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DIY mulch dye

tonya499
15 years ago

Has anyone tried Mulch Magic or any other mulch dye? I'm renting a house that has alot of old bark nuggets in the otherwise empty flower beds. Instead of buying all new mulch, I thought I would try dyeing the old stuff dark brown. We are moving out in mid summer so I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I need to garden. I can't look at empty beds any longer.

Comments (11)

  • bullthistle
    15 years ago

    Instead od spending money that will benefit someone else why don't you buy some containers and spread them throughout the garden with plants, garage sales, and take them with you when you leave.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

  • barefootinct
    15 years ago

    I think this product sounds very odd. I googled it because I had never heard of such a thing. Sadly, it reminds me of the "spray hair" remedy for baldness that was seen in informercials a while back. I also found out from my brief google investigation that the ingredients are a "trade secret", which means god-only-knows what you would be putting on your soil.

    I suspect a good raking of the present mulch with a thin new layer would be a better solution. Honestly, I don't know how much cheaper it would be to buy this "mulch magic" instead of, say, a yard of mulch (In my ridiculously expensive part of the Connecticut, a yard of good natural cedar is about 45.00, perfectly fine pine is only about 30.00 a yard.) A yard of mulch goes a long way, especially when thinly spread.

    Some well-chosen bargain plants, along with divisions from friends and neighbors would probably give enough "oomph" to satisfy for now.

  • duluthinbloomz4
    15 years ago

    Perhaps your locale has a composting site. We can get all the free mulch we can carry away from ours here. Though not a die hard mulcher, I've used it and have found absolutely nothing wrong with it other than, perhaps, not being as "pretty" or chunky (if I wanted the chunk look) as the bagged stuff. And it seems to be clean - have never found a shredded plastic bag, bottle cap or glass shard.

  • rhodium
    15 years ago

    Well, there is a company that sells water soluble fence stain that can be sprayed on by your water hose. Think about fertilizer application with a garden hose, but just replace that with stain. That might work, but the minute the mulch is moved by yourself, a dog, or chipmunk, you'll have to re-apply the stain.

    Try planting a groundcover instead.

  • tonya499
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the input. I will find out about the local mulch. I've heard you can buy compost at the landfill. Where I moved from, you get as much hardwood mulch as you could carry. But here in Utah there aren't quite as many trees, so.....we'll see. I'll keep you posted.

  • stoloniferous
    15 years ago

    As someone who recently purchased a new home, I would be more impressed by a yard that has been weeded and mowed, then a yard that has had some temporary last-minute additions thrown in.

  • plainguy
    13 years ago

    I have used a product called New Mulch In A Bottle and it worked awsome I highly recommend it. It was less money then some others and was so easy. Unlike others the igrediants are all natural and very safe www.NewMulchInABottle.com

  • laag
    13 years ago

    AsDuane, my old neighbor in Idaho used to say "now why would a person want to do that?".

  • Colleen.B
    10 years ago

    I'm an intern for a product called Hippie Mulch Color (www.hippiemulch.com). It's completely safe for people, pets, and the environment, and it's actually pretty innexpensive. It's for people like you who have more landscaping needs than organic gardening needs. Hope this helps!

    Here is a link that might be useful: www.HippieMulch.com

  • ashlee83
    8 years ago

    I work for a company that manufactures and sells a product like this called Mulch Refresh. It is environmentally safe and it has been tested and the results concluded that it is less harmful than your basic table salt.

    Check it out in brown, black, or red. www.mulchrefresh.com