cypress mulch

is this good for trees and shrubs ? can we use mulch from nearby trees of not ? jim

Definitely very bad (lethal) for cypresses. Don't use it.

Resin

There is a move on to reduce the demand for this product.

http://www.saveourcypress.org/

thanks, i can try cedar mulch, i think it is from juniper (eastern red cedar)
i wonder if pine bark mulch would be bad if you have pines ?

Cedar mulch usually refers to a Thuja plicata product - Western Red Cedar. I'm not sure I undestand the pine bark mulch question. Are you considering using pine bark mulch under pines? I can't think of a problem in that situation.

The University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension has a couple of mulch fact sheets on its web site that you might find useful. If you have trouble with this link let me know. I will try to find another information source. Or you could contact your local cooperative extension office Urban Horticulture program directly. They exist to provide information to home gardeners.

http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Lawn-Garden-C2.aspx

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/oneida/

I get mulch from a "plantation" near me. It usually has a bunch of cedar and cypress in it. The plantation is actually a large housing/ hotel/ 2 golf courses/ 2 harbors development. There are several protected wild life areas and nature trails etc. They mulch up all the debris from storms and normal pruning so no trees were harmed. LOL. The residents also use it for their landscape debris so it's good all around. All this stuff would be going to a land fill if it weren't recycled into mulch. In case you were wondering, this is where I get the free mulch from. http://www.seapines.com/

What I found is if I get to much cedar and cypress the mulch takes a long time to decompose. Bugs don't like it at all either which is good in my area. We have terminites everywhere and love nothing better than pine bark. Putting pine bark up against a house is the worse thing you can do in my area. The other thing I have noticed is after a dry spell the mulch takes a while to start sucking up water. I think pine mulch is better at soaking up rain water quicker especially after a dry week or two.

Thuja plicata - cedar - has a natural insect repellent. Besides overall depth, particle size also has a lot to do with the rate of decomposition. The coarser the chips the slower the decomposition rate. Bark mulch breakdown can also deplete the soil of nitrogen. Adding a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer when applying mulch will offset this. Generally it's not a good idea to have any wood source close to a building foundation. We have termites here too. But I think you have the Formosan? The Formosan are much more quickly destructive than the species found here.

There are different mulches for just about any purpose. "Gorilla Hair" is good for slopes. It stays put on steep grades. Some people hate the look though. It is also slow to break down. I personally use shredded pine bark. It doesn't blow around and stays put fairly well. The color is acceptable even in the second and third year. Whe it breaks down it does a nice job of improving the structure of the sandy soil I deal with here. I find hardwood mulches two "chunky" looking and it tends to move around and out of the planting beds more than I like. So - I guess the lesson here is to decide what you want the mulch to do and not do and then choose the product that fits your needs. Thanks for the "Free Mulch Envy". LOL Seems like every year I spend a fortune on that stuff.

I have heard that cypress mulch actually has a growth inhibitor in it (or something like that) so it can actually be a detriment to the plants being mulched.
tl³

I found one reference to reduced growth with cypress mulch from an October 2005 Washtenaw County Michigan Master Gardener newsletter: In test plots of various mulch types, including control plots, they reported the following.

"What have we learned?
All of the mulches were effective in conserving soil moisture. Weekly measurements of soil moisture at a 6-inch depth show that soil moisture on the no mulch plots is closely tied to weekly rainfall. Applying any of the mulches greatly increased soil moisture throughout the summer. Periodic surveys of weed cover by Dan Little, MSU Department of Horticulture, indicated that the mulches were effective in controlling most common weeds and there was little difference among mulch types in weed control. All of the mulches, except the cypress mulch, increased growth of the shrubs in the plots compared to the no mulch treatments. Why the plants grew more slowly in the cypress mulch is not known at this point. Periodic measurements of photosynthesis showed a similar decline in plants in the cypress mulch plots. Cypress wood is noted for its resistance to decay, which is associated with the presence of phenlolic compounds in the wood. It may be that some of these compounds are leached from the mulch. We are continuing to monitor other responses of the plants and soil to the various mulches."

I would like to see this comparison test replicated before it is acccepted that all Cypress mulch can inhibit growth. We need to know that this response applies to all cypress and wasn't indicitave of a problem with this particular batch.

Adherence to mulch labeling standards is voluntary according to the Mulch and Soil Council.
http://www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org/ProductCert/Industry/Guidelines.html