Pine Bark Mulch

Pine bark, screened to a consistent particle size, with nothing else added. There is no soil, sand or fertiliser blended through it, so it behaves purely as a surface mulch. The uniform grade is what lets it sit flat and stay in place, and it gives a bed an even colour and a tidy finish once spread.

Between 50 and 75 millimetres suits most beds. Thinner than that and light still reaches weed seed, so weeds keep germinating through it. Much thicker and light rain struggles to reach the soil at all. Keep the mulch pulled back a hand width from trunks and stems rather than heaped up against them.

A 60L bag covers a little over one square metre at 50 millimetres deep, or around eight tenths of a square metre at 75 millimetres. Measure the bed area, settle on a depth and work from there. Allow a little extra on a first application, since a fresh layer settles once it has been watered.

All of them. Bark mulch is inert on the surface and does not shift soil nutrition in any meaningful way, so it goes over garden beds, around trees, shrubs, roses, fruit trees, hedges and natives alike. Keep it clear of the crowns of soft perennials and strawberries, which will rot if they sit damp under it.

No. This is bark and nothing else, so it does no feeding at all. Mulching and feeding are separate jobs. Feed the bed first, water the fertiliser in, then mulch over the top. If the bark is already down, rake it back before feeding so the fertiliser reaches soil rather than sitting on bark.

Yes. Bark mulch carries no added phosphorus, so it is safe over Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea, Protea and other sensitive natives that an enriched mix or a general fertiliser would damage. Natives respond well to mulching, since it keeps their surface roots cool and moist through summer. Keep it clear of the stems.

Bark breaks down slowly, so most beds need topping up every twelve to eighteen months rather than every season. Watch the depth rather than the calendar. Once the layer has thinned to around 25 millimetres, weeds start coming through and it is time to add more. Loosen the old layer with a rake before topping up.