Another mulch question...

[teatime]

Preen products are GREAT!!!! I use them a lot for weed control and they don't disappoint!

As for the mulch question, a lot depends on where you live and your climate. I mulch a lot -- not for weed control or attractiveness but because our summers in Texas are BLAZING hot and our rain amounts tend to be feast or famine! The mulch protects my plants from over-saturation when we get WAY too much rain and it also protects the roots and keeps in moisture when we're bone dry and I have to water.

I stay away from cedar mulch because I heard it can attract bugs. LOL, I'm not sure if that's true because I don't use it and I haven't had a problem with bugs!

[Northwoods Voyager]

No more cedar mulch for my gardens! Have found termites in and under it at times. Prefer pine bark now. And about 3-4 inches works best for our gardens. Also, have tried the newspaper under mulch and also professional grade landscape black cloth. Like them both. Just depends upon how large of an area I'm working with. Good luck to you and your garden. Lot of great advice here. Thank you to all.

[teatime]

Ah, so what I heard about cedar mulch IS true! Sorry you found out the hard way, Northwoods Voyager! And I hope you were able to get rid of the termites!

[mrstewart]

I have heard tics hang out in cedar mulch as well.