Beauty bark use in landscaping goes far beyond simple landscape aesthetics. Properly installed bark will not only greatly enhance the visual appearance of your landscape but it will actually improve the soil structure and assist healthy root growth of your trees and shrubs, while inhibiting weed growth.
Beauty bark/chip/mulch benefits
- Assists in moisture retention of plants, trees and shrubs. Bark/mulch ground cover provides a heavy cover over the soil, which not only shelters the soil from drying out under the sun, but also locks in moisture which can help protect trees and shrubs during times of drought. This results in less watering in the summer.
- Protects from winter cold temperatures. In the winter, bark & mulch provides an insulating layer against damaging cold temperatures. The roots of some trees and shrubs are particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures. A thick layer of bark or mulch will help protect your expensive landscape trees and shrubs.
- Healthier roots and soil structure. Bark and mulch is an organic material, and so will decompose over time, generally from the soil upwards. As the material decomposes, it relaeases nutrients in the bark and encourages beneficial organisms which will help your trees and shrubs thrive. Additionally, the bark material will help protect the soil from drying out during the summer and also help protect nutrients from washing away during heavy rainstorms.
- Inhibit weed growth. Bark and mulch provide a thick ground cover which can reduce or stop the growth of unwanted weeds by shielding the soil from the sun which deprives weeds already in the ground necessary sun for photosynthesis to occur. Additionally, the bark provides a barrier to the soil, which will reduce airborne seeds from germinating.
- Fine tune your landscape. The right bark/mulch in the right places can greatly add to the curb appeal of your yard by offering a neat, manicured look to your beds and trees.
Beauty bark
Beauty bark often comes in medium and fine textures and also bark nuggets are relatively common. Different colors are also available, with brown, black and red the most common. These are all identical in function, only the appearance differs and it is a matter of personal taste. Some people choose a color and texture that will blend with the rest of their yard, while others want a strong contrast to draw attention to the landscape features. In general. The courser the material, the longer it takes to break down, so finer beauty bark will decompose faster than medium. Beauty bark will typically need to new 1-2” top coat every 2-3 years to maintain its function and appearance.
Wood Chips
Wood chips are another choice that are functionally similar to beauty bark, however it has a more rustic appearance. Wood chips are generally various types of wood, usually branches that have been ground up into chips, about the size of a quarter. They are typically uncolored and so have a distinct yellowish hue with accents of different colors depending on the wood used to make the chips. Wood chips tend to be less expensive than beauty bark. Some tree companies may offer discounted chips if you have the capability to pick the material up.
Hog Fuel
Hog fuel is another choice that offers a medium appearance between chips and beauty bark. Hog fuel is shredded wood fiber and chunks. It is commonly used in industrial applications to fuel boilers, furnaces and heaters. Hog fuel can vary in appearance from supplier to supplier, but is typically brownish in color. In general, hog fuel is 40-50% less expensive than beauty bark.
Mulch
Mulch is typically a soil amendment rather than a ground cover. Mulch is typically a slurry of wood fiber and compost. It is generally used to improve the quality of soil to benefit trees and shrubs by adding nutrients and improving drainage. Because of the compost additive, it is necessary to add a ground cover to mulch to prevent weed growth. Depending on the type of mulch, it can be the same or more expensive than beauty bark.
Rubber Mulch
A commercial rubber product is also available in some areas that can mimic some of the look of beauty bark. This product is usually derived from recycled rubber, such as tires and is often colored to resemble beauty bark. While this product can offer some of the same look as beauty bark, it is usually not recommended for several reasons, including that it is essentially a contaminant to the soil, as it does not decompose, it cannot enrichen the soil, it often emits an unpleasant rubber or chemical odor and rubber will capture and retain heat from the sun, which can dry out plants and shrubs and cause them to be damaged during high heat periods in the summer months.