an interesting thought about mulch

Never thought about what is actually in the mulch we buy for herping or home use until yesterday when I had a big tree cut that was split and bound to fall - a wild cherry. Upon inquiring the whereabouts of the tree's final resting place - I learned it would go, as I expected to the local mulch maker in my area. So, hmmmm. - yes, when you buy mulch - the bag may be labeled cypress, pine or anything else but you can bet it is ground up with whatever the tree trimmers hauled in that day, week or month. Like I said - I had never really thought about it before and was guessing that many others hadn't either.

Most of your bulk mulch you buy at nurseries etc are a mix blend of all kinds of stuff but this is not the case with alot of bag mulch. Thats why they have labels. If it says 100% cypress then i doubt there is any cherry trees in it

The other thing you need to remember is the stuff you buy for reptiles is not full of chemicals. The big bags you see for your yard, unless otherwise marked, is usually treated with chemicals for bugs and mold which can be dangerous to your animals.

Cypress is very unlikely to mold unless it sits damp and dirty for a very long time. This is another reason it's so good for herps.

And to ad. If your a mulch user you shouldnt be buying blended bag mulch either. Just cause it says cypress blend, or blended hardwood or whatever the label says, only mulch id use is cypress and it has to be 100% cypress as clean as i can get it.

Thanks to all for replying - I don't use mulch but I know a lot of people do with good success - I just got a sneaky feeling that a lot of that bagged mulch says one thing and has other woods in it - just thought it was interesting - that's all