Knowledgebase
mulch...organic? #874637
Asked June 25, 2024, 1:07 PM EDT
Union County Ohio
Expert Response
"When acquiring mulch, ensure that it is weed free and organic by purchasing it from a certified producer" is the reccomendation from Utah State University. Many organic producers do test their products. You can see if the place you purchased from has that information, and what is in their mulch. Is it composted down or just straight hardwood. Assuming you purchased it loose, not bagged, the smell, should be earthy and not chemically.
Customer service for the mulch supplier has not answered my questions. However when asked, he did tell me that the mulch is certified organic by the "Mulch and Soil Council" MSC. From the websites I learned that the owner/founder of the mulch supplier is also the president of MSC. ----- Isn't this a conflict of interest? -----The customer service guy acknowledged that his company founder has been MSC president for 3 or 4 terms, each term being maybe 4 years long.
The MSC website makes it clear that they serve the mulch industry (not consumers) and boasts their influence over legislators. MSC newsletters are meant to organize their mulch industry members to take political action on proposed regulations that will impact their profitability.
The mulch smells like chemical to me. Also, I found some concerning things in it like chunks of plastic, glass, a large piece of beat up metal, and a partially shredded handle that looks like it came from cheap particle board furniture.
I bought a heavy metals test kit and a formaldehyde sensor. I don't know how sensitive it will be but can test several samples. Do you have any suggestions?
Jen