3 Reasons to Choose Composted Mulch
Gaston Mulch and Soil, a division of Gaston Tree Debris Recycling, has developed a new form of natural brown mulch. This mulch product has been composted and meets standards set by the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) program, ensuring its high quality. Its ability to feed the soil with helpful nutrients and sustain the plants grown within it is phenomenal!
What is Composted Mulch?
Composted mulch is exactly what it sounds like! This mulch product provides the aesthetic appeal and weed-suppressing benefits of other mulches with the rich benefits of compost made with organic matter.
Compost has numerous benefits on soil! This list from the US Composting Council names some:
- Improves soil structure
- Balances pH of the soil
- Enriches the soil with valuable nutrients
- Reduces the need for fertilizer
- Soaks up water for nearby plants
- Suppresses pests, weeds, and diseases
With all the benefits of compost on soil, you may be wondering why you haven’t heard much about composted mulch before. Historically, the appearance of composted mulch has delayed its acceptability in the landscaping community. Recently, at the Florida Nursery Garden and Landscape Association show in Central Florida, however, we showcased this new product alongside Coco Brown colored mulch. Visually, landscape professionals were not able to tell the difference!
Standards for the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) Program
The STA Certified Compost Program is the result of extensive research by some of the foremost compost research experts in the United States. Compost products with this seal of assurance are verified high quality, providing consumers with assurance under the following three categories.
- Clarity: The STA Program develops a Compost Technical Data Sheet (CTDS) detailing test outcomes, inputs, and suggested use instructions.
- Consistency: The STA Program and their network of compost labs test each product to ensure consistency you can trust.
- Confidence: The STA’s CTDS provides consumers with full transparency of what is in their compost product and how it was produced, so you have full confidence in each product.
3 Benefits of Composted Mulch
Research shows that composted mulch dramatically increases plant growth while reducing need for irrigation and risk of erosion. How? Let’s dive a little deeper into a few benefits of composted mulch. Proper use of this product can transfer these benefits and more to your landscape!
1. Increased Plant Growth
Mulching with composted mulch dramatically improves nitrogen availability. This has been tested by researchers at Ohio State University. In their study, plants, such as Rhododendrons, grown under composted mulch have been proven to produce greater flower yields than plants grown with bare soil and simple, ground pallet wood mulch.
2. Lowered Risk of Erosion
For over 25 years, numerous state Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies have recognized compost as a valuable erosion and sediment control tool. As landowners near lakes and rivers know, this is an especially important quality. While mulch has erosion-reducing qualities on its own, composted mulch allows you to take a further step towards an environmentally friendly landscape while protecting nearby waterways from sediment build-up.
3. Reduced Need for Irrigation
Cut expenses and your water use by reducing your need for irrigation with virtually self-sustaining mulch. Due to its strong ability to retain water, composted mulch can nourish your plants for longer than other mulches, even other natural mulches. In a study by the University of California Cooperative Extension in San Diego, composted mulches held more water than other carbon-based, mineral, and synthetic mulches. This can be accredited to the finer particles that readily absorb water.
How to Get Gaston Composted Mulch
Whether you are working with your flower beds or your vegetable garden, Gaston composted mulch should be your first choice! Through the month of September, pick up Gaston’s composted mulch at our Lake Gem, Clearwater, or Brooksville facility on sale for $25.00 per yard.