Gold - Natural

A Natural Choice

Are you a gardener who takes great pride in a landscape that is simple and of the earth?  You can make a wonderful visual impact using good clean wood fiber as a mulch:  mulch that is simply wood, an all-natural option with nothing enhancing the native tones, patterns and textures.  We have made Medium Grind Gold Mulch with raw characteristics that showcase informal, rustic gardens with rugged plantings.  This mulch is derived from recycled stock provided by the woodworking community (hardwoods, oak, alder, cherry, walnut and popular), and new home construction (softwood, pine). All of the wood fiber used in Gold Mulch has been kiln dried and is free of weed seeds and any diseases found to harm trees.  This fiber is of the same type that we use to produce all of our color enriched mulches.

45
00

1-5 cubic yards purchased

Mulch

38
00

6 plus yards, volume discount

Mulch

Considerations on Color

Our Gold Mulch begins as a blond fresh-cut wood color and brightens up to a vibrant gold after being exposed to the sun's ultraviolet light.  After about nine months of exposure, the mulch begins mellowing to a weathered gray.

Benefits of Medium Grind Gold Mulch

  • All natural, no colorants added
  • Attractive look of color & texture
  • Low pH, mainly derived from hardwoods
  • Reduces water loss
  • Supresses weeds
  • Insulates against hot & cold
  • Promotes a benificial environment for soil biology: earthworms, atinomecyetes, protoza, bacteria & fungi
  • Adds nutrients

Recommended Uses

  • Great for an all-natural garden or an organic garden because it comes from kiln-dried wood.  We cannot say it is certified organic because we do not know where to lumber was grown, nor do we have any paperwork to prove the authenticity of the fiber being certified orgainic.  Nonetheless it is as natural as we know of in our marketplace.
  • A fine grind retains well in windy and exposed areas.

Directions for Use

  • Confirmation - Be sure to cross reference the product on your receipt of purchase to confirm you are reading the directions of use for the correct product.
  • Location of use  -  Our fine grind mulches work best when they are used in beds where small bedding plants will be grown.  A benefit of the fine grind mulches is their refined texture that amplifies the colors and textures of bedding plants.
  • Wind erosion - Fine grinds small particle size makes it vulnerable to wind erosion.  Because of this, the longevity of the mulch will be enhanced when it is used in protected areas, such as near a building, garden structure, trellis, hedge or dense tree foliage.  Also refer to depth when considering prolonging the mulches service.
  • Weed barrier - A barrier is considered optional. We have seen many successful mulched beds both with and without weed barrier. One consideration in forgoing weed barrier is the interaction of the life in the soil with the mulch layer.  Without a barrier, biology such as earthworms are more easily able to thrive in the area where the soil and the mulch mingle. Another consideration for going without is that by allowing the longer spears of mulch to drive into the soil and mingle with it, a bond is formed that contributes to the lower level of mulch remaining in place. Whereas the opposite is true when a weed barrier is present.  The barrier may form a fault line where the wind can easily lift the mulch particles away.
  • Depth - We recomend a depth of between 2 - 4" of fine grind be used when mulching a flower bed.  The goal of an adequate depth is not only to supress unwanted seed germination, but also to construct a mix and match of particles in order that the mulch particles are able to lock together and form one united mat of mulch. When we mulch too thin (under 2"), the mulch particles lie mostly horizontal and roll on one another rather than locking together. When we mulch too deep (over 4") with fine grind, the soil is starved for airflow that it needs in order to maintain a diverse biological ecosystem.
  • Surface cover - Keep in mind that our medium grind mulches are ment as a decorative surface cover rather than a soil amendment.  Long term, medium grind will contribute to your soil fertility, however in the short term a fully composted soil amendment will provide superior results when incorporating into you garden bed soil.
  • Using color - Gold mulch is most often used in highlighting other color; earth tones (contrasting shades of brown) or bright colors of a structure (blues, reds) are most common.  The general effect of Gold Mulch is a clean natural appeal.  Since our medium grind Gold Medium is not color enriched, its color endurance will be significantly different than the other mulches that we offer. The color begins as a fresh cut wood look, within a few weeks of being exposed to the sun's ultra-violet light, the color will brighten to a vibrant shade of gold in color.  The vibrant color will mellow into a shade of gray after about nine months. 
  • Using texture - Texture is always of consideration.  You may want the texture of your landscape to be complementary.  A fine grind mulch brings with it a smooth refined texture, as far as mulches are concerned.  The consistently elegent particles may complement your homes design or the texture of the foliage growing nearby.  For example a pine tree has a fairly rugged texture for its foliage.  If you want to tame the pine's texture, then using a fine grind mulch would help to that end.  If you want to accent the pine's rugged foliage or magnify it, then a coarser medium grind mulch would be more appropriate.  A second example of where a fine grind mulch produces a wonderful complement of textures would be in a flower bed.  The smaller mulch particles channel the attention of onlookers to the foliage and the delicate blossoms.  If your landscape, home, and even personality is on the formal side of the scale then fine grind mulch will aid wonderfully to provide that structure.  However, if you are working to achieve a more rugged or untamed texture, then a medium grind mulch would be better suited to that end.