Why You Should Buy Bulk Mulch

Mulch is the MVP of many Florida landscapes. Not only does it add aesthetic value to your property, it also insulates and protects your plants from freezing or scorching temperatures and helps maintain soil moisture levels to aid in the health of your vegetation. When thinking of adding or refreshing the mulch in your yard, which is better – bagged or bulk? Seasonal big-box store sales on mulch bags may seem tempting, 5 for $10, for example, there are many advantages to buying your mulch in bulk rather than piecemeal by the bag. In addition to the convenience of having all the mulch needed for your project at one time rather than having to drive back and forth front the store because you calculated incorrectly and the strain on your muscles as you haul bags of mulch to and from your car, there are many other reasons why buying in bulk is better.

Cost

On first consideration, buying mulch in bulk may seem more expensive. But, when you realize that you must convert cubic feet to cubic yards to account for the amount of mulch in bags vs. bulk, bulk wins. For example, mulch is typically sold in bags of 2 or 3 cubic feet per bag, and you need 13.5 bags to cover one cubic yard. Take our cypress mulch, for example, which is currently $20 per cubic foot. The same mulch will cost you approximately $3.50 per bag at a big-box store, for a total of around $48.33 that equals a difference of more than $20. That is just one example, but our convenient calculator will help you take the guesswork out of determining how much mulch you need for your project – and how much money you can save with bulk.

Quality

Another important difference in buying in bulk versus by the bag is that when you buy individual bags, you are not able to view the contents before purchasing. When you open it at home to spread it, you may find that your bags contain mold, shredded construction materials, debris, or harmful chemicals. Bulk mulch also tends to be fresher, as it has been ground more recently before it is cured or dyed. On the other hand, bagged mulch is months old by the time it is sold. Finally, you are not guaranteed uniform appearance when you buy bags, but bulk mulch comes from the same batch and you are less likely to see the same level of variance.

Gaston Mulch and Soil offers different types of mulch to fit your individual project needs.

Cypress blend
Dyed pine
Hardwood
Large pine bark nuggets or nugget fines
Pine bark
Playground chips or mulch
Red hardwood
Small pine bark nuggets

Environment

One further factor for the bagged vs. bulk debate is the environmental impact. When you purchase individual bags, you are left with the plastic wrappings. That may not seem like a big deal, but if you have bought many bags to cover a large area, that is quite a bit of plastic leftover to deal with.

Application

Another downfall of bagged mulch is that you dump out the bag and then have to spread from that pile, making it much more difficult to spread uniformly. When you shovel and spread from a bulk mulch pile or a 5 gallon bucket, you can spread the mulch more evenly and at the required depths you need for that particular area of your landscape. Dumping from a bag makes it more difficult to achieve these necessary depths.

Economy

When you buy mulch in bulk, you boost your local economy. At Gaston Mulch and Soil, our mulch comes from tree debris collected through Gaston Tree Debris Recycling. So you know where your mulch comes from, and you have a local team here to support you if you have any questions or need any assistance as you progress with your mulching project.

Get Your Bulk Mulch From Gaston

At Gaston Mulch and Soil, we have you covered (no pun intended) with whatever you need, backed by decades of experience in providing high-quality mulch and soil to landscapes in and out of our state. We have a wide variety of mulch available, made from tree debris recycled from our tree service company, further adding to sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Even better, we offer free pickup and delivery in Florida for any order size.