Question on mulch?

I want to to put black mulch around my flowers and shrubs at my house. What do i do when i have to rake in the fall? I have a lot of trees around my house. Ther are mostly pine and maple. The reason i want to put much in is that i always have dried pine needles that are in my garden. Am i going to rake everything and lose my mulch every fall and have to replace it in the spring?



Thanks

Question on mulch?
your mulch will break down over the summer (assuming it's organic) and you'll need to re-mulch either in spring or the fall.



your mulch will fade and you'll want to re-do it next spring anyway.



Fresh mulch looks best.
Reply:A leaf blower might help as your mulch should be weathered down by the fall. The leaves/needles SHOULD be easier to move with 150 mph air.



You will probably have to dress up your mulch in the spring anyway as it may fade and/or decompose over the year.
Reply:Hi, I wonder why you don"t use the pine needles, save on mulch. The mulch will look better I guess. No, you do not remove the old stuff every year. Most will turn into compost by the end of the year. I have found if I put wet newspaper under the mulch, I do not have to put down so much and it keeps the weeds out. Buy the better grade of mulch, it is not as stinky!!
Reply:I would blow it with a leaf blower, The leaves will be lighter than the mulch and you should be able to get most of the leaves out, without blowing to much of the mulch out.

Most people will lay another layer of mulch down in the spring any way.

Hope this helps
Reply:mulch usually only lasts a year anyway. mulch is biodegradable. It will end up feeding the roots of the plants it surrounds. that is why most pros say to put mulch down around plants.



the color fades from the sun and it get thin and sparce looking. If you want to keep up appearances you will add more every spring anyway.



why don't you just put a thin layer and that way you won't be spending too much when you have to rake.