When you have a garden or flowerbeds, you need to take care of it and prepare it for every season of the year, specially if you live in an area where the difference in temperature and weather between winter and summer is very extreme.

One of the most common methods of regulating soil temperature is by using mulch. A good type of mulch will minimize the difference in temperature between day and night, and between winter and summer. In this way, the stress that plants and flowers are subject to is reduced.

Manufacturers produce several types of mulch with different qualities. Some of them have very specific applications. When it comes to gardening, most people prefer to use organic mulch over non organic mulch. This is because organic mulch looks more natural and beautiful than non organic mulch. In addition, organic mulch breaks down and provides nutrients for the soil.

Among all the types of organic mulch, cedar mulch is one of the most common types of mulch used for gardening. Cedar mulch is also known as cedar bark mulch, and it is specially preferred for perennial flowerbeds.

Cedar mulch is popular in part because of the decrease in popularity of cypress mulch. Cypress mulch is made out of trees that are cut for making mulch, while cedar mulch is made from leftovers in carpentries and from recycled cedar wood. This makes cedar wood a much more ecological choice.

Compared to other types of organic mulch, cedar mulch tends to last a long time before breaking down. This keeps the look of the mulch for longer and it reduces the frequency of replacement. This is one reason why people who don’t have much time to tend to their gardens and flower beds prefer cedar mulch.

Also, cedar mulch has natural oils that repel a lot of bugs and insects, reducing the need of pesticides or manual bug control. Again, this reduces the time needed to take care of the garden or flowerbed.

In addition, cedar mulch makes a very good protection for roots during freezing temperatures. If it’s to be used for this purpose, it has to be applied after two or three days of constant freezing temperatures. Normally 4 or 5 inches are needed for winter. It is important not to apply it too early, as it can become a nest for rodents or other pests. After winter has passed, it’s important to pull it back from the plants so as not to suffocate them.

Finally, you can use it in summer too for weed control. In this case, however, only 2.5 inches of cedar mulch should be applied, which is too small for rodents to make a home, but thick enough to block weed growth.