Mulch is the cheapest, highest-return thing you can do for a garden bed. It holds moisture through summer heat, suppresses weeds, moderates soil temperature, and breaks down over time to improve the heavy clay soil common across King Township and Vaughan. But it only works if you apply it correctly — and the most common mistake we see is one that slowly kills trees.

Two to three inches. That's it.

Two to three inches of mulch is the sweet spot. Less than that won't suppress weeds or hold moisture. More than that starts causing problems: water can't penetrate to the roots, the soil underneath stays soggy, and in our clay-heavy soil that's a recipe for root rot. Deeper is not better.

Never pile mulch against the trunk

This is the big one. You've seen it everywhere — mulch heaped in a cone against a tree trunk, sometimes a foot high. It's called a mulch volcano, and it's genuinely harmful. Bark is not meant to sit in constant moisture. Piled mulch traps water against the trunk, which rots the bark and opens the tree to disease and insects. It also encourages roots to grow up into the mulch and circle the trunk, eventually strangling the tree years down the road. And it gives mice and voles a protected place to chew the bark over winter.

Instead, pull mulch back and leave three to six inches of bare soil around the trunk, so you can see the root flare where the trunk widens at the base. The mulch ring should look like a doughnut, not a volcano. Same rule applies to shrubs — keep it off the stems.

When to apply it

Late spring, once the soil has warmed up, is ideal in our area. Mulching too early in the season insulates cold soil and slows everything down. A second option is late fall, after the ground has cooled, to insulate roots through winter.

Refreshing it each year

You don't need to add a full new layer every spring. Mulch breaks down, but not that fast. Rake and fluff what's already there to break up any crust, then top up only enough to get back to two or three inches total. Piling fresh mulch on top of old year after year is how beds end up six inches deep and waterlogged without anyone noticing.

A note on landscape fabric

It's tempting, but we generally advise against fabric under mulch in planted beds. It works for a season or two, then weeds root in the decomposing mulch on top of it, the fabric blocks organic matter from reaching the soil, and eventually you have a tangled mess to pull out. In clay soil especially, letting mulch break down naturally into the ground is doing real work for you. Fabric is better suited to stone or gravel applications.

What to use

Shredded bark and cedar hold together well on slopes and last a full season. Composted wood chips break down faster but feed the soil more. Both are good choices. If you're using dyed mulch, know that it's usually made from recycled wood rather than bark, and it breaks down less usefully — fine for appearance, less good for soil health.

Done right, mulch is close to free money for your landscape. If you'd rather have it handled properly across your beds, get in touch and we'll take care of it.

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Master the Art of Mulching

How to Mulch Properly (and the Common Mistake That Kills Trees)

Effective Mulching for a Thriving Garden

Get Professional Mulching Services

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