Now that the holiday season is winding down – many homeowners will begin to shift their focus from gift giving and decorations to staying warm and making home improvements.
This is the time of year when it is important to be thinking about protecting your landscaping and lawn as well. Mulch makes great insulation and creates a nice barrier between the roots of your trees and bushes and the cold weather.
However, before you decide that mulch is the way that you want to go for protecting your landscaping against the cold temperatures, it is important that you knows the pros and cons of this material.
For instance, it might surprise you to learn that mulch is responsible for thousands of house fires each year. Thankfully, these house fires are preventable, if you take the right steps. Here are a few suggestions for how to use mulch safely:
- If you, or someone who is visiting your home, is a smoker – make sure there is an old bucket with sand outside for cigarette butts. Throwing cigarette butts into the flower bed where there is mulch can easily lead to a fire. Obviously, this is more or a risk during the summer months when the weather is dry. But, throwing cigarette butts into the mulch bed is a bad habit any time of the year and it is best to set the expectation.
- During the winter months it isn’t as necessary but, during the other months of the year it is important to water the mulch on your property to keep it moist and flame-retardant. Mulch is dark in color and can retain a lot of heat and get to high temperatures. Keeping it wet can help to keep those temperatures at a minimal level.
- Make sure to spread mulch evenly and not too thick. When there are large piles of mulch that are very thick, steam can be created when the warmth within the mound of mulch mixes with the cold air. It is important to minimize this reaction as much as possible by spreading mulch no thicker than four inches.
Protect your home from possible damage due to house fire from mulch in your yard by following these tips. Mulch is a great way e
