Almond Wood Chip Mulch is a sustainable, low-cost ground cover sourced seasonally from Almond tree orchards. This type of organic mulch is similar to arborist wood chips except that it is a little more aged---and you can acquire it in smaller amounts than the truckloads provided by chip drop services.
It is less expensive than common bark mulches and offers the same benefits including: suppressing weed growth, conserving water, regulating soil temperature, and preventing erosion. But where Almond Wood Chip Mulch truly excels is in its ability to nourish the soil.
With a rich organic content that breaks down gradually over time, adding a layer of this mulch to your landscape will provide important structure to the soil as well as valuable nutrients. This promotes long term soil fertility and supports healthy plant growth.
Almond Wood Chip Mulch has a natural brown color that adds a rustic, earthy aesthetic to landscaping projects, and it contains no dyes or additives. Also, with its coarse texture it is one of the least flammable types of organic mulches.
The source material for this mulch is collected from the annual pruning of California almond tree orchards, then chipped, ground, and screened to 1/2"-3" in length and 1/4"- 1" in diameter. These pieces are often larger and less uniform than typical bark mulches; but it is the irregular shapes of wood chips that promote a diverse environment for beneficial soil organisms while also being resistant to surface compaction.
Application:
Unlike soil amendments, mulches are simply materials laid on top of the soil rather than worked into it. Mulch is most effective at suppressing weeds before their seeds germinate, so the early spring is a perfect time to use it.
Apply a layer 3 to 4 inches deep around trees, shrubs, and large plants, leaving a “donut hole” where the trunk or main stem is. Do not mound up the wood chips around your plant as this will create a moist environment that results in disease problems.
This mulch can also be used in drainage areas as it is more float resistant than other types of mulch. It is generally not suitable for using around young plants or seedlings, which will respond better to finer textured mulches that decompose more rapidly.
Learn more about mulching with wood chips from this free article by Washington State University.
