Services
Mulch Beds
Bed cleanup, hand edging, and a fresh mulch install with full haul-away of the old material. Choose hardwood, dyed black, or cedar — applied at proper depth to suppress weeds, hold moisture, and give every bed a crisp, finished look.
Pricing varies by site. Final scope, materials, and access influence the all-in number — we'll quote your specific project after a quick conversation.
About our mulch beds work
Full bed refresh — not just a top-dress over old material. We start with hand cleanup, pulling weeds at the root, removing volunteer seedlings, and cutting back perennials to clean lines. Old mulch is hauled off when it's compacted, hydrophobic, or matted with fungal mycelium — leaving spent mulch in place is what causes water to sheet off beds and starve the root zone underneath. Bed edges are hand-cut with a spade to a clean 3-inch vertical trench that holds the new mulch line and gives the bed a defined shoulder against the turf. We then install fresh mulch at a true 2 to 3 inch depth — deep enough to suppress weeds and moderate soil temperature through San Antonio summers, but pulled back from trunks and stems to avoid volcano mulching and crown rot. Hardwood gives the most natural look and best soil conditioning as it breaks down. Dyed black holds color longest against UV and looks sharp on modern hardscape. Cedar lasts the longest before decomposition and carries natural insect-deterrent oils.
What's included
- Hand weeding and removal of debris from beds
- Cutback of dead growth on perennials and ornamentals
- Haul-away of old, matted, or hydrophobic mulch
- Hand-cut spade edge along all bed lines
- Fresh mulch installed at 2 to 3 inch depth
- Choice of hardwood, dyed black, or cedar mulch
- Mulch pulled back from trunks to prevent crown rot
- Final blower cleanup of walks and hardscape
Materials & techniques
Hardwood is double-shredded for tighter knit and slower washout on sloped beds. Dyed black is a carbon-and-iron-oxide colorant that holds against South Texas UV — we let it cure 24 hours before rain to prevent runoff staining on hardscape. Cedar is sourced from Hill Country mills and carries natural thujone oils that deter termites and roaches near foundations. Depth is the variable that matters most — under 2 inches and weeds punch through, over 3 inches and water can't penetrate to the root zone. We never pile mulch against trunks; the contact moisture rots bark and invites borers.
How the project runs
- 1
Bed walk
We measure each bed, count cubic yards needed, and flag any plants that need pruning, dead removal, or replacement before mulch goes down.
- 2
Cleanup and haul
Crew hand-weeds, cuts back perennials, and removes old mulch when it's compacted or matted — loaded into a trailer and hauled off the same day.
- 3
Edge cut
Spade edge is hand-cut to a clean 3-inch vertical trench separating turf from bed, giving the new mulch a defined shoulder that holds its line.
- 4
Mulch install
Fresh material is wheelbarrowed in and hand-raked to a true 2 to 3 inch depth — pulled back from trunks, stems, and the edge trench.
- 5
Final cleanup
All hardscape is blown clean, tools and tarps loaded, and the property left photo-ready before the crew rolls off.
Frequently asked questions
Should old mulch be removed before new mulch is installed?
Yes when it's matted, hydrophobic, or more than 3 inches deep already. Adding new mulch on top of dead, compacted material traps water above the root zone and starves the plants underneath.
Which mulch lasts the longest in San Antonio?
Cedar lasts the longest before breaking down — usually 18 to 24 months. Hardwood breaks down in 12 to 18 months but feeds the soil as it does. Dyed black holds color the longest but decomposes on a similar timeline to hardwood.
How deep should mulch be applied?
2 to 3 inches, no more. Deeper than that and water sheets off rather than soaking in, and roots start growing up into the mulch layer instead of down into the soil.
Is dyed mulch safe around plants and pets?
Yes. The colorants we use are carbon-based or iron-oxide pigments — non-toxic and bound to the wood fiber. We do let dyed mulch cure 24 hours before heavy rain to avoid staining adjacent hardscape.
Why hire us for mulch beds
In-house crew
Design, build, irrigation, and maintenance all run under one roof — no subbing out, no juggling vendors. You get one project manager from sketch through final walk-through.
San Antonio specialists
Built for South-Central Texas — heavy clay, caliche, long dry summers, and flash rain. Our designs and installs are tuned to what survives and looks good locally.
Clear pricing
No surprise line items. We size the work after a quick conversation or site visit and issue a written quote with materials and labor broken out so you can compare apples to apples.
