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| Using sticks as mulch reduces weed growth. |
Mulches & mulching
Over the years, I've written about mulching and mulches in my seven books and in various articles:- Pine needle mulch (the most read post on this blog)
- Wood chip mulch
- Too much mulch
- Rock-scaping & more.
But for the past several years, I've also been using sticks as mulch near buildings to reduce weed infestations. Unlike other mulching materials, there's a lot of air or space between the sticks, so there's nothing there for seedlings. Eventually, some weeds that spread via rhizomes or stolons, such as fog fruit (Phyla nodiflora) or Florida betony (Stachys floridana) work their way into the space, but very few seed-spread weeds.
This type of mulching works well for our yard because have lots of trees. A good time to create a stick-mulch area is after a high-wind event. Yes, we also have several stick piles to create habitat for small birds and various insects, so I don't usually raid those piles for sticks for mulching.
