I completely agree with gardengal. I use wood chips on all my paths and only have positives. One time, the chips had termites in a pile I had in my driveway. Once I spread them out into the garden paths, the termites disappeared.

That said: If a pile of chips did have termites, I would not use them right up against the house. This is especially true if the side of your house stays moist. Also, if you see termites, and the material you used for constructing the raised beds is untreated wood, or if it's from a susceptible type of tree, you may expect the termites to cause a little damage if the wood stays moist.

If you are concerned, simply spread the chips out in an out of the way area, maybe at the end of the driveway somewhere, and let the sun and the birds come in and take care of the problem. You can then use as normal. However, it's unlikely you'll have a problem at all.

I hate paths covered in mulch. My collaborators did that in our garden while I was away, and now we need to weed-whack five times a year and the grass grows to 3-4 ft if left untouched or where the whacker can not get.

We always whack something edible, and we always whack some drip pipe out of its joint. the only good news is that certain vegetables (chicory) grow as well in the paths as in the beds. Fertilize your paths at your own risk.

I have some raised beds with fescue lawn in between, others with wood chips. I prefer the lawn for the same reasons glib stated. I can mow the lawn and weed whack along the edges, but I can't mow the wood chip paths because the mower would suck up too many wood chips. Also those were built too narrow in the first place to get a mower through. So I end up with weeds coming up through the wood chips.

When weeds come up through the chips, they stand out immediately. When I see one, out is comes. It's fairly rare that they even germinate, but when they do, they are easy to pull.

Many people who use wood chip mulch don't lay it down deep enough, or don't replenish it often enough, to suppress weeds effectively. Good guidelines are available here;

https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf

>>>research has
demonstrated that weed control is directly
linked to mulch depth, as is enhanced
plant performance. A review of the
research on coarse organic mulches and
weed control reveals that shallow mulch
layers will promote weed growth and/or
require additional weed control measures.
I recommend 4-6 inches for ornamental
sites and 8-12 inches for restoration sites
and/or perennial weed problems. <<<

You're right about that. I don't have it down very thick and what's coming up through it unfortunately is Bermuda grass, which is not very pull-able. :-\ So my case may not be a very good example.

If your city also processes lawn & leaf bags through a chipper, make sure in advance that your load of mulch will not include the trash that ends up in those bags: cigarette butts, shredded plastic, broken glass etc. If the source of the city's mulch is limited to chipped tree branches, definitely go for it.

Naomi, I have loads of wood chips dumped at my house a couple of times a year by a tree care company who takes some care when providing chips to property owners. There is never any trash mixed in with the chips, something that I would worry about with a municipal delivery. Something to check out, at least.

I would discourage anyone from using anything over 3-4 inches over the top of the roots of trees, shrubs, or other perennial plants. That would encourage the growth of roots up into the mulch just to be able to access oxygen and water which would expose them to heat stress, drought, and freezing temperatures

I have taken to pulling grass from my garden rows and putting it in my compost pile for a greens layer. It is very cathartic. Since I pull the roots it takes a while longer to grow back, but wierdly I am excited to see it grow because I love making compost. I lay down fresh chips and sawdust in the garden paths if I have a lot that year, but rather than tilling it in later, I scoop it up after it ages and put it out on the clay lawn, because grass does love to grow in thin chip layers.

"I would discourage anyone from using anything over 3-4 inches over the top of the roots of trees, shrubs, or other perennial plants. That would encourage the growth of roots up into the mulch just to be able to access oxygen and water which would expose them to heat stress, drought, and freezing temperatures"

rhizo_1, that is one of the common old wives' tales about mulch, and it simply isn't a real concern. Fine, short-lived feeder roots may well grow closer to the surface of the soil or even up into the mulch layer when mulch is used, because there may be more moisture and plant nutrients there than in an equivalent unmulched situation. But it is in the nature of those kind of roots to be temporary. When conditions change (too dry, too cold) they die off, but that is what they're adapted to do.

I can refer you to the second chapter of Linda Chalker-Scott's book "How Plants Work" for more information on this:

I never said that the roots will die. I am not one who typically ascribes to old wives's tales, lol.

However, there is no question that creating an environment where roots need to leave the soil system permanently in order to get what they need puts them in a location that may make them susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and moisture levels.

Gas exchange is limited under many inches of mulch, causing a depletion of O2 and a buildup of CO2. Those conditions WILL cause a slow but sure decline in plant vigor.

Another problem with the deep, root filled mulch layer, is that the mulch can't be removed or disturbed without damaging those roots. Unfortunately, that is a maintenance task which is very important to the health of the plant and of the soil system.

Most of us understand that a layer of fungal hyphae and mycelium develops on the soil-mulch interface. It's a natural, predictable occurrence. That layer can have a dramatically negatively impact on gas exchange, soil evaporation, and water infiltration. It (the mycelium layer) is hydrophobic!

Essential soil microbial growth can suffer, too. Really, nothing benefits from a long term [SIX INCH] layer of mulch applied and maintained over the roots of trees and woody shrubs.

Now, if you're talking about a six inch layer that is removed and replaced with new, fresh material on an annual basis.....then we can agree.

I've edited my statement above to remind us that we are talking about excessively deep layers of mulch.

Those are all interesting assertions. Do you have scientific sources to back them up?

I did not cut and paste the entire passage from Chalker-Scott's book (which is based on scientific evidence) but the paragraphs previous to it describe the difference between the opportunistic, fine root system in which roots are rapid growing and short lived and the woody, more long lived roots which serve other kinds of functions. Have you read the book and if so, what is your basis for disagreeing with it?

>>>Gas exchange is limited under many inches of mulch, causing a depletion of O2 and a buildup of CO2. Those conditions WILL cause a slow but sure decline in plant vigor.

These claims sound testable. Can you point to scientific studies that have tested them? Are you talking about wood chip mulch and similar bulky organic mulch materials (which are permeable to gas exchange, unlike what you describe) or perhaps some other form of mulch or inorganic materials or landscape fabric?

Whether to use wood chips on paths between raised beds depends on what is commonly growing there. While I would have liked to have wood chip mulched paths between the planting beds I made having quack grass growing all around made that a not good idea because the quack grass would simply grow into that mulch, better to use the wood chips in the planting beds.

In town at church we had the city dump wood chips numerous times to use as mulch on the planting beds and saw no problem with that, no trash mixed in.

Really, nothing benefits from a long term layer of mulch applied and maintained over the roots of trees and woody shrubs.

If what you say is true, I've been doing everything wrong for the past 30 years. All this time I thought I was doing my trees and shrubs a favor.

Now, if you're talking about a six inch layer that is removed and
replaced with new, fresh material on an annual basis.....then we can
agree.

Now you're moving from the opinionated to the absurd. Please provide links to support your claims.

I have mostly bare paths between the beds. Three lanes have grass. These 3 are also drainage channels. I like the bare paths and just use the tiller to keep the dreaded goose grass out.

Our city yard waste mulch does sometimes have some trashy bits in it but it's easy enough to pick them out when I'm spreading it. Usually scraps of plastic bags, fragments of plastic pots, etc. Considering the price (free), the benefits far outweigh the costs, for me. YMMV.

I'm going to have to agree with both theparsley and Irving Ragweed re: the appropriateness of using ANY organic mulch over the soil surrounding trees and shrubs!! At the very least, it will insulate the soil, protecting against summer heat and moisture evaporation and warding off heaving in winter from freeze-thaw cycles. And it will break down in time, adding to both soil structure and fertility - there is NEVER a need to remove any organic mulch ever!! Just refresh it as needed, either by raking or topping off with a fresh layer. And then there is the benefit of weed suppression, which is the primary reason most folks mulch. The benefits of maintaining a decent layer of organic mulch throughout the planted areas of a garden far outweigh any possible drawbacks and the recommended depth is typically 4-6 inches. Using much less really does not produce the same effect.

If you are concerned about oxygen/gas exchange......and I have never found that to be an issue........then just use a large textured mulch like wood chips, chunky bark or pine straw, as their porosity in no way inhibits gas exchange at the soil surface.

Yard waste is bound to be a little more prone than chipped tree waste to have unwanted extras like trash in it. There's not that much garbage up in the tree tops...although in my city, not best known for cleanliness, I've seen some things....

Generally chipped tree branches make a better mulch than general yard waste, which is highly variable in composition even without trashy bits.