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Soil, Compost & Mulch

adding soil to beds with tree mulch

12 years ago

Hi: I have flower beds that likely have very old soil in them. I want to mix in new triple mix but there is tree mulch on the beds. Can I mix the mulch in with the new soil? Or do I have to remove the mulch (tricky, I suspect) and then add soil and then put mulch back? Is it bad to mix them together and then add a fresh layer of mulch when beds are topped up? Thank you for your help!

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Comments (2)

cold_weather_is_evil
12 years ago
What is the mulch? I can see all sorts of things that could be called tree mulch.
Kimmsr
12 years ago
As a general rule of thumb it is not a good idea to put any soil over any mulch.
All soil, no matter where you are, is old, even that "triple mix" is old soil even though it may have been mixed recently. Generally "triple mix" is 1 part soil, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part compost that people add to the soil they already have. What any soil needs is compost, or any other vegetative waste. No soil needs any more of the mineral component of any soil mix.
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