Where to dispose of old mulch?

[zinner]

I dunno the this old house plant guy said to rake out the old mulch if you are going to put new mulch on top of it and not to just keep piling mulch up.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/skil...451367,00.html

My recommendation is to strip off as much of the old mulch as you can and top dress with an inch of new mulch. If you start with stripped beds and add one inch a year, you'll only have to strip them every three years.

[raleighjayne]

zinner--Interesting. Never heard that before but never had trouble with just adding on top of it either. Hmm.

Pine straw--I would just put the new stuff on top of the old. It does break down, it just doesn't add much to the soil quality. Doesn't hurt it though.

[adlnc07]

Originally Posted by raleighkc

You can put pine straw in clear plastic bags for the yard waste pickup, which I think is the same day as regular trash pickup.

Cary won't pick up yard waste in plastic bags - has to be paper, tied in bundles, or in a plastic garbage bin that they can just empty into the truck.

Garbage Collection

[no kudzu]

been gardening for 40+ years, Master Gardener, retired landscaper designer. Still don't claim to know it all. However, the only folks who tell you to remove old mulch are usually laborers who want to charge you per hour to do this.

It really isn't necessary as decomposing mulch help break down our yucky clay soil. If you think you must at least put it somewhere else in the landscape or start a compost pile. Most of us in the south just renew for looks. Perhaps up north they rake it out to put down new but not so much in the South. Remember gardening culture is different in different parts of the country and This Old House is based in Boston.

[Bogey Golf]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

been gardening for 40+ years, Master Gardener, retired landscaper designer. Still don't claim to know it all. However, the only folks who tell you to remove old mulch are usually laborers who want to charge you per hour to do this.

It really isn't necessary as decomposing mulch help break down our yucky clay soil. If you think you must at least put it somewhere else in the landscape or start a compost pile. Most of us in the south just renew for looks. Perhaps up north they rake it out to put down new but not so much in the South. Remember gardening culture is different in different parts of the country and This Old House is based in Boston.

Top notch advice. It's amazing how much the clay soil improves just 3 years after the decomposing mulch does its thing.

[don6170]

Originally Posted by zinner

Every 2-3 years you need to rake out the old mulch around the plants and put down new, otherwise it chokes out air/water from the roots.

If that was true, wouldn't natural forest areas be dead zones, since there wasn't any one to come along and rake out the old stuff?

[MrsRhythm]

Yup great advice - I was just coming here to say I'd take it off your hands!

[zinner]

Lol I didn't think I would start the great mulch debate.

[arbyunc]

Hey, I'm thinking of starting a new business--leasing mulch to northerners! Just like a car, there'll be a down payment and monthly payments. Once they're done using it, they have to rake it up and put it in bags, which I'll pick up and sell as compost to someone else.

Brilliant!

[GucciLittlePiggie]

fwiw i remove all of my synthetic mulch twice a year and dump it into a nearby creek.