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How tall your mulch should be around your tree depends on the type of mulch you use, but aim for 3 to 4 inches as a rule of thumb. You’ll want to avoid simply piling it up in hopes of offering additional benefits to your tree. Volcano mulching is the infamous term for piling way too much mulch against the stem of your tree. This could actually kill your tree or severely harm it, as your tree trunk needs space to breathe without too much moisture.

When you purchase mulch for delivery, it’s usually by the cubic yard, so you’ll want to convert your space to cubic yards to get the right amount. First, determine the square footage of the area you want to cover, and then determine how deep the bed of mulch will be—a good rule of thumb is around three inches. Multiply your square footage in feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324. You may want to add a ½ to one additional cubic yard to ensure you have enough.

While you can put gravel directly on dirt, it won’t be very stable. It also won’t block out any weeds. Most experts recommend layering weed barrier and a layer of packed sand or other foundation material to prevent the gravel from sinking into the earth and being overtaken by weeds.

While organic mulch offers many benefits, it can also attract bugs looking for shelter, food, and water. Insects, rodents, snails, and slugs are often attracted to its decomposing material.