This is the same article I posted under Homesteading Questions... THought it belonged here as well....
Today I'd like to share with you an article about a
problem with mulch that few people are aware of. By making
you aware I hope I can save you the aggravation that others
have suffered.
Beware of Toxic Mulch
by Michael J. McGroarty
Mulching beds has become extremely popular these days, and
mulch can be really beneficial to your plants and the soil in
your planting beds, but there are things you need to watch for.
Here in Ohio the most popular type of mulch that people use
is shredded hardwood bark mulch, which is a by product of
the timber industry. When they haul the logs into the sawmill
the first thing they do is debark them. Years ago the bark was
a huge problem for the mills because there didn't seem to be
a useful purpose for it, until people realized the hidden
benefits that it held.
Still to this day, the bark is a headache for the saw mills, and
they don't always understand how to properly handle it. They
like to pile it as high as they can so it takes up less space in
their yard. The mulch really tends to back up during the winter
months because there is little demand for it.
In order for the mills to pile the mulch high, they literally have
have to drive the large front end loaders up onto the pile. Of
course the weight of these large machines compacts the mulch
in the pile, and this can become a huge problem for you or I if
we happen to get some mulch that has been stacked too high,
and compacted too tightly.
When the trees are first debarked the mulch is fairly fresh, and
needs to decompose before we dare use it around our plants.
The decomposition process requires oxygen and air flow into the
pile.
This article is continued below . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sue, I took some pictures of one of our plant
sales. These photos show the front of our house, and
all the plants we have for sale lined up in our driveway.
Take a look:
http://www.freeplants.com/starting-a-plant-nursery.htm
Growing and selling small plants is a blast!
Starting this year, I plan to grow thousands of plants just
to give away. Everybody on my mailing list will be eligible
to win some of our plants. We select names from our list at
random, and contact the winners by E-mail. So make sure
you stay on this mailing list.
http://www.freeplants.com/starting-a-plant-nursery.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------
article continued . . .
When the mulch is compacted too tight, this air flow can
not take place, and as the mulch continues to decompose it
becomes extremely hot as the organic matter ferments.
Sometimes the extreme heat combined with the inability to
release the heat can cause the pile to burst into flame through
spontaneous combustion.
In other cases the mulch heats up, can not release the gas, and
the mulch actually becomes toxic. When this occurs the mulch
develops an over bearing odor that will take your breath away
as you dig into the pile. When you spread this toxic mulch
around your plants the gas it contains is released, and this gas
can and will burn your plants. It has happened to me twice.
Once at my own house, and once on a job I was doing for a
customer.
This toxic mulch is very potent. We spilled a little mulch in
the foliage of a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that we were mulching
around, and just a few minutes later brushed the mulch out of
the plant. The next day my customer noticed that one side of
the plant was all brown. Not only did I have to replace the
Dwarf Alberta Spruce, but the mulch also damaged at least
10 other plants that I had to replace.
I once saw where somebody ordered a truck load of mulch, had
it dumped in their driveway, and as the much slid out of the
dump truck onto the asphalt the toxic gas that was released
settled on the lawn next to the driveway. The gas, not the
mulch, turned the grass brown next to the mulch pile.
This same person spread several yards of the mulch around
their house before they realized the problem, and it ruined many
of their plants.
Now here's the hard part. Trying to explain to you how to
identify toxic mulch. It has a very strong odor that will take
your breath away. But then again almost all mulch has a
powerful odor. This is very different than your typical mulch
smell, but I can't explain it any better than that.
The mulch looks perfectly normal, maybe a little darker in
color than usual.
If you suspect a problem with the mulch you have, take a couple
of shovels full, and place it around an inexpensive plant. Maybe
just a couple of flowers. When doing this test use mulch from
inside the mulch pile and not from the edges. The mulch on the
edge of the pile has more than likely released most of the toxic
gas that if may have held.
If after 24 hours the test plants are O.K., the mulch should be
fine.
The purpose of this article is not to induce panic at the mulch
yard, but toxic mulch can do serious damage. At my house it
burned the leaves right off some of the plants in my landscape,
and burned the grass next to the bed all the way around the
house. It looked like somebody had taken a torch and burned
the grass back about 2â all the way around the bed. If I hadn't
seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it.
That's it for now.
Sue did you know that I also
publish an internet marketing newsletter?
It's pretty interesting if you have any interest
in marketing any thing at all on the internet.
You can subscribe here:
http://www.homemadebooklets.com
Take care and have a great day!
-Mike McGroarty
Mike's Backyard Nursery
P.O. Box 338
Perry, Ohio 44081
http://www.freeplants.com
P.S. Do you need great gardening articles for your
website or newsletter? Get them here:
http://www.freeplants.com/free-gardening-articles.htm
31
Click on the link below to remove yourself
http://www.informationbyemail.com/cgi-bin/varpro2/r.cgi?id=backyard&[email protected]
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<a href="http://www.informationbyemail.com/cgi-bin/varpro2/r.cgi?id=backyard&[email protected]"> Remove Me</a>
.
Today I'd like to share with you an article about a
problem with mulch that few people are aware of. By making
you aware I hope I can save you the aggravation that others
have suffered.
Beware of Toxic Mulch
by Michael J. McGroarty
Mulching beds has become extremely popular these days, and
mulch can be really beneficial to your plants and the soil in
your planting beds, but there are things you need to watch for.
Here in Ohio the most popular type of mulch that people use
is shredded hardwood bark mulch, which is a by product of
the timber industry. When they haul the logs into the sawmill
the first thing they do is debark them. Years ago the bark was
a huge problem for the mills because there didn't seem to be
a useful purpose for it, until people realized the hidden
benefits that it held.
Still to this day, the bark is a headache for the saw mills, and
they don't always understand how to properly handle it. They
like to pile it as high as they can so it takes up less space in
their yard. The mulch really tends to back up during the winter
months because there is little demand for it.
In order for the mills to pile the mulch high, they literally have
have to drive the large front end loaders up onto the pile. Of
course the weight of these large machines compacts the mulch
in the pile, and this can become a huge problem for you or I if
we happen to get some mulch that has been stacked too high,
and compacted too tightly.
When the trees are first debarked the mulch is fairly fresh, and
needs to decompose before we dare use it around our plants.
The decomposition process requires oxygen and air flow into the
pile.
This article is continued below . . .
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sue, I took some pictures of one of our plant
sales. These photos show the front of our house, and
all the plants we have for sale lined up in our driveway.
Take a look:
http://www.freeplants.com/starting-a-plant-nursery.htm
Growing and selling small plants is a blast!
Starting this year, I plan to grow thousands of plants just
to give away. Everybody on my mailing list will be eligible
to win some of our plants. We select names from our list at
random, and contact the winners by E-mail. So make sure
you stay on this mailing list.
http://www.freeplants.com/starting-a-plant-nursery.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------
article continued . . .
When the mulch is compacted too tight, this air flow can
not take place, and as the mulch continues to decompose it
becomes extremely hot as the organic matter ferments.
Sometimes the extreme heat combined with the inability to
release the heat can cause the pile to burst into flame through
spontaneous combustion.
In other cases the mulch heats up, can not release the gas, and
the mulch actually becomes toxic. When this occurs the mulch
develops an over bearing odor that will take your breath away
as you dig into the pile. When you spread this toxic mulch
around your plants the gas it contains is released, and this gas
can and will burn your plants. It has happened to me twice.
Once at my own house, and once on a job I was doing for a
customer.
This toxic mulch is very potent. We spilled a little mulch in
the foliage of a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that we were mulching
around, and just a few minutes later brushed the mulch out of
the plant. The next day my customer noticed that one side of
the plant was all brown. Not only did I have to replace the
Dwarf Alberta Spruce, but the mulch also damaged at least
10 other plants that I had to replace.
I once saw where somebody ordered a truck load of mulch, had
it dumped in their driveway, and as the much slid out of the
dump truck onto the asphalt the toxic gas that was released
settled on the lawn next to the driveway. The gas, not the
mulch, turned the grass brown next to the mulch pile.
This same person spread several yards of the mulch around
their house before they realized the problem, and it ruined many
of their plants.
Now here's the hard part. Trying to explain to you how to
identify toxic mulch. It has a very strong odor that will take
your breath away. But then again almost all mulch has a
powerful odor. This is very different than your typical mulch
smell, but I can't explain it any better than that.
The mulch looks perfectly normal, maybe a little darker in
color than usual.
If you suspect a problem with the mulch you have, take a couple
of shovels full, and place it around an inexpensive plant. Maybe
just a couple of flowers. When doing this test use mulch from
inside the mulch pile and not from the edges. The mulch on the
edge of the pile has more than likely released most of the toxic
gas that if may have held.
If after 24 hours the test plants are O.K., the mulch should be
fine.
The purpose of this article is not to induce panic at the mulch
yard, but toxic mulch can do serious damage. At my house it
burned the leaves right off some of the plants in my landscape,
and burned the grass next to the bed all the way around the
house. It looked like somebody had taken a torch and burned
the grass back about 2â all the way around the bed. If I hadn't
seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it.
That's it for now.
Sue did you know that I also
publish an internet marketing newsletter?
It's pretty interesting if you have any interest
in marketing any thing at all on the internet.
You can subscribe here:
http://www.homemadebooklets.com
Take care and have a great day!
-Mike McGroarty
Mike's Backyard Nursery
P.O. Box 338
Perry, Ohio 44081
http://www.freeplants.com
P.S. Do you need great gardening articles for your
website or newsletter? Get them here:
http://www.freeplants.com/free-gardening-articles.htm
31
Click on the link below to remove yourself
http://www.informationbyemail.com/cgi-bin/varpro2/r.cgi?id=backyard&[email protected]
AOL Users
<a href="http://www.informationbyemail.com/cgi-bin/varpro2/r.cgi?id=backyard&[email protected]"> Remove Me</a>
.
