Mulch can be such a valuable addition to your Texas landscape. Not only does a freshly mulched plant bed look fantastic but the mulch also contributes undeniable health benefits like suppressing weeds, insulating plant roots, and adding nutrients to the soil.
If you’re looking to get the most out of mulching, you might be wondering when to mulch in Texas. This is a common question that we receive. Many homeowners ask us, when they should put down mulch in North Texas. Should they mulch in spring or fall?
The truth is, there’s no single answer to this. It depends on a few different factors. We’ll explain what you ought to know so that you can make a wise choice about when to mulch.
Before we talk about when to mulch, it’s beneficial to understand why you should mulch since this could impact your timing.
As we mentioned, mulch is a great aesthetic addition that can really freshen up your property. But it also has some vital functional benefits. For one, mulch helps retain moisture during periods of drought. It will not only keep the soil moist beneath the surface but it can also play a role in insulating precious plant roots from the extreme Texas heat that is common in spring and summer months. 
In the fall and winter, as temperatures dip some, mulch can insulate roots from the cold and the wind. This is also important as windy conditions can cause evaporation and dry your plants out (even when temperatures are less intense).
Mulch also assists in inhibiting weed growth by creating a barrier that can be difficult for weeds to break through. By blocking weeds’ access to sunlight, they’ll have a hard time growing no matter what the season. It’s important to remember that weeds are not merely a spring and summer issue. Here in North Texas, we get lots of winter weeds, too. Given our year-round warm temperatures, the weeds never go away!
In addition to all of that, mulch is also beneficial because of its ability to naturally breakdown and add nutrients to the soil. This is a reason why some homeowners choose mulch over stone. Landscaping stone might look nice and require no maintenance, but it also offers no nutrient value since it doesn’t decompose.
Now that you understand the value of having mulch applied, you might be wondering when you should lay down mulch. As you might have gathered from the benefits that we described above, mulch can provide different values at different times of the year. For that reason, it’s a matter of personal preference as well as what the budget will allow.
Ideally, you should mulch twice a year, in both spring and fall. Mulching in spring and fall can provide a lot of year-round value to your property. In fact, for me (Jack Moore, Grassperson CEO), I like to have my property mulched three times a year. I understand how much value it offers not only in terms of looking great but helping my plants to perform their best. For that reason, I mulch in the early spring, in the mid- to late-summer, and in the fall.
Keep in mind that a second and third mulch is not going to cost the same as that initial mulching. We’re not taking it all out and re-mulching from scratch. Instead, we’re fluffing it up and adding a healthy top layer. For all of the benefits that you can gain, most homeowners decide it's worth investing a little bit more to have mulch spruced up a second or possibly even third time.
Of course, we still understand some people don’t want to invest in bi-annual or tri-annual mulching and are looking for a yearly mulching service.
If you were only to mulch once a year, spring is the best time to mulch because of the intense heat and drought we experience here in North Texas. The water retention value of mulch is really critical in our climate.
Mulching is one of those services that most lawn and landscaping companies offer. But as with any service you can have performed, it’s important to recognize that some companies are going to do a better job than others.
While mulching may be easy enough to do, there are ways to cut corners and end up with sloppy results. Some companies even try to make more profit from the service by using a subpar mulch that’s not going to get you the same results as a high-quality product.
When you invest in professional mulching services what you’re really looking to put your money toward is peace of mind that you’re going to continue to have the best-looking property on the block. You don’t want to be bothered with what kind of mulch your provider is using or whether they’re taking the time to apply it in a professional way. You might not even want to worry about when to mulch. You just want to know that your landscape provider is doing what’s right for your property.
In other words, you want to be able to feel confident that your property is going to look fantastic and your plants are going to get the most possible benefit out of that healthy layer of mulch because a professional handled the work for you.
At the end of the day, that’s why customers choose Grassperson.
They choose us because they know no matter what lawn or landscaping task we’re handling, we’re going to get the job done right. In the process, we’re going to remove the burden from them so that all they have left to do is enjoy their property.
When it comes to getting the most possible benefit out of mulching services, your wise choice in landscaping professionals will make a huge difference.
Ready to get the most out of your mulching service? Get a free quote and find out how you can get the best landscape on the block. Seriously, you deserve it.
