Why You Shouldn’t Use Dyed Mulch

 

There are many beautiful gardens and homes in East Texas that utilize dyed mulch. While this can add another level of customization to your landscape, it can do damage to your plants and soil. If you have used dyed mulch, or are thinking about using it in the future, please give this blog a read!

 

 

The Orgins of Dyed Mulch

 

Dyed mulches (black, red, green, and other colors) are usually (with few exceptions) made up of recycled wood waste. This trash wood can come from old hardwood pallets, old decking, demolished buildings, or worse yet pressure-treated CCA lumber. CCA stands for Chromium, Copper, and Arsenic; chemicals used to preserve the wood. This ground-up trash wood is then sprayed with a tint to cover up inconsistencies in the wood and give it a uniform color.

 

 

Why You Should Steer Clear of Dyed Mulch In Your Garden

 

This dyed wood mulch does not break down to enrich the soil as good mulch should. It doesn’t decompose and act as a fertilizer adding beneficial supplements to your plants. Instead, it leaches the dye along with the possible contaminants (chromium, copper, arsenic, and others) into the soil harming or even killing beneficial soil bacteria, insects, earthworms, and sometimes the plants themselves. The dye runs off after a simple rain. It stains sidewalks, driveways and it’s soaking into the soil in landscape beds too!

 

These wood mulches actually rob the soil of nitrogen by out-competing the plants for the nitrogen they need for their own growth. Dr. Harry Hoitink, Professor Emeritus at Ohio State University, warns that dyed mulches are especially deadly when used around young plants and in newer landscapes.

 

Since dyed mulch doesn’t decompose like natural mulch, it can build up into an unhealthy depth in your beds causing damage (or death) to your plants. If you choose to use dyed mulch remove the old mulch and spread a new layer – don’t add it to the top of existing dyed mulch in the bed.

 

If you currently have dyed mulch in your beds and decide to switch to using natural mulch remove all the old, dyed mulch from your beds. Don’t be surprised if you see discoloration of the soil under the dyed mulch. Add a 1” layer of compost to the top of the soil to improve and enrich your soil from the loss of nutrients caused by the dyed mulch. Spread natural mulch at a 2-3” depth and begin receiving all the benefits of using natural mulch.