I saw it at one greenhouse this year. I had heard about it but never seen it. Beautiful stuff. It was about $8.00 for 2 cu ft. I seriously debated getting about 10 bags but thought I would do a bit more research on it. Of course, I haven't got that far, yet. I, too, would love to hear from people that are using it.

Shauna

I used the cocoa bean mulch one year...smells really nice, seems to keep the critters away. It has sharp edges for their paws and helps with moisture. No complaints. except for the expense...

Happy Mulching :)

-S

How long did it last? Did you only get one year out of it?

Shauna

Ok that's it, I'm going around to the landscapers and nurseries to find some. From what I've heard it does break down fairly quickly (don't know in terms of years tho) but the real bonus is that it is one of the best soil conditioners when it does so. I have read (but not substantiated) that pine bark actually saps the soil of nitrogen as it decomposes, whereas cocoa mulch adds lots of good stuff.

OK, you guys are scaring me. I've just put down yards and yards and yards of shredded cedar bark mulch. (I promise I'll get some photos up soon - in fact that's what I'm supposed to be working on right now!!) I did my research and they said it didn't attract bugs (like pine bark) and took about 3 to 4 years to break down and didn't leach much from the soil. I've heard great things about this cocoa mulch too but I would think it would be expensive as we don't exactly grow cocoa beans here but we do have cedar.
Kate

This is my second year using cocoa bean mulch. I did have to reapply it everywhere this year, but not as heavily. The smell doesn't last forever, but its nice while it does. I think it looks really nice too. I've had mildew form on some areas of it after it is first applied, but the packaging said that is normal. It fades away soon enough. It costs me about double what a bag of wood chips would cost, but I don't apply as thick a layer as the wood chips. I like it so much that I don't mind the extra cost.

Kate, don't be scared about using cedar, the thread I was reading at the Roses forum seems to agree that cedar is very good too although sometimes it's dyed red and nobody's in agreement if that's bad or not. Anyway I have heard it repels insects too. If I can't find cocoa mulch I will probably settle for cedar instead.

So I went to Schriemers this afternoon to see if they carry it and the reason I'm back already is it's closed on Sundays now. Huh. #&$%& drive to Transcona.

I've had the same experience as poormezone3...Needed to re-apply every year.

But, since the smell of the cocoa is so nice, I might recomend doing a layer of the wood chips, and then a layer on top of the cocoa...now, I like the smell of the cocoa...but my hubby doesn't, so I don't use it any more...but I did like it when I did.

-S

Have used cocoa bean mulch for a couple of years now. As others have said, have had to reapply each year. Yes, it is more expensive but the scent and appearance is definitely worth it. Found it at either Canadian Tire or Home Depot.
A couple of things - found some moldy patches, but that cleared up in no time. Also, it may be because I only put a relatively thin layer on, but I found that in the areas where I put it on a walkway, when the ground underneath got wet, when I walked on those paths the mulch would be slippery. Odd.
Margaret

I love cocoa bean mulch. That said I have used it for a few years and it is great - needs topping yearly but the appearance is great.
One word of warning - it can make dogs sick so you may want to consider this if you have pets. I doubt that they would eat it unless it was a puppy but being it is chocolate I felt I should post the warning.
d

One of my friends uses nothing but Coco Bean mulch. She has the loveliest soil too. She swears by it. I don't use it however because of the cost.

If you use wood chips or bark they can (over time) use up a lot ot the nitrogen in the soil though the decomposing process. I just add some blood meal and/or alfalfa to the garden every year. I like the organic methods best but any type of nitrogen fertilizer works. You must be careful though, to much nitrogen is more of a problem to your garden then not enough.

I love cocoa mulch. Used it around asparagus beds and was beautiful. Kept moisture in quite nicely and the smell is great for awhile. I notice less weeds with it. But like all weeds, eventually, they come even if you lay concrete on em.

We have the cocoa bean mulch around a tree, and after watering yesterday found hundreds of white little "jumping worms". Does anyone know what these are? When you stop watering, they descend back down into the mulch. These are about 1/4" long, white, and can jump around 12" or so - very discusting.

Robetsy, I have never seen them myself but I think they might be springtails. Don't worry, they feed on decaying plant matter and don't harm live plants or people.

I never did find any cocoa bean mulch BTW :0(

Many pets (cats and dogs) and other animals are adversely affected by cocoa; keep that in mind when using this product.

Personally I would never use it. I would be too scared that one of my dogs might eat it. It is the equivalent of laying chocolate, (or grapes and onions, yes those are poisonous as well), around the yard and waiting to see if they will eat it. I've heard too many stories about pets dying (especially young puppies who will eat anything) who have chewed on their owners new cocoa mulch.

Syreeta

My backyard is fenced off for the dogs and I only garden in the front now. It was too much trouble with dogs wrecking stuff, not to mention I was too scared to even grow monkshood or any really poisonous plants, who knows what the dogs are going to get into.

Actually I have one small garden in the backyard and one of the dogs ate my new black columbine already >:0( grrrr

This might be a rather dumb question here....but is there anything out there that has somewhat similar looks to cocoa bean mulch, but isn't? I LOVE the stuff...I love the looks and the smell while it lasts, it's not all that expensive here, and easy to get. I do, however, have a dog. She doesn't run loose where the mulch would be, but we do have friends with dogs who come over and just roam the yard.

this stuff is very very bad (as in deadly) for dogs. it breaks down into theobromide. here is a post detailing how it killed this person's dog:
http://do-it-yourself.tribe.net/thread/fff29cbd-16e5-4102-8c26-6636654c4719

esterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving friends and family. Please tell dog owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso, decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's web site, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it."

True information about the mulch can be found here - www.snopes.com/critters/c...r/cocoa.htm This site gives the following information:

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called "Theo bromine".

It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theo bromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine."

*i sent an email to the company but it was returned with a failure to deliver note but if you'd like to try anyway : it's michellemessick@hersheys.com - here's a letter for you to copy/paste - don't forget to put your name at the bottom :)

Dear Sir/Madam

It has come to my attention that your "Cocoa Mulch" garden covering contains chemicals that are lethal to dogs and cats if ingested, namely 'theobromine', yet your packaging contains no such warning label.

This information was brought to my attention by someone whose friends were unfortunate enough to lose their dog after she ingested a large amount of your product because the aroma, even more unfortunately, attracts dogs.

May I please strongly urge you to accurately label your product to avoid further tragedy and ill press.

Sincerely
-your name here-

Here is a link that might be useful: article about dogs + cocoa mulch = death

I can't help but stress that this mulch is just not worth taking a risk with your dogs. Part of an article I placed in my Breed Newsletter is copy'd below.
Note...a few ounces is next to nothing for a med size dog to chew down.

**Cocoa bean mulch is a byproduct of the chocolate-making industry. The mulch is highly prized by gardeners for its dark, rich color and high nutrient content, not to mention the delicious aroma.
Unfortunately, cocoa mulch contains high levels of theobromine, the same chemical that makes chocolate bars harmful to dogs. Ingesting even low doses of cocoa mulch can be risky for pooches.
A 50-pound dog eating 2 ounces of mulch will likely experience gastrointestinal upset. If the dog eats 4.5 ounces, its heart rate will increase. Ingesting more than 5 ounces can lead to seizures, and eating over 9 ounces can cause death. Signs of theobromine poisoning will occur 4 to 6 hours after ingestion
Cocoa mulch can be poisonous to a dog that ingests it.
Not all dogs are attracted to the fresh cocoa bean mulch, and some don't show these poisoning effects, but if dogs are interested, they can quickly gorge themselves on the mulch.
While most cases showed varying degrees of vomiting and increased heart rate, in one-third of the cases no effects were noted. However, considering the risks, you may want to closely supervise your dog when outdoors or use an alternative product, such as shredded bark mulch, in your garden this year.

Thankyou Jt in Austin and Debbie,
for reinforcing the fact that this mulch is not suitable for dog owners...

Rob

Well my dogs do occasionally escape by accident so I will be sure not to bother looking for this mulch anymore, even to use in the front yard. Thanks for the detailed info.

If anyone in Edmonton is STILL interested in cocoa bean mulch while researching for a client I see that Canar Rock Products has 55l. bags for 14.99

Kate

I used cocoa bean mulch several years ago, the negative results. The wonderful smell does not last more than a week or two, and it breaks down very fast. By the end of the summer I could have easily applied it again.

Worst thing was the fungus that grew in it. Called "dog vomit" fungus, it is a huge mound of yellow/white goop. After a rain this stuff was like 4 inches high. since I am allergic to mold, etc, I figured having this around was not worth the double the price of regular mulch price.

Only positive was the nice rich brown color. But I recently found Scott's has a brand of mulch in several colors, one is dark brown. Excellent wood chip/hunk/shred mulch in dark brown for about $3.25 a big bag at Walmark. Bags might be larger because it sure covered a lot of ground compared to other bags of mulch.

And since cocoa bean mulch is fetal to dogs, I would not use it again.

The price is just too high for what you get.

I used to use cocoa bean mulch all the time. I would get my gardens cleaned up in spring, put the mulch down and not disturb it again throughout the season.

Now I use a base of "cheap mulch" and top it off with cocoa bean mulch. I live in southern Ontario. Cocoa bean mulch is available at Van Beeks Garden Centre on Hwy 25 north of Oakville.

Why can't I find cocoa mulch anymore? I loved this stuff in the garden, but now I can't find it anywhere. :(