Hmm.

Well, for starters, the more you mulch my bank account, the better.

Thicker is much better!

That said, as for mulching palms, more is better up to a point.

Stuff like unshredded large dicot leaves can make a nasty mess in a hurry. They can smother plants buried in them, though foresty type plants are adapted to withstand conditions like that. Deserty plants, not so much. Also, sometimes fungi in the mulch can rot cavities in some palm trunks. I've seen it happen with Braheas, especially, particularly on the edges of lawns, etc.

Material that decays faster, not so bad. Stuff that stays loose also isn't as much of a problem. Pine needles, "gorilla hair" wood chips, shredded palm leaves, no problem.

I've never had palm roots grow up into mulch, though roots on plants like azeleas sometimes do.

If you have enough nutrients in the soil to start with, decaying mulch shouldn't give you nutrient deficiencies. Where elements, particularly nitrogen, are lacking or borderline, decay deficits are much more of a problem. I've seen that happen in sandy or super-nasty clay.

Mi dos centavos

Curious if heavy mulching affects gopher control?

Curious if heavy mulching affects gopher control?

Hmm.

Not that I know of.

Though you have to wonder what the little expletives might do if they found their way out blocked by cardboard? Probably just chew through it like everything.

"I chew, so I am!"

Mulching can make detecting small gopher mounds more difficult.

Great garden there ! That Pritchardia looks so healthy. Well done, and it's great to hear when someone wants to start reworking an area they'd previously neglected.

Enjoy !

Regards

Michael.

My gardener says I should cut off this leaf

Mattyb again thank you very mulch!

Steve - all that mulch, do you think it helped with the cold? Must have kept the roots warm at least. Seeing all those homes relatively close together, there should have been some radiant heat effect. Seeing your reports about your temps - you must really be in a cold microclime. Looks like you did you best taking care of your palms and plants. Any casulties yef?

Moose- this was a very abnormal year for me. My avg winter low is 41f. This year I saw 26f! I can't say for sure if the mulch helped with the cold. My backyard is not mulched and it seemed about the same. So far nothing has died. Damage wasn't as bad as I thought too. Here's a list of damage.

A. Maxima. Only green on the newest opening leaf

D. Lutescens 25% burn

T. Radiata burn on the greenhouse leaves and mild burn on the newest leaves

Pritchardia remota 75% burned

D. Pembana 50% burn

R. Borenquena 85% burn

R.regia 95% burn

R.princeps very slight bronzing one the very top leaf

D.ambositrae x2 defoliated

D.decaryi x2. Bronzed 70%

That's all I can think of right now. It's quite a bit of damage but for being below freezing for 7-8hours for 3 nights in a row it's not to bad.

Ones that came out great that shocked me were

veitchia arecina just a few spots

licuala peltata var. sumawongii zero damage and opened a new leaf 3 weeks ago

Coccothrinax spissa. Zero damage

copernicia baileyana zero damage.

Dypsis lancioNADA. Few spots

Pritchardia hillebrandii no damage

Livistona saribus nothing

Some of these were under canopy so that shows how important canopy really is. It does give me more confidence that one I get an established canopy I will be ok. I figure that the veitchia is the most tender thing I have and it did great under a jacaranda.

Nothing died?? How is that Coco doin?

Nothing died?? How is that Coco doin?

It was getting to big and I was sick of the coconuts falling all over the place so I chopped it down.

Steve:

Canopy rocks!

Come up and visit, and I'll show you PALM CANOPY, made of palms. Helps a lot, like makeup helped Fanny Brice . . .

Nothing died?? How is that Coco doin?

It was getting to big and I was sick of the coconuts falling all over the place so I chopped it down.

And ate it