Soil Rejuvenation

Directions for Use

• Confirmation - Be sure to cross reference the product on your receipt of purchase to confirm you are reading the directions of use for the correct product.
• Location of use - Our medium grind mulches work well in any area that is large or exposed to wind. A benefit of our medium grind mulches is how they lock together, helping them remain in place during seasons of high wind.  (Also see depth in regard to wind.)  In regard to location, consider the colors that are in the area where your mulch will lie. A good color choice will accent any near by buildings or naturally occurring color such as foliage or blossoms.  Consider consulting a color wheel.  Amazingly enough our bachelor boss is even learning to use one.
• Weed barrier - A barrier is considered optional. We have seen many successful mulched beds both with and without weed barrier.  One consideration in forgoing weed barrier is the interaction of the life in the soil with the mulch layer.  Without a barrier, biology such as earthworms are more easily able to thrive in the area where the soil and the mulch mingle.  Another consideration for going without is that when you allow the longer spears of mulch to drive into the soil and mingle with it, a bond is formed that contributes to the lower level of mulch remaining in place.  Whereas the opposite is true when a weed barrier is present.  The barrier may form a fault line where the wind can easily lift the mulch particles away.
• Depth - We recommend a depth of between 3 - 6" of medium grind be used when mulching an open area.  The goal of an adequate depth is not only to supress unwanted seed germination, but also to construct a mix and match of particles in order that the mulch particles are able to lock together and form one united mat of mulch.  When we mulch too thin (under 3"), the mulch particles lie mostly horizontal and roll on one another rather than locking together. When we mulch too deep (over 6") with medium grind, the soil is starved for the airflow that it needs in order to maintain a diverse biological ecosystem.
• Surface cover - Keep in mind that our medium grind mulches are ment as a decorative surface cover rather than a soil amendment. Long term, medium grind will contribute to your soil fertility; however, in the short term a fully composted soil amendment will provide superior results when incorporating into you garden beds soil.
• Using color - Drawing attention to an object of earth tone color can be difficult in a landscape.  All too often the colors of stucco, the browns of brick, or the amber tones of trim fade into the background in the larger picture of our landscapes.  No one wants the architecture of their home to be lost in the abundant colors of their yard.  We can draw attention to these structures by using mulch of a complementary color, but a differant shade.  Chocolate Mulch performs this function so very well.  For example, a customer requested mulch for a house which had an exterior of very dark brown stucco with a yet darker stucco trim.  By itself the house was lost in a sea of green grass and foliage.  With the use of Chocolate Mulch's black hue of brown, the result was a dark blanket that projected the home above and through the sea of green.  The complementary combination of the browns was pleasing to the eye and very capable of competing with the other colors in the landscape.  If you want to draw attention to your home in a subtle yet undeniable manner, then chocolate is for you.
• Using texture - Texture is also of consideration. You may want the texture of your landscape to be complementary.  A medium grind mulch brings with it a rugged texture.  The rugged texture of a medium grind mulch can be a wonderful complement to the texture of large bushes and trees.  Large plants rise above the medium mulch rather than get lost in it.  The large leaves of the plant complement the large particle size of the medium mulch.  Together they compose a harmonious look in your landscape.  If your goal is to cultivate a stage for smaller plants to perform from, then we encourage you to consider using our fine grind mulches.