweeping motion...when remulching. It works very well and usually this method will completely cover last years mulch with 3/4 inch coverage...saving money and avoiding over mulching. When mulching for the first time in a large garden, I just dump the borrow, get on my hands and knees and start spreading and tossing with my hands. By the way, a pitch fork work much better when collecting mulch from the pile... a flat shovel wont penetrate and lift a good amount. Although I do use a flat shovel for collecting remaining mulch from the bed of a trailor
A long handled coal shovel (#2 ?) always worked best for us if we were shoveling off a hard surface like the dump truck bed or pavement. A pitchfork worked best for scooping it out of wheelbarrows and spreading it in the shrub beds.
+1 on the coal shovel (plastic), and spreading with hands. stiff rake can throw quite a large amount if i'm just spreading with 2 guys feeding me piles though. screw a pitch fork. i love when we hire new guys and say, "where's the pitch fork"... i can fill a heaping wheelbarrow in literally 12 seconds from a truck, less on the ground. leave the pitch fork at home, and get on your hands and knees! another SUPER TIP... after it's "spread" use a leaf rake backwards to quickly "sweep" the mulch to get it perfectly flat. it works like a charm. signed, the best mulcher on the planet!
matt mag Guess we all use the technique we have found works best for us. I used your 'hands and knees' method 40 years ago, and my knees and pants appreciated the change to a pitch fork.
I hear you... My joints are feeling it.
It is alright to leave some leaves under the mulch, but it can be difficult to cover too many leaves especially if they are close to a shrub, and will also cause you to use more mulch.
thank you for using a pitchfork and not a rake I don't know how many people I argue with about that.
Others will insist that you can't hold mulch on a pitchfork, that it will fall away.
Thank you for video am starting my own landscape company so thanks for the tips
Hope your business went well the first year!
How’s the company
Guess it depends where you live and how much 'greenery' you have around you!
how did you cut the bed edge???
The power edger we used has a steel blade.
mhmmmnnnn love me some videos about mulch. thanks
so what's your favorite sandwich?
I agree with 1-1/2 depth for mulch cause removing it isn’t fun
Also somewhat surprising to see how mulch can repel water.
bob...check out Webster's pronunciation of the word "mulch".
I do have a Webster's within reach, and the old nurserymen who pronounced it that way has since passed, so I'm working really really hard on being 'prim and proper' with a harder pronunciation of the 'CH.'
Who is this guy?? Lou Holtz..............Mulsh
+husker hunter No, but he watches a lot of football.
I like the brown mulsh, but red mulsh realy helps the green pop out! ;)
LMAO. Just glad you are watching the Bobscaping channel. You say "tomato" and I say "tomahto." LOL
Preen should go on top of the "mulsh"!
AndrewWilson Since pre-emergents can 'volatilize' into the atmosphere, especially if they aren't watered-in, we preferred placing it under the mulch.
no landscape fabric?
Early on, years ago, we used black plastic, which prevents water percolation into the soil, and weeds will eventually grow on top of it. Also, with any sort of plastic or landscape fabric, it eliminates the ability of the mulch to naturally breakdown, leading to mulch build-up and no advantage to the soil by adding organic matter.
'mercy bouquet' for your comment...
they recycle rubber into "fake bark mulch" here
fantastic stuff!
900$ for a 4x4 palatalized bag of it tho
but it never needs to be done again.
I saw this product used in several local landscapes, but as you point out, it is extremely expensive. My inclination would be to use an ornamental stone mulch instead of ground rubber if I was looking for some sort of 'permanent' solution instead of mulching each year. Also, most wood mulches add organic matter to the soil if they are not underlain with plastic or landscape fabric.
Why not leave the leaves to compost under the mulch?
We've done that too. As Spock used to say, "it all breaks down."
Water deeply first---that's key!
PLUS: If you use a pre-emergent herbicide when you are mulching read and follow the label instructions. Most pre-emergents (like "Preen") should be watered-in following application.
MulCH!
I get lots of comments on my pronunciation of "mulch" -- LOL. I used to pronounce it like you and others suggest, but an old nurseryman in our area got me started pronouncing it the other way (mulsch) and it is difficult to revert to the old pronunciation.
You say tomato I say tomahto...
Was that a sneeeze I heard?
How do you spell that pronunciation of mulch anyway? It's worth more when you pronounce it with a soft ending instead of a hard ending... just a tip for the young landscapers out there.
You say to-ma-to, we say to-mah-to
Buy yourself one of those fake Owls and be sure to move it to a different spot every day or two. Another solution is to use something other than mulch along walk edges.
Mulsh is a shredded byproduct of tree barque, unlike mulch was comes from tree bark.
Funny comment!!! I inherited that pronunciation from an older nurseryman who was my mentor, but have tried to correct it (per your advice) since his passing.
We used to say MULCH...
Pros get on their hands and knees and spread it properly around the plants.
When I was a young rookie that's the way I did it, even took handfuls out of a wheel barrow. We perfected the method that worked for us, and shared it with thousands of viewers.
Ummm shredded bark is brown I know this is old but we sell 100 percent bark and don't dye it . 1 the color leaks out all over bark can't hold it only wood can ... 2 dieing brown brown is just dumb...
What is often sold as "double shredded bark" here usually has wood included that isn't purely bark. Most of the bulk mulch we buy locally is a byproduct of the Pennsylvania hardwood industry... they "debark" the logs (to protect saw blades) prior to milling them into lumber. Some sawmills add in other scrap wood and sometimes even sawdust. Landscape supply yards often apply the mulch colorant on their own. From years of experience, I will say this dyed mulch holds its desirable brown color much longer, whereas natural hardwood mulch tends to "bleach out" much faster. Thanks for watching the BOBscaping Channel!
mulsh?
Could be my 'Pittsburgh-ese,' you may not realize we have a slightly different dialect around Pittsburgh than other places. Example: Downtown is dahn-tahn
CA B Yinz spreading any mulsh n'at this spring? (..that is Pittsburgh-eze for the uninitiated)
Well shredded bark died brown bet that doesn't look good after a few weeks I've seen too many redo it because died bark loses its color ... Now died wood works so I'm sure that you ment that even though it's list of positive effect are much lower than bark
We primarily bought mulch in bulk by the cubic yard and used "dyed brown double shredded bark" (that's how it was described by our supplier) but yes, it did have more than just bark in the mix (this is typically what lumber mills grind off saw logs before they cut them into boards). Webpage with photo of the mulch dying process here: bobscaping.com/dyed-mulch/
Other landscapers preferred the 'chunky' dyed brown wood mixes (which can even consist of chipped shipping pallets). The problem we found with the 'chunky' dyed wood mulch available for purchase in bulk is 1) it covers less area, and 2) it needs to be spread on a dry day because the color needs time to 'set' or it can wash off the wood chips.
or get a bark blower and do this job in a quarter of the time.
Now we're talking! And boy could I have used that Kubota BX24 we had in later years when I was just getting started! Instead of buying a flatbed car hauler to move that little backhoe, spending more money and getting a low dump trailer (that could have hauled the Kubota too) would have been a far better solution overall! P.S. They didn't make bark blowers in my early landscaping years.
Just get your Pitchferk, and Mulsh. That's all you need....
Good one! I've been working on pronouncing "mulch" the widely accepted way.
bobscaping just teasing man good video
No offense taken, there are comments on that pronunciation all the time.
Sorry Bob, but I'm so against mulching for one reason, "Carpenter Ants" ~ OMG!! Huge black, biting, ants that got into my house because I laid down mulch all around my foundation flowerbeds. I love the look but wasted endless hours of work and monies. Now I need to come up with a much needed alternative.
I've gotten away from using mulch, allowing weeds and/or groundcover to take over my shrub beds, and just run a weedwacker around the beds every couple weeks to cut the taller weeds to a lower height. But on the carpenter ant issue, several of the pest applicator guys I've cornered with my questions over the years, have told me ANY type of mulch (stone, wood, bark) that holds moisture within a few feet of a house foundation is BAD, and also to trim away any branches touching your house.
This landscapes buried plants will become Dyed also, died brown. Its important to remove old mulch before it becomes soil.
+CONCERTMANchicago The general thinking on this topic is that decayed mulch builds organic matter in the soil and is therefore a good thing. It is recommended that you fertilize a shrub bed with some nitrogen when you are mulching to assist in the decay process.
+bobscaping, yes field studies have revealed that fertilizing with nitrogen when mulching to assist in the decay process is not necessary. So that makes it an old wives tail! Try going 3"X3"X3', three inches away from plant or trees main stem, three inches high or less of mulch blanket, and three feet or more out.
+CONCERTMANchicago Never knew old wives had tails! But seriously, you'll have to take up your "field study" (which university?) with my old professors from Penn State, since they taught us decaying mulch should have a supplemental application of nitrogen.
bobscaping, Morton Arboretum and some other horticulturists I have ran across. Also one TH-cam video that goes into detail on all types of mulch. I will try to supply you with some links because of your interest in subject. Bob, usually I keep my comments in check by empirically observing something for myself first before sharing with others. So while Wives do have tailbones, yadayadayada... One fact I can share with you after 400 root flare excavations on Mulch/Soil suffocated young trees last year, is that when owners amend with nitrogen. May be they should begin amending mulch with oxygen as well (Ha!), since too many matted wood chips shunt atmospheric air away from tree roots. Farmers testing soil no longer check for common four or five levels, but some 40 others as well since organisms living in soil produce much of what crop needs without amending.
From Wiki: Another way nitrogen affects soil respiration is through litter decomposition. High nitrogen litter is considered high quality and is more readily decomposed by microorganisms than low quality litter. Degradation of cellulose, a tough plant structural compound, is also a nitrogen limited process and will increase with the addition of nitrogen to litter. PS: When removing old mulch layer, some organic matter has already worked itself into remaining soil. Another question is, should wood chips be applied when they are already beginning to break down in Ernest. Or when just freshly ground up (Not yet composting)? Is there consensus yet? Peace
+CONCERTMANchicago You don't need to send the links, but what you should do is start a blog where you can share all your information. I've heard WordPress works pretty well for that. Best wishes!
Nice video but that isn't shredded bark, that's shredded pulp.
After they double or triple shred some mulch, it's hard to tell what it is! My biggest concern when purchasing mulch is that it hasn't gotten 'hot' from being in a large pile over winter too long without it being turned over -- this sort of 'killer bark' (as we called it) would fry newly planted annual flowers as well as 'burn' grass out several inches from the edge of a bed. If mulch has that ammonia smell, don't use it!
@@bobscaping True, that ammonia smell is nitrogen that needs to break down. Its the nitrogen that does all that burning.
How many times did he say mulsh? Lol
I'm working hard to start saying it like everyone else, but it's been great for getting comments!
Mulsh?
SO MANY comments on that pronunciation that I inherited from an old nurseryman who had it roll off his lips like that! R.I.P. Buck
Is that how the professionals pronounce mulsh?
Only the one I knew who used to get his top-dollar price for landscaping jobs, but he has since passed away. I'm working hard to go back to the harder pronunciation you suggest.
@@bobscaping May he resht in peache.
It is pronounced mulch, not mulish. Other than than, good work.
I stand corrected.
Round up is not the answer.
+MARK PARRISH it is if you ask "whats the most effective method of killing monarch butterflys?"
A lot of disturbing research on glyphosate has been published in the years since then, enough that I was surprised when a recent garden tool catalog that came in the mail showed that it is still for sale. I always found it puzzling that 2-4,D was never banned, at least the last I heard.
i guess they said clean the beds but he didnt...
Josh Childs A few leaves covered by mulch will breakdown and add to the organic matter in the soil, no affect on final job outcome.
MULSH.......lol..YOU MEAN MUL-CH!
I just couldn't sneak that past you! But rejoice, I have mended my mulshy ways and begun saying mulCH.
wtf is mulsh?
LOL, picked-up that pronunciation from an old nurseryman and was never able to shed it. It's worth more when you pronounce it that way!
You poison the earth with Round Up? Thumbs down.
Glyphosate has a half life of about a month in soil... don't get all worked up! we landscapers care!
sapphireblue222 go hug a tree
After everything that's been published since you left your comment sapphireblue222 it's surprising to see that glyphosate is still being sold, eh? How about that "RoundUp Ready" corn and other crops they grow? Overspray the corn with RoundUp without killing it, now that's pretty bizarre!