Purchased 3 yards hard wood mulch, supposedly triple shredded bark and it was delivered this morning.

Using to mulch Butterfly Garden, small shade garden and small plants here and there.

Mulch has an acrid, spoiled smell which I noticed as soon as I stepped near it. Didn't think overly much about it since I had to spend hours getting it moved to back yard one wheelbarrow full at a time.

On a "break" I hit the old computer and searched "mulch smell" and was led into the wonderful world of "sour mulch" which means it was stored too high/wide, not turned to get oxygen into middle of pile which makes it retain too much water and results in build up of "toxic to plants" gases.

Read if I put this around plants they'll yellow up and most likely be unable to revive even if you pull "sour mulch" away from them. Most people don't know they have sour mulch until their plants mysteriously start to yellow and suffer.

QUESTION TO ANYONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT MULCH:

Read that "remediation" of sour mulch is to rake it out into thin layer so it vents plant damaging gases and even wet it to leach out more of the "toxins" present in the sour mulch. Says to let it "detox" for at least 24 hours but up to a week even better which is fine since I won't put down until soil has warmed up a bit more.

Does anyone have experience with this or know if remediation outlined is sufficient not to damage plants?

I need to get a dependable ph meter tomorrow to check ph as this is definitive test for whether mulch is sour... beyond the "smell test."

I feel like such an idiot as I feel like I bought mulch without really investigating it well enough. I was going to put Cedar mulch but landscaper(s) and garden centers said hardwood is better. To each their own I guess...and, yes, the hardwood was more expensive...LOL.

I bought a ph meter for the soil @ Lowe's that you stuck in the soil and waited 60 seconds. The sucker never moved off the "7" which is where it was when purchased. I tried 4 different spots all over the lot and I KNOW the soil is acidic in places and there's a moss problem in high shade/compacted soil places which I'm just guessing would affect the ph. This $15. ph meter's instructions said to "set switch to ph"...got it out of package and there wasn't any switch. Tested it in some vinegar and it barely moved.

Better/proper ph meter? Ph test strips? Ph & NPK super duper test kit with vials and test strips? I know ph and NPK aren't the end of the story to see where I stand but haven't had a change to get soil sample over to County Extension for fuller spectrum testing.

SO ANYWAY...if anyone's got sour mulch experience or enough general knowledge/experience to verify my "online diagnosis" of the stinking mulch (in more ways than one) please share your knowledge.

The manager of the landscaper's operation came over to where I was talking to a very nice saleslady who helped me out last fall and is very patient with a novice such as myself. She gardens a lot and is very helpful with suggestions and doesn't recommend more product than I need.

Manager evidently thought I was wasting her time and got a little snippy and short with me. Hell's bells...I'm going to buy products based on her knowledge and experience so I don't see what his problem was. After smelling that mulch today his attitude is grating on me all the more. If I test that mulch and find out it's "out of ph whack" I intend to go back there and give him a piece of my mind. No doubt he'll say "You're overthinking this!" just like the first time I encountered him and won't give a hoot but it'll make me feel better...LOL. I'd wanna strangle him it any of the many plants I'm putting in get burned by bad mulch.

Thanks in advance for help.