Family Plot
  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search

Q&A - What is the best mulch to use around plants?

Question:
What is the best mulch to use around plants and trees? What do you think about that?

Answer:
Jim Crowder from Memphis Botanic Garden likes to use pine needles for mulch. Jim also talks about the other options. Cypress mulch lasts a long time, hardwood mulch is slightly acidic while pine bark mulch is slightly alkaline. Jim also talks about over-mulching. Pants breathe through the soil and when there is too much mulch oxygen can’t get to the roots. Mulch breaks down into dust which sits on the ground. When you re-mulch your plants, you should remove all the old mulch including the mulch dust and then spread the new mulch.

Related Resources:
Mulches
Mulch
Mulching Vegetables
Website Copyright 2025 Family Plot Garden
Content Copyright 2015-2025 Family Plot Garden & Mid-South Public Communications Foundation

  • Home
  • Watch
    • TV Schedule
    • Full Episodes Online
    • How-to and Informational
    • Questions and Answers
    • This Week in the Garden
    • Garden Notes
  • Garden Topic Collections
    • Apple Trees: How-to and Information
    • Peach Trees: How-to and Information
    • Tomatoes: How-to and Information
    • Square Foot Garden Blog
  • Resources
    • Soil Testing
    • Extension Publications
    • Gardening Resources
    • Blogs
    • Organic Gardening
    • Articles
    • Privacy
  • Guests
  • Contact Us
    • Ask a Gardening Gardening Question
  • Search