Pros & Cons Of Cedar Mulch – Top Facts

If you want to enrich your garden with a lot of benefits, allow cedar mulch to maintain the health of your landscape. Whether you want to get rid of insects, improve your soil condition, or want to give your garden an attractive look, then cedar mulch should be your first priority. 

You may want to ask How?

Here I have explained the top pros and cons of cedar mulching which would be a great guide to your gardening adventure.

What is cedar mulch?

Nature aesthetic of the cedar with a beautiful reddish brown color that is made from cedar wood chips. Its stunning red-brown hue is perfect for adding value to your garden. 

It is a type of organic mulch acquired from the shredded or chipped bark of cedar trees. As a decorative ground cover, it’s recommended to be used for gardening to retain moisture in the soil, suppression of weeds, and so on. You can use your favorite color mulch that is available in different shades like red, brown, and dark brown.

Let’s dig in and find how cedar mulch facilitates gardeners to use it more than other types of mulches.

Pros of cedar mulch

You will see cedar mulch is the best addition to your garden with various pros. Just let it play a role to keep your landscaping nitrogen-rich and fertilized. This mulch is usually used for decorative purposes of flower beds. Provide heartwarming sight, while the clippings of the cedar tree spread all over the garden.  

Ideally, it’s a popular choice among gardeners because of its various qualities. Here you can find the pros of using cedar mulch on your lawn.

Natural insect repellent

Cedar mulch is an excellent choice to make your garden free of pests. Its clipping contains natural oil that works as a chemical-free pest killer. Famous for its smell repels and inhibits insects such as certain ants, moths, termites, and cockroaches. Therefore, it considers the best mulch that not only forms a layer of protection for plants but even assists to get rid of little creepy insects. 

Stay for a long period

Compared to other mulches, cedar mulch does not quickly decompose. Thus, it lasts for several in the garden and minimizes moisture evaporation as a barrier between air and soil. This property makes cedar mulch a cost-effective solution to reduce the frequency of mulching in your garden. 

Best Aesthetic Appeal

It’s difficult to take your eyes off your garden once you lay the cedar mulch layer. This rich reddish brown color mulch can boost the instant aesthetic appeal of your landscaping. It is a low-maintenance choice for decorative purposes, as well.

Ideal for weed suppression

It acts like a barrier between light and soil. By blocking the sunlight cedar mulch creates an environment that is less hospitable for weed seeds to germinate. Additionally, the natural compounds in cedar wood are the best herbicide. Its acidic pH stops the weed seeds to germinate.

Water Retention

Cedar mulch is the best source to maintain soil moisture. It’s known for its ability to retain moisture during periods of drought. Like a barrier, it stops water from evaporating shortly and conserves water resources.

Improve soil conditioning

If there are any soil problems with your plants, then cedar mulch is the best choice to improve the soil condition. Over time, cedar mulch adds organic matter to the soil as it decomposes, and promotes healthy plant growth.

Most of the top benefits of Cedar mulch

You can find that nature enhances cedar wood with hundreds of benefits for the soil as mulch. You have to put minimal effort into keeping your garden healthy and you can enjoy it more and more. Here are the top cedar mulch benefits that are valuable to consider and beneficial in several ways.

• Pet bedding
• Firestarter
• Pathway covering
• Natural insecticide
• Beautify your garden
• Essential oil production

Cons of cedar mulch

As cedar has a lot of benefits in a variety of ways, there also have some cons to using cedar. With time, cedar may develop some problems for plants and even for human beings.

Let’s figure out its basic drawbacks:

Retain color for a specific time

Cedar mulch is notoriously bad for turning gray over time. That means, it can be problematic for you when you always love to keep the gorgeous earth tone of your landscape. So, you have to be conscious to replenish this material periodically. 

Not budget friendly

Cedar mulch is less accessible for those with a tight budget. You may find cedar mulch expensive unlike other cheap mulches i.e pine and cypress mulch. You must have a comparatively high budget for this. So,  it’s a significant drawback for those who want to buy cedar mulch for the vast space of gardening. Besides this, the replenishment over time also requires more budget to remain fresh and bright. 

Repel pollinators & beneficial insects

Somehow it can be harmful when ladybugs and bees are negatively affected by its aroma.  All insects are not adversely left bad impacts on plants. Let’s continue with an example: ladybugs as well as help to pollinate flowers also eat unnecessary plant-damaging pests.

Deplete nitrogen 

Cedar mulch can deplete nitrogen temporarily in the soil, but it depends on several factors.

• Type of soil
• The climate of the land
• Amount of nitrogen in the soil
• Amount of mulch that is applied
• Low quantity of  nitrogen for decomposition

Allergic reaction 

Some people can be allergic to cedar fragrances such as skin irritation. So, it can be a significant health concern for those who are sensitive to cedar oil.

Pros & Cons In One Go

Is Cedar Mulch Acidic?

Cedar mulch around the tree

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

As cedar mulch offers numerous benefits, it’s important to note that cedar mulch may not be suitable for all types of plants.  It is a powerful tool for suppressing weeds, lowering the rate of water evaporation as well as controlling pest attacks. If you are considering using cedar mulch, first carefully consider its potential limitations. Comparatively other mulches it has less lifespan. 

Despite these limitations, its aesthetic appeal, prompts gardeners, to use it to maintain a healthy and beautiful garden.