When my wife came home today, she got mad that I had wrecked our front garden. I don't necessarily consider myself a professional or even a good gardener, more of a hobbyist willing to make mistakes.
So my approach for mulch has always been to disturb the existing a bit, spread it out and then water afterwards. I generally don't remove any mulch unless there was a rot or disease problem.
The criticism was that I didn't remove the old mulch. Now to ensure peace in the household I am raking up the new and old mulch. I'll put down fresh mulch. So sanity check, did I mess this up?
by readreed
47 Comments
I usually leave old mulch. I remove the leaves and disturb the old mulch, then I drop new on top of it.
In my experience, mulch breaks down and adds to the existing bed. Removing it is unnecssary.
The older mulch gets, the more it breaks down while feeding the plants in the process,
So by removing old mulch you are taking away a source of food for the plants..
I mulch on top of my old mulch. Only thing I would never do is disturb the old mulch unless there is an area where it’s too tick you can remove some. Otherwise just lay it on top and let the mulch break down on its own. Also the rot is good 90% of the time is harmless fungi mycelium breaking down the mulch.
I have never removed old mulch. It just breaks down into soil. I don’t see what the problem is here at all. Unless you buried some plants under deep mulch?
As a wife and someone who gets paid to mulch, I am telling you that your wife is wrong.
If anything you are actually taking away food for soil life, and plant nutrients. Makes no sense.
Subjective. One of the biggest benefits of mulching, is as the mulch breaks down, it adds nutrients to the soil. It also helps with water retention, keeps roots protected/insulated, etc etc etc. I see 0 reasons to remove old mulch unless it’s going to be too deep once you apply the new. Otherwise, it’s purely a cosmetic preference.
I don’t think it’s “the norm” to remove old mulch.
However, your mulch layer is now several different colors. Perhaps that is what she’s actually bothered by?
Where did the old mulch go all the previous times?
I’ve never even thought of removing the old mulch. It’s there to preserve moisture and break down slowly feeding my plants.
First few seasons of mulch I leave-it’ll eventually decompose into nutrient-rich soil. But once it starts to cause a run-off problem, I’ll rake off the loosest top layer so I have some retention for the new mulch.
It would look better if you had a thicker layer of mulch and used some mulch glue.
I’ve never removed old mulch. You want it to break down into the soil. You did nothing wrong.
> The criticism was that I didn’t remove the old mulch
Ask your wife why she thinks old mulch needs to be removed, and where she was told that this is what you are supposed to do.
This is absolute nonsense, and no sane and experienced gardener has ever done this.
Mulch has 3 purposes: weed reduction, moisture retention, and soil improvement.
By leaving the mulch as you should, you stop the spread of weeds. There is no bare soil for floating seeds to land on or for a bird to poop one out on, so germination doesnt happen and you stay weed free
You retain moisture by creating an organic barrier between your soil and the sun. It breathes, but still keeps the moisture in and usable as opposed to evaporating off.
The last reason you leave your mulch is because it is compost. As it breaks down it returns nutrients and organic matter back into your soil. This in turn helps plants uptake nutrients, provides the mycelium and other fungus needed and the whole system eats.
By removing the mulch you are significantly disturbing your soil health now, and contributing to its future struggles, not to mention making a bunch of stupid busy work
*Edited for spelling
The only real reason I use mulch is so it breaks down into the soil, I wouldn’t bother at all if it didn’t have a purpose for the plants. I’m assuming people who use dyed and treated mulch don’t understand the true benefits of mulching. There are a lot of options besides various woods to mulch, and slight weed suppression is a bonus for mulching in my garden, not the main reason.
Mulch doesn’t get removed. It’s organic; over time it breaks down and improves the tilth of the soil. Your wife is wrong about something fairly basic. She might have learned this from a parent who wanted an overly uniform landscape, like in the 1950’s or 60’s.
You don’t remove old mulch. The point of it is to break down over time and serves as a layer of protection over the dirt underneath.
As someone who nearly has to pull teeth to get my partner to throw mulch and then usually end up doing it myself, I can tell you your wife is lucky as hell that you’re willing to do this once, let alone twice to “fix” something she’s picking out that is totally unnecessary. Hopefully she’ll appreciate your time, effort, and desire to make her happy. You’re doing a great job!!
Why would you remove the old mulch. Wife should chill.
Removing old mulch defeats half the purpose of using mulch to begin with, that it breaks down and creates nutrional topsoil mmm yummy and thicker mulch layer = less weeds
Describe it to her as a mulch parfait, a treat your garden loves to eat
What’s your reason for wanting to remove the mulch? Of course you want to leave it there. It’s what’s feeding the soil for later. It’s rare that you want to remove any organic matter.
The key thing (according to Monty Don in the first or second episode of this season of Gardener’s World) is the mulch layer should be around 4cm thick so it can actually do it’s job at supressing weeds & help with moisture retention. Anything less is just a waste of time and money. It does break down over time (and moved by the birds etc) releasinf goodness back to the soil, hence why it needs to get topped up in the first place.
If you’re removing old mulch, then what’s 50% of the point of having it: to replenish and add organic matter in your soil. Don’t remove the old just add more.
not a wife(just gf) but as a landscaper that mulches basically everyday, ur doing just fine tbh i would just rake it around so she cant see the distinct color difference but you do not need to remove unless it is piled to high or covering plants
What why would anyone remove old mulch? That is so strange. Your wife is wrong.
I can’t even imagine asking my spouse to do all that work because I thought it looked wrong.
Assuming she’s right, which she is not, this would be a, “let’s do it differently next year” conversation rather than a, “remove it and start over” conversation.
I’ve never even heard of removing old mulch. That’s how I feed and improve the structure of my soil.
The only thing I would critique is the unevenness of having the new mulch with exposed patches of the old mulch and the height of the mulch in general. It seems to go above the hardscape that’s meant to keep soil and mulch in. One good, fast, hard rain and that’s gone wash out.
The decomposition of the old mulch is half the benefit of wood mulch over inorganics. Next you’ll tell us she doesn’t believe in compost either
The main function of mulch is to remain and breakdown. This will improve the soil over time by feeding the mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria that work with your plants to help them thrive. You should always leave the old mulch and just add new on top.
She is bat shit crazy and doesn’t know anything about soul, plants, or mulch.
No you want that old mulch to continue to break down under it. It’s starts to create a nice dirt over time.
I leave old mulch. That is too much work to remove old mulch. Your wife sounds not great… you’re doing hard work that should be appreciated! This is from a wife who does her own mulch and doesn’t get a lot of help from the hubby doing it sometimes. Tell her to please sit down lol
I’ve never touched the old mulch. What would you even do with it? What a waste it’ll break down and make good dirt.
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Sounds like your wife came home mad and picked any reason to get mad, this is insane lol
Your wife just doesn’t want you in the house for a few hours. The mulch is fine.
Good on you for asking and learning! 🙂
One of the benefits of organic mulch (“organic” as in “living matter” NOT rubber or stone) is that it breaks down and becomes part of the soil makeup over time. This benefits your soil. If you take up the old mulch every year that process is halted.
Next year lay the new mulch over the old and you are good to go! If you see any spots where the old mulch has become matted be sure to break those up with a hand rake or your hands before you lay the new mulch down. Mats can prevent oxygen and water from getting through to the soil and plant roots.
The only thing I would adjust in your photos is to pull the mulch back an inch or two from the base of the plants. Moisture can collect there and cause issues over time. This doesn’t always happen but I like to err on the side prevention.
Source: I am a state Extension Master Gardener
EDIT: Another good resource for gardening questions is your state Extension. You can submit a question at [Ask Extension](https://ask.extension.org/) (or search to see if there is already an answer) and your local state Extension will respond, usually in a few days.
It sounds like it’s just for aesthetics? Does she put the half-decomposed chips in compost? Wood chip mulch is multi-purpose. It helps retain moisture, it helps stop weeds, it contributes to the micro organisms providing nutrients in the soil, it contributes to improving overall tilth, and it looks neater than bare soil or a chop and drop garden when there’s this much space between plants.
That said, the ideal soil for plants, particularly perennials, is one we disturb minimally and only add to. If you leave the mulch you are basically just slow composting every year and promoting a healthier environment for the life in the soil which will feed your plants. In fact, raking out decomposing wood chips can create a short term nitrogen shortage as it mixes into the soil rather than a slow drip nutrient feed, and it upsets the delicate balance of microbes that then needs to start all over again.
In a perfect world we are just adding layers of compost/worm castings, and supplementing with natural non-chemical fertilizers like seaweed and compost tea as needed and letting nature do its thing to invigorate our gardens from there. Fine to add organic mulches like wood chips too, but it’s anti-productive to take them away mid-decomposition.
I’m just happy my husband wanted to renew the mulch this year instead of doing it myself! We use pine straw, so we usually sprinkle the new on top.
Your specific question aside, I would recommend pulling the mulch away from the crown of your hydrangeas as well as any other shrubs/plants/trees. It’s not healthy for them to have the mulch piled right up against or into the crown of the plants like that.
Otherwise, I agree with the others. Fluff the old mulch up to break up any compaction, then add new on top.
Source: I work as a fine gardener who deals with lots and lots of hydrangeas.
Isn’t the whole point of mulch to leave it on the ground to break down and add to the soil? Removing the old stuff defeats the whole point, especially as you’ll be removing it when its closer to breaking down
Looks great to me!
Did you both discuss the color beforehand? Maybe that is what she’s actually upset about but didn’t clearly convey it to you (or it’s assumed you should know).
If she’s actually upset that you didn’t remove the old mulch, that is not a common thing to do. You literally would be throwing away money, as mulch will improve your soil quantity as it degrades, suppress weeds, etc.
New mulch goes on top of the old. The old mulch breaks down and becomes part of the soil. Nature breaks down the organic material and makes it available to feed your plants.
I think your wife is in the wrong here. My wife and I mulch exactly like you do. I’ve never seen anyone do what your wife thinks should be done.
Good luck OP
Do not remove old mulch! You were mulching properly. Just add new mulch on top of old.
Your old mulch was doing what mulch is supposed to do… decompose gradually over time. (If your mulch is a natural product vs that awful bits of rubber).
It slowly breaks down because of sun, heat, cold, rain, snow, and most importantly bugs, insects, micro-organisms that are living in the mulch and soil. This is GOOD!
Your wife is mistaken- you would be throwing away such goodness if you threw away the old mulch each year or so
Yep your wife is way wrong stop listening to her… well at least about mulch.
Your wife is wrong and needs more education on this subject