6 Reasons Laying Mulch in the Fall Is a Terrible Idea

When should you mulch your yard? It can be very confusing to figure out the perfect timing. Springtime is commonly suggested as the best time to mulch, but you’ve probably also heard you can mulch in the fall or even winter and that there might be benefits to doing so, such as more comfortable temperatures for working outdoors, or as a way to keep soil insulated. But despite those suggestions, cold weather mulching may not be the best option. These are reasons why laying mulch in the fall is a terrible idea.

1. The Mulch Is Easily Ruined

Bad weather is a risk factor if you choose to mulch in fall weather conditions. For example, major rainfall can lead to mulch running off. You might end up with a muddy mess. Additionally, windy conditions might blow mulch away, and you’ll have a thinner layer than you intended to. Early snowfall is also a risk that ruins all your efforts.

2. Pesky Pests May Use It For Hiding

Rodents, bugs, and snakes all may choose to make your nicely spread mulch into their cold weather home. Termites are especially drawn to mulch. What draws all these critters to your mulch? The cool, moist environment is appealing, and the decaying materials in some mulch are a good food source for various insects like ants. The mulch provides nice protection against the elements for all sorts of creatures.

3. Laying Mulch in the Fall Won’t Look Good in Spring

When you lay mulch in the fall, you risk all your hard work looking less than lovely come spring. The color will likely be dull, and it will probably look less fresh thanks to snow and other weather conditions.

4. It Delays Freezing

Fall mulching delays the ground from freezing. This isn’t great for plants because it leads to their roots going dormant later than they normally would. And that leads to possible damage to the plant. It also might cause heaving, which is when plants and their roots are shoved up out of the ground.

5. Plants Might Emerge Later

A fresh layer of mulch might trap cold moisture underneath it. This can delay when plants pop out in the springtime. Too deep a layer of mulch makes it hard for plants to come through, as well.

6. It’s Bad for Self-Sowers

Damage to self-sowers is one of the reasons laying mulch in the fall is a terrible idea. These plants drop seeds in the yard before they die, then end up returning year after year from the seeds, not from roots. Fall mulch might affect seed germination in springtime.

Summary of 6 Reasons Laying Mulch in the Fall Is a Terrible Idea: