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Mulch
updated: May 12, 2011, 8:39 AM

Does anyone have a suggestion on good, inexpensive places to get delivered bulk mulch? Have people had good experience with the free mulch provided by the City?

Places People Are Talking About:

Agri-Turf

Davey

South Coast Transfer & Recycling Station

What People Are Saying:

COMMENT 172379	2011-05-12 08:45 AM
Mulch from the city is pretty good. Some plastic, some bigger pieces of wood usually from palms.
COMMENT 172380	2011-05-12 08:46 AM
The county will deliver mulch from the South Coast Transfer & Recycling Station for approx. $10 (price may range depending on amount delivered). While not as "beautiful" as some of the decorative mulch, it is full of nutrients, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive. Alternatively, you can pickup at the station for free. Their number is: (805) 681-4981 link
COMMENT 172390	2011-05-12 09:01 AM
I have first hand experience with the free stuff. You get what you pay for. One of my clients hired some guys to deliver three dump truck loads last November. With all the rain we had the people had to hire the same guys to come back and remove a truck load of weeds. I tell people to spend $45 at Agri-Turf for a cubic yard good looking, good smelling bark.
COMMENT 172428	2011-05-12 09:42 AM
Why does that stuff smell so bad?
COMMENT 172450	2011-05-12 10:10 AM
It's $40 for a huge delivery and it smells bad because it is composting. It's perfectly fine stuff, easy to pick out the trash and large pieces and serves its intended purpose. The smell dissipates in a week. Expect to pay at least 3 times that for any other source (most charge a $50 - $100 delivery fee before even billing for the mulch).
COMMENT 172460	2011-05-12 10:25 AM
@DAN39 +1, I couldn't have said it any better myself.
COMMENT 172462	2011-05-12 10:29 AM
my mom decided that the free stuff brought a lot of new weeds with it...
COMMENT 172506	2011-05-12 12:09 PM
Yes, the city mulch is $40 per ~10 cubic yards, delivered. I laid down ~70 cubic yards of it last summer. I picked a lot of trash out of it as I spread it out and there are a lot of chunks of wood that have not decayed. These branches and lumber are typically about 1" diameter and up to 8" long. I am still picking trash out of the yard everywhere I walk or work. The real problem with this mulch is that it is not nitrogenated. The decay of wood requires nitrogen, so as this mulch continues to decay it is sucking all the nitrogen out of the soil. So, if you go this route be sure to add nitrogen - at least where the mulch is placed near plants. Also, I would suggest screening out the larger chunks of wood before you put it down. I actually did this and got rid of >2" diameter lumber. The smaller stuff is now surfacing as the mulch decays. It works well to keep weeds out and moisture in, but I won't use it again.
SEEDLADY	2011-05-12 06:38 PM
Tree trimmer's chips are usually pretty reasonable--try to get chips with a good amount of wood in them, not just leaves. They will break down over time, but last many years. Use mulch up to, but not under, the dripline of plants. Sometimes Davey (trimming around power lines for utilities, will give out chips free if you ask nicely). These chips are usually really clean--UNLESS the chipper blade is dull, then you get lots of thrashed twigs. Beware. Be sure to fertilize shrubbery at the drip line, and you won't have the nitrogen robbing problem. Some commercial landscape-yard mulch is nothing more than wood pallets or other trash wood, ground up and sprayed with a colorant. OK if you aren't mulching around edibles, but it is not COMPOST by any means.
COMMENT 172683	2011-05-13 06:40 AM
The city mulch can be good if used on the "back forty" but my experience is that depending on the batch there can be a lot of trash to be picked out of it so it depends how picky the person is receiving it. Talk to tree trimmers as they have to pay to unload their debris at the dump anyway. If you do decide to use tree trimmers ask what you are to receive (what kind of tree trimmings) as sometimes they will have termites or other harmful insects that you don't want to import. Also if you are to use tree trimmings from trimmings in growing beds careful to not use Eucalyptus as it contains chemicals that make it difficult for other plants to grow. Good luck!
COMMENT 172696P	2011-05-13 07:15 AM
As Grazrutz said, might be good for the "back forty." We had a load of city mulch delivered ($75 for delivery; mulch is free) a couple of years ago when we were sheet mulching our lawn to get rid of it. The mulch had a LOT of junk in: parts of irrigation hoses; shards of plastic pots, small pieces of metal, pieces of painted wood. When we were spreading it, we had a bucket on hand to dump the trash in as we found it. I wouldn't do it again for a garden.
COMMENT 172702	2011-05-13 07:30 AM
Agreed - track down a tree-trimmer and ask them to dump their load at their house. They always seem happy to comply and it's all fresh, non-contaminated. You never know what you'll get from the city - could be some icky stuff in there, not to mention pesticide residue.
OAKTREE	2011-05-13 06:37 PM
You can get as much lovely mulch as you need free at the dump in the Santa Ynez Valley. It's on Foxen Canyon Rd.