Gardening Question: Too Much Mulch?

[TromboneAl]

My neighbor has just cut down some fir trees, and he has huge piles of branches. He's going to rent a chipper to chip them up.

He asked if I wanted some for mulch.

This is my side yard:

The light green plants are weeds that I will later wack or spray. My goal is a low-maintenance natural forest floor look. The ideal for me would be all pine needles and no weeds.

Would there be any disadvantage to covering this area with a thick layer of the chippings?

Thanks.

 

[Ronstar]

Possibly termites, but other than that I can think of no problems


Sent from my iPhone .using Early Retirement .//82339)

 

[KB]

I do my Master gardener work in a horticulture center and we try to keep at least 4 inches of mulch on all of the unplanted areas. The thicker the mulch, the less chance of weeds sprouting. Mulch keeps the moisture in the soil also, so possibly less watering. It does eventually break down, so we add more every couple of years.

 

[splitwdw]

Fresh wood chips can raise the soil acidity. It's usually in the top layer of the soil so would effect annuals and perennials that are sensitive to acidic soil. Will not effect deeper rooted trees and shrubs. For a cheap weed barrier, you can place newspaper under the mulch. The newspaper decomposes so not a problem over time. Don't know about No. California but in my area, it's not recommended to have more than 2 or 3 inches of mulch and keep it away from trunks of trees and shrubs. AND PLEASE, don't do those stupid cone piles around your trees. The high piles can encourage insects, rodents, roots to grow up into the mulch. Around here the lawn mower guys (Most of them are NOT landscapers or horticulturists) don't know any better and pile on the mulch. If any of you use lawn mower guys make sure you aren't getting ripped off each year. You should be charged for them refreshing the mulch not piling on the same amount they did the year before. Mulch doesn't decompose that fast.