Question
Should you mulch an Eastern Red Cedar Tree that was planted in May of this year?  I have read in the past somewhere that advised against mulching.  If mulching is okay and needed for winter, what type of mulch should we use?  (Hardwood mulch is available in our area.) Thank you!!

Answer
Yes I would. Mulching is one of the most beneficial things a home owner can do for the health of a tree. Mulch can reduce water loss from the soil, minimize weed competition, and improve soil structure. Properly applied, mulch can give landscapes a handsome, well-groomed appearance. Mulch must be applied properly; if it is too deep or if the wrong material is used, it can actually cause significant harm to trees and other landscape plants.

Benefits of Proper Mulching

Helps maintain soil moisture. Evaporation is reduced, and the need for watering can be minimized.

Helps control weeds. A 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch will reduce the germination and growth of weeds.

Mulch serves as nature抯 insulating blanket. Mulch keeps soils warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Many types of mulch can improve soil aeration, structure (aggregation of soil particles), and drainage over time.

Some mulches can improve soil fertility.

A layer of mulch can inhibit certain plant diseases.

Mulching around trees helps facilitate maintenance and can reduce the likelihood of damage from 搘eed whackers?or the dreaded 搇awn mower blight.?

Mulch can give planting beds a uniform, well-cared-for look.

Mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch (pine straw is good) not piled up on the trunk. When a tree is young, under five years, mulching the tree with some kind of organic mulch is easy and takes little time. This means putting a circle of some kind of organic stuff around the base of the tree, avoiding having that mulch pile up against the base of the trunk. Chopped leaves, pine needles, wood chips, bark mulch or similar organic materials make suitable mulch for trees. We specify 搊rganic materials?because we want them to break down and be pulled down into the soil to feed the earthworms and other critical microorganisms inhabiting a living soil.

Hardwood Bark. A much wider variety of bark comes from hardwood tree species being processed and packaged for mulch. These barks are platey, fissured, thin, or stringy. When hammer milled and screened, most fall into the smaller size categories of mini-nuggets or mini-chips, soil conditioner (fines) or sheds. These barks are used more for utility rather than for decorative purposes.

There is little or no difference between the usefulness of either pine or hardwood bark. Both perform adequately to conserve moisture and reduce weeding around plants.

For conifers I prefer pine straw rather than bark but both will work well.