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The ideal amount of mulch is the square footage of your desired depth in inches divided by 324. Aim to keep your old and/or new mulch at a depth of no more than three or four inches.

If you decide to DIY your boulder removal project, you’ll want to wear work gloves and protect your eyes if you decide to break the boulder into smaller pieces. Wear a lifting harness and focus on lifting with your legs to prevent back injuries. If you’re digging around a large boulder or using heavy machinery to get underneath it, make sure there are no utility lines nearby.

Rocks are less likely to attract snakes and other critters because their prey (termites, ticks, and other insects) don’t usually inhabit this environment. However, if you have placed together rocks with large spaces in between or near a source of water, you may find a snake or an occasional chipmunk seeking shelter.

The best mulches for trees are wood chips, bark nuggets, or pine straw. Depending on your goals, you may want to avoid using plastic, stone, rubber, or wet grass clippings. Plastic mulch prevents water from reaching the mulched areas of your tree, stones don’t offer any nutritional benefits to the soil, rubber can release byproducts into the soil when it decomposes, and wet grass clippings can lead to rot. 

Plastic may prove beneficial in cold climates in the winter, but wood chips are the ideal option for most environments.