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The Unexpected Drawbacks Of Using Cypress Mulch For Your Lawn
BY EZEKIEL MAINA
From water retention to weed control, cypress mulch offers a lot for your lawn. However, it has some drawbacks that may leave you searching for an alternative.
To begin with, cypress mulch tends to be acidic, which could cause the alkaline-loving grass in your lawn to turn thin and yellow. It also tends to draw in pests.
Cypress mulch disintegrates slowly. This means it won’t need regular replacing, but it also means that it won’t deliver as many nutrients to your plants as other mulch options.
Additionally, the trees cypress mulch are made from are slow-growing, and are harvested unsustainably. This results in a premium price tag.
In fact, producing cypress mulch is banned in certain areas like Miami-Dade County, Florida, because the environmental impact is so steep due to aggressive harvesting.
For alternatives, consider eucalyptus mulch, which deters pests. Mulch from conifer trees (like pine) is also a more abundant, environmentally sound option.
Perhaps the most sustainable and wallet-friendly options are leaf mulch and homemade compost, though acquiring them can be a bit more labor-intensive.