What Is Tea Tree Mulch: Using Tea Tree Mulch In Gardens

Garden Full Of Tea Tree Mulch
tea tree mulch
(Image credit: Avia55)

Think of mulch as a blanket you tuck over your plants’ toes, but not just to keep them warm. A good mulch regulates soil temperature but also accomplishes much more magic. One of the best things you can do for your plants is to use tea tree mulch in gardens. What is tea tree mulch? Read on to learn all about tea tree mulch uses.

What is Tea Tree Mulch?

Mulch is any product that you spread over the soil in your garden. The best kinds of mulch accomplish many good deeds in your backyard. What can mulch do? It regulates the temperature of the soil, keeping your plant roots cool in summer and warm in winter. It “locks” moisture into the soil, prevents weeds from sprouting up, and enriches the soil as it decomposes. Tea tree mulch is an excellent product. It is made by grinding up the wood and bark of Melaleuca tea trees. Tea tree mulch in gardens accomplishes almost everything that mulch can accomplish. Tree pieces are ground up into a fibrous, rich mulch that you can use on any plant.

Using Tea Tree Mulch in Gardens

One tea tree mulch use is moisture control. Since tea tree mulch prevents sun and wind from drying out your soil, your plants are less stressed, even if they aren’t getting maximum irrigation. That’s because tea tree mulch in gardens dramatically slows evaporation. Another important item on the list of tea tree mulch uses is preventing weeds from crowding in. When you layer tea tree mulch in gardens just on top of the soil, it creates a physical barrier to weed growth. It both prevents weed seeds from reaching the soil and also prevents weeds already in the soil from getting the sun they need to grow. There are yet more tea tree mulch benefits in the garden. One is temperature control. The use of tea tree mulch in gardens keeps the soil surface cool in hot weather. It also warms up the soil in winter. Tea tree mulch is known to repel termites, but it’s friendly to earthworms that are good for your soil. It has a pleasant, astringent smell that makes your garden fresh and fragrant. It disintegrates more slowly than some mulches, generally lasting a full year on the soil. Last but far from least, when it comes to tea tree mulch benefits, is its role in adding organic matter to the soil. As the mulch deteriorates, it mixes with the soil and improves its structure.

Teo Spengler
Writer

Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.