At tuf-turf we understand that our job is not to just sell lawn and garden products, but to provide you, our customers with the knowledge and understanding of how you can create and maintain the beautiful landscape surrounding your home.

Lee Smith, the owner of tuf-turf in Saanich BC answers several of the questions customers want to know about mulches below…

conversation about Mulches:

What is in the Mulch?

What Mulch is best to use for each situation?

When to use mulch?

How much Mulch to add?

What is in marine mulch? 

The marine mulch we sell at tuf-turf is a composted wood product that has a composted fish added to it. The fish amender is like an extra dose of nutrients or vitamins for your soil. When the mulch starts to break down and it is using the available nitrogen in the composting process, it off-sets some of the nutrient drain that happens during the process. 

Is there any time you wouldn’t use the marine mulch?

Mainly with plants like cactuses or the like. In that case, you’re wanting not as high a level of organics.

What about if someone’s planting new plants or new vegetables? Would that be okay for that?

Yes. Use it as a mulch or just as you would as a compost. It can be dug in for great success or used as a mulch on top and dug in at the end of your growing season.

What about red fine mulch?

The red fine mulch we sell at tuf-turf is made from cedar bark, it has no nutrient value in of itself. As it breaks down, it will strip nitrogen out of your soil but has a variety of benefts.

It looks great! Red fine mulch offers superior visual quality to your garden with its striking colour.

It hinders new weed seeds from growing because it’s made from cedar, which is a little bit acidic for seeds and it helps with the retention of moisture. It’s a product used often for its visual appeal and it can be a less expensive option as compared to the other nutrient-filled mulches we offer.

Is there any time you wouldn’t use red fine mulch?

I would not use it in vegetable gardens or any garden that has anything growing in it that you’re going to eat from. You don’t want that amount of cedar around a food product. Cedar, again, is not the best product for your system.

Final thoughts on Mulches….

 One last thing on the marine mulch or even the red fine mulch. The goal is that it gets replaced every two to three years as it breaks down.  How much mulch should you add? We recommend that you add up to three inches in depth. If that is done, through rainfall and settling, it’ll probably end up about an inch and a half to two inches deep, which is adequate for weed suppression and moisture-holding capabilities. But as that breaks down over time, you’re going to want to replenish it every two to three years.

Use our soil calculator to find out how much mulch to purchase for your garden.

We also sell compost and soils. Click on each to read more….

Learn more about Lee Smith, owner of tuf-turf