Mulching

Natural wood chip mulch is the best gift you can give your tree to save water, encourage healthy growth, and protect the roots

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Benefits of wood chip mulch

4 volunteers, including Sacramento District 3 Parks Commissioner David Guerrero and his wife Lupe, scoop wood chips from a large pile into wheelbarrows to mulch the trees at Gardenland Park in Sacramento. Grassy sports fields in the background show that the trees in this park provide cooling shade for athletes, spectators, and visitors.

Saves water

Insulates roots from heat & cold

Prevents weeds

Diverts waste from the landfill

Builds healthy soil

Sequesters carbon in soil

Naturally feeds your trees

Why wood chips?

Natural wood chips, also known as arborist wood chips, include trimmings from tree pruning and removals and are the best material for your tree. All above-ground parts of the tree are incorporated, including bark, wood, twigs, and leaves.

When natural wood chips are applied in a 4-6" thick layer, their different sizes allow them to lock together to form a stable mat of mulch that blocks weeds, saves water, and won't wash or blow away. After 1-2 years, the wood chips break down to organically enrich the soil and should be replenished.

A volunteer named Robbie Robbins scoops wood chips from a large pile to mulch the trees at Gardenland Park in Sacramento. His shirt reads, "Gardenland Park Proud: A New Era," a reference to his successful efforts to clean up and reopen the park in his neighborhood and a play on the Sacramento Proud branding of the Kings basketball team..

How to mulch your trees

A diagram shows a 1-inch layer of compost under a 6-inch layer of wood chip mulch applied around a newly planted tree, 4 inches away from the trunk and 4 feet across in a fluffy donut shape around the tree.

Before you begin, remove grass and weeds in the area to be mulched.

  1. (optional) Spread a 1-inch layer of compost on top of the soil to speed up the process of building healthy soil full of beneficial microbes.

  2. For young trees, spread wood chip mulch in a 4-foot area around the tree, 4 inches from the trunk, and 6 inches thick. Continue expanding the mulch outward as the canopy grows. For mature trees, spread mulch under as much of the canopy as possible but keeping it 6 inches away from the trunk.

  3. Add more mulch on top as it breaks down, about once a year. Do not allow grass or other plants to grow near the trunk.

These items are helpful to have on hand:

Gloves

Dust mask or bandana

Snow shovel or pitchfork

Buckets or wheelbarrow

Bow rake

Tine rake

Push broom or blower