Many property owners in Illinois love installing mulch in their landscape beds because of the added visual appeal it provides. Apart from its aesthetic benefits, mulching also improves the health of your landscape plants and protects them from extreme temperatures. Because of the many benefits mulch offers, it's crucial to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds once a year! Doing this will allow you to enjoy all its perks, like retaining soil moisture, preventing soil erosion, and suppressing weeds.

It's also best to remember that mulch is comprised of organic matter that decomposes over time. That's good for your plants because mulch will release nutrients into the soil as it decomposes. There's also nothing wrong with being extra mindful of your plants and curb appeal, which is why you can also have your mulch refreshed twice a year! Learn more about how often you should replenish mulch and why you need to do it.

Replenish mulch once a year so it doesn't lose its effectiveness.

Replenished mulch installed for landscape bed by walkway in East Alton, IL.

Mulch provides a lot of benefits for your landscape plants. Replenishing mulch at least once a year ensures your plants continue to reap the benefits mulch provides, like moisture retention, preventing soil erosion, and weed suppression. After a year, your mulch will start losing its effectiveness. This means your plants can go unprotected against harsh conditions. As your mulch layer starts to thin out, it will need to be replenished so that it continues to provide its benefits to your landscape bed and plants.

Mulch needs to be replenished at least once per year because it decomposes over time.

Because mulch is made up of organic matter, it will start to decompose over the course of the year. However, that is actually a good thing! That's because as the mulch decomposes, it will release nutrients back into the soil of your landscape beds. However, this also means the layer of mulch you have will deplete, which is why you need to replenish it at least once per year. Otherwise, your landscape beds will be barely covered, and they can look messy and unkempt again. What's more, a thin layer of mulch does almost nothing for your landscape plants, so you'll need to replenish it to provide your plants with protection from the elements!

The ideal thickness of a layer of mulch is between 2 to 3 inches.

Be extra diligent with your plant health and curb appeal by replenishing mulch twice a year.

Landscape bed with plantings replenished with mulch in Moro, IL.

The general rule is to refresh the mulch in your landscape beds once a year. However, if you want to be extra diligent with your plant health and curb appeal, you can replenish your mulch twice per year. Here are the best times to do it:

  • Spring: Spring is a great time to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds. That's because it will help suppress spring weeds from popping up in your landscape beds and it will enhance the aesthetics of your beds as the growing season starts.
  • Fall: Fall is also a good time to replenish the mulch in your landscape beds. When you replenish your mulch in the fall, you'll be helping your landscaping plants to survive the cold winter temperatures because it will regulate the soil temperature in your landscape beds.

Call our team today to schedule our mulch installation service!

Once you've had mulch installed in your landscape beds, it's crucial to replenish it every year to ensure you are reaping all its perks. At Element Turf & Outdoor Solutions, LLC, we offer our mulch installation service to properties in Alton, Godfrey, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, IL, and nearby areas. Call us today at (618) 467-7047 to schedule our mulch installation service!