Great article that explains a lot...
I am often asked, why do I buy mulch rather than use the mulch fresh from the chipper after a winter's worth of tree work. There are 2 reasons:
1. The decomposition process requires Nitrogen, with is an essential nutrient to plant growth. The newer the mulch, the more Nitrogen required which uses nutrients that would otherwise be available to plants.
2. Artillery fungus, as seen in the article below, is more prevalent in undecomposed mulch. Putting this around the foundation of homes, parking lots etc can be disastrous. Nothing can remove the fungal spores once they are "shot" from the fungus and adhere to cars, buildings etc.
It is smart to use partially decomposed shredded mulch which is much more attractive as well due to the darker color.
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