Mulch in the shade?

I have a hosta bed in a full shade area. Is there a problem with mulching it with shredded cedar? I have used cocoa hulls there but it always got moldy and there were tons of tiny, tiny flying bugs. The problem with using no mulch is the dirt getting all over the plants during a heavy rain. However, I don't want a fungus or mold problem with the cedar mulch.

Thanks

I mulch pretty much everything with shredded cedar or cedar bark - sun or shade. In my garden the main purpose is to keep moisture in the soil, but also to give the beds a finished look. I have never had any problems with it, but we do have a much drier climate here.

Fungus is a normal component of your soil, so you should have fungus in your soil and mulch. Some of them are really cool looking!

Karen

I don't think it will make a difference what mulch you use. The problem lies in our hot, humid summer temperatures or when we get alot of rain. Many of us get the fungus/mold problem with mulch. I get mushrooms growing in mine and earlier this season I got this nasty wet yellow fungus that literally looked like vomit (sorry for the bluntness!). It was gross and disgusting!!! Like Karen says, it's normal and all part of the microbes in your soil breaking down the mulch. I would go out and pick the mushrooms/fungus or kick them down and mix up the mulch with my shoes (of course using my crummy old gardening shoes) to aerate the mulch and that seemed to help get rid of it quicker.

The bugs you saw were probably the result of some bug that had gotten in the bag or batch of mulch and laid eggs and they hatched after you laid the mulch.

Personally, I think the cocoa hulls are great for mulch. They smell good and when they break down they really feed the soil, they just break down a little too quickly I think. Just if you have dogs watch out because sometimes they like to eat them because they smell good to them too and since it's cocoa, it's not good for them at all. I quit using it for those two reasons.

I used to use cedar all the time too and it lasts a good long time.

What was really nice is that we used to be able to get Pecan shell mulch for free from Evon's Nuts in the next town over from us but then they discontinued that process from that facility and moved it somewhere else, I want to say PA. The color of the mulch was that of the hardwood mulch and it really lasted and kept its color. That was a sad day!

Good luck!

I too mulch sun and shade beds w/o any troubles. I can see where cedar or hardwood mulch could be better in shade beds because there is more airflow in wood mulch than in the cocoa bean mulch. I used that for one bed for just one season and although it looked great to start with it formed a crust over time and the water would not soak all the way though and the top layer got kinda slimy - I can see that being worse in a shade bed. I really like how hardwood mulch sets off hosta - its a great contrast in color and texture.