Bagged Mulch or Bulk Mulch – Which Should You Buy? | The Dirt Bag (2024)

FAQs

Bagged Mulch or Bulk Mulch – Which Should You Buy? | The Dirt Bag? ›

With bags, there can be variances – and this may not be acceptable for some projects. Plus, the lack of packaging makes buying bulk mulch an eco-friendly choice. Making a bulk purchase can also save you money. Though delivery to your door comes with an added charge, your overall price may be lower if you buy in bulk.

Bagged - Bagged mulch is easier to move around once you get it to your yard. Bulk - Bulk mulch is cheaper than bagged, and has the advantage of being dropped off in your driveway saving you trips to the store. It usually originates locally except bark, cedar and cypress.

When you need a large quantity of soil or compost, it's quicker and cheaper to buy it in bulk.

Pros and Cons of Bagged Mulch

It's easy to transport, store and use. If you have limited space in your yard or garden and aren't able to store bulk materials, bagged mulch can be a good option for you. The bags are also compact and lightweight, which makes them easier to handle than bulk material.

Knowing how much mulch to use can be tricky. A 1-inch to 2-inch layer of fine mulch should be sufficient, while a coarser material should be 3 to 4 inches deep. Too much of either type can suffocate your plants. In areas where you simply want to keep anything from growing, you can lay it on as thick as you like.

Compost. Compost looks like soil, except it's darker, so it sets off plants nicely. This mulch material breaks down quickly but adds to your soil structure the most rapidly. Plus, it's the best mulch on a budget: you can create rich compost for free, even from grass clippings and leaves.

One cubic yard is equivalent to about 27 standard sized soil bags (1 cubic ft) that you would find at a nursery or home improvement store would be equivalent to one cubic yard.

Compost. Compost is almost always a great choice for top dressing your lawn.

Yes. Your potting soil might go bad if it has been kept for too long or hasn't been stored properly. Why? Most potting soils contain peat moss and other organic ingredients that decompose over time.

What color mulch lasts longer? ›

Over time, mulch colors fade due to frequent exposure to sunlight. Regular non-dyed mulch may become a grayish color in one to two months, while dyed brown or black mulches may keep their color for a year or longer.

Brown mulch is a nice touch to any lawn and garden, and its natural color makes both light and darker-colored plants appear vibrant when paired together. This color mulch works well in small areas, but tends to lose its beautiful color after just one season.

As long as it's dry, a sealed bag can sit indefinitely. Bagged mulch can go sour or moldy in wet areas, or even can attract pests, so proper storage is really all you need for a long-lasting product.

With bags, there can be variances – and this may not be acceptable for some projects. Plus, the lack of packaging makes buying bulk mulch an eco-friendly choice. Making a bulk purchase can also save you money. Though delivery to your door comes with an added charge, your overall price may be lower if you buy in bulk.

The answer is that mulching the clippings is better for your lawn. That's because when you mulch the clippings, they will eventually break down and return nutrients to your soil. One of the most common misconceptions about mulching grass clippings is that it causes a thatch build-up problem.

This is why it's important to consider whether or not mulch causes termites. The answer is pretty straightforward – mulch does not cause termites. Even if you have purchased mulch that is made out of wood, it won't necessarily attract termites directly.

Then calculate the mulch needed for each section and add them for the total mulch needed. Note that one cubic yard of mulch (often just called "a yard") is 27 cubic feet. Most bags of mulch hold 2 cubic feet. So there are 13.5 bags of mulch in a yard.