Old cedar mulch ok for compost bins

[wsommariva]

Hi everyone. I have old cedar mulch that needs to be replaced. Is it ok for the compsot bins?

Thanks

[toxcrusadr]

Cedar is relatively rot resistant, which of course is why it makes good mulch. I would expect it will take awhile to compost, and will need plenty of greens.

Is there any reason you can't just put a layer of new mulch over the old? It will still do its mulch job under there, but you can look at a nice fresh layer on top. Best of both worlds. That's what we do at my house - I never 'replace' mulch.

[rot]

..
Yeah. I'm scratching my head. I gotta go with Tox.

Removing the old mulch gets you what?

to sense
..

[wsommariva]

I do keep it for several years. But then it builds up too high for the beds so some has to go.

I'll put it in my slow compost pile. Thanks for the info.

[toxcrusadr]

I see your problem. With a rot-resistant mulch I guess it would build up over time. I am fortunate to have access to unlimited free shredded yard waste, which has a lot of stuff that decomposes much faster than wood, and even the wood goes faster than cedar. So I can pile it on pretty thick and by next year it's been munched up by the microherd and is essentially gone into the soil. Never have the problem you're describing!

[wsommariva]

Underneth all the mulch is rocks and clay. No where for it to go. But it won't go to waste once I remove some, in a year or so it'll be compost.

[tomc]

Underneth all the mulch is rocks and clay. No where for it to go. But it won't go to waste once I remove some, in a year or so it'll be compost.

Its amazing what those worms do when we aren't watching. Some of your bark is already compost.