I'm planning to have a lot of mulch delivered for my garden, but I'm not sure where would be the best spot to place it for the quickest breakdown. Should I put it in direct sunlight, or would it be better to keep it shaded under trees? I really want it to break down fast!
3 Answers
I live in Zone 10 in Southwest Florida, and I haven't noticed much difference in how mulch breaks down whether it's under mature trees or in sunny spots. If your goal is soil improvement, like many of us dealing with sandy soil, either placement will yield similar results after six months to a year.
When it comes to making mulch break down quickly, both sun and shade can work as long as you keep it moist. If you're really aiming for rapid decomposition, consider adding organic fertilizer like fish hydrolysate. Just keep in mind, that will start turning your mulch into more of a compost pile than just mulch! Also, if compost is your goal, it might be better to just have that delivered instead of mulch.
How much would that compost delivery cost? I mean, mulch is free!
Honestly, why are you in such a hurry to break it down? Most folks use mulch to protect the soil and cover their gardens. They usually just add more mulch when it decomposes. If you want that mulch to decompose quickly, sure, go for some mycorrhizal inoculant or mushroom spores, but it’ll still take a few months for them to kick in.
Well, mulch is free! I'm in a sandy area, and I actually need to add a lot of organic matter quickly.
Yeah, I'm also in Florida, trying to fix up a really sandy area!