Check and top up garden mulch

When to do it

When cover has thinned or bare soil needs protection. Assess what is already there before adding another layer.

What you need

• Suitable clean mulch
• Gloves and a small rake
• Water for a penetration check

How to do it

1. Lift a little existing mulch. Check the soil’s moisture, remove weeds and look for a matted layer that is shedding water.
2. If the soil is dry and needs watering, water before covering it. Loosen compacted fine mulch gently instead of burying it.
3. Choose material suited to the bed. Apply fine mulch thinly—around 2 cm is a starting guide—while coarse bark needs a deeper layer, usually more than 5 cm. Account for existing cover and product directions.
4. Leave roughly 6–7 cm clear around stems, widening the gap if needed for the plant. Do not bury crowns or cover a newly sown row.
5. Water a small test area and check underneath after it soaks in. Thin or loosen the layer if water is not getting through.

What success looks like

• Soil is covered but stems and crowns remain exposed.
• Rain or irrigation passes through rather than running off the mulch.

Watch out for

• Adding the same thick layer of every material.
• Piling mulch against a trunk like a volcano.
• Assuming a dry mulch surface means the soil beneath needs water.

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