Mulch

LANDSCAPE MULCH

Northern Michigan Hardwoods’ landscape mulch is a pure double and triple ground hardwood blend. The main benefit of our pure hardwood mulch is that it provides a decorative appearance—it is perfect for dressing up yards, flower or shrub beds, and the base of trees.

There are also some practical benefits to hardwood mulch, including the following: it is a retardant against weeds, it retains moisture, and it helps maintain even soil temperatures.

The Process

Step 1:
Felled trees from surrounding areas are brought into our mill yard and de-barked; the tree bark and other wood scraps from our sawmill are collected for grinding.

Step 2:
The tree bark and wood scraps are ground into smaller pieces. This step is the first time the wood is processed through our grinder.

Mulch Step 3:
The wood then goes through the grinder a second time, passing through a smaller “screen” on this second pass. This step refines the once-ground mulch into even finer pieces.

Step 4:
The mulch is aged. The longer the mulch ages, the darker it becomes. The aging process produces mulch with a dark brown to black color that is rich in nutrients. Coarse hardwood mulch will help prevent erosion, while the fine, well-aged hardwood mulch will give your landscape a clean, rich look.

Mulch Tips

Mulch should be applied no more than 2 inches thick to provide a 1 to 1½ inch blanket after settling. Building a volcano shape around a tree is an example of excessive mulching, and it will cause more harm than good. Mulch compacts after a few rains and causes a dry condition under the mulch; this dry condition then starves the soil and plants of air and water, promoting the growth of fungus and potentially causing disease in your plants. We recommend occasionally aerating or cultivating the mulch to reduce compaction.