Moldy Mulch

Can anyone tell me what to do about our mulch, it seems to be moldy, compacted, etc. we just put more down this spring because it was getting thin in areas ~ it is mulch that is made from branches, wood, pallets etc, thought it would be ok since it is reusing stuff - thoughts?
  6 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 23, 2013
    Did you put those materials through a chipper or something?
  • Nora Strom-Goodburn Nora Strom-Goodburn on Jul 23, 2013
    No we bought it from a local company that has a compost site
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 24, 2013
    How finely ground is it? Even finely ground mulch, which I prefer, generally has enough space between the material does not compact. The mold is probably from the natural breakdown of organic material.
  • Nora Strom-Goodburn Nora Strom-Goodburn on Jul 24, 2013
    So it should not hurt our plants? They seem to have done ok over the past 8 years, but sometimes I wonder. Thanks so much for your help!!!
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jul 24, 2013
    No, I don't think it is hurting your plants (although I personally would be a little concerned about what is in pallet wood).
  • Christine Christine on Jul 24, 2013
    Why don't you rough it up with a pitch fork? Mulch seems to get hard on top, which keeps as much water in as it does out. Roughing and breaking it up lets it open and (to a degree) areate. It will only hurt your plants if you've put the mulch against their little stems. Decomposing mulch burns tender plants You can get some very strange fungi in your mulch. It happens. Right now I have some black, finger-like fungi growing in clumps. Do a search on orange penis fungi and you'll die laughing. Then there are the oyster-type mushrooms.... The majority of the pallets in the US are heat treated (look for the HT symbol), not chemically treated. It's an online media-type scare about how they'll kill you, destroy the earth, and raze everything living.