The Advantages of Pecan Shell Mulch

This lightweight mulch holds many advantages to other organic alternatives

Most nurseryman are intimate with the major benefit of mulch : conservation of water , cooler soil temperature , and a step-down in weeds . The first two benefit are especially important in areas like the Southern Plains , where we have to mitigate the effects of our spicy , dry summers .

Many materials are suitable for usage as mulch , and they can be divided into two principal groups : organic mulches , which break down and add nutrients to the garden over time , and inorganic mulches , which do n’t better down and therefore do n’t add to soil fertility . Inorganic mulches such as pea plant crushed rock and decomposed granite are generally used in xeric gardens or rock gardens . constitutional mulches include a multifariousness of tear up wood types such as bark mulch , pine needles , leaf mold , Sir Tim Rice hulls , chaff , and even old hay . There is , however , a less common character of constitutive mulch with many advantages : pecan shell mulch .

The pecan Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( Carya illinoinensis , Zones 5–9 ) has a native distribution from Texas up through Oklahoma and to some areas further east and northeast . Pecans dish as a major commercial craw in the United States . The pecan shell is a useful by - intersection of the pecan nut industry , and many mulch distributors in Texas and Oklahoma now hold pecan shell mulch for use in the garden . I have sour extensively with pecan shell mulch in decorative garden and have been impress with its ravisher and functionality .

The color of pecan shell mulch range from red - brown to dark browned count on the particular variety of pecan and on the age of the mulch . The more reddish varieties , while not my favorites , may invoke to gardener who like the reddish color but do n’t want to use dye mulch . All pecan mulches tend to darken with time and pic to the element . Shell size diverge according to pecan form , and different suppliers will comminute the shells to deviate degrees . The pecan mulch I use on a regular basis is not cranch down very much , so it ’s rather orotund and fluffy .

Pecan shell mulch is lighter in exercising weight than many other mulches , let in the shredded hardwood and cedar mulches common in this area , making it easier to move by lawn cart . From the wheelbarrow , I sprinkle it on my garden beds with a plastic bulk shovel or a large dust pan . There is no need to use a manure branching because it is n’t long and fibrous like straw . In addition , it does n’t incline to wash away any more readily during rain than the shredded mulches . Pecan shell do n’t mat up and make a soggy hatful the same way straw , hay , and even shredded wood mulch sometimes do . This mulch will sometimes shape a hard crust , however , as fungous flatness develop as part of the natural decomposition process . This can be avoided by periodically blow or cultivating the mulched area with a hoe or pitch . If impertinence do develop , it is easy to pick them up and throw them out .

In addition to performing well , pecan shell mulch provide a satisfying crunch underfoot in the garden , and I get many compliments from visitor who have never fancy it used in a garden before . An attractive and high - performing option to the more normally used mulch , it ’s deserving a endeavour in your garden .

Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .

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