Got dogs? Beware of Bark Mulch’s Bite
One of my favorite animal-related blogs, Dolittler, has an article today about cocoa powder in bark mulch (aka “Bark Dust”) — Cocoa is a very bad thing for dogs and pretty much all mammals besides humans, because the “caffeine” in chocolate (Theobromine) is toxic to them.
What’s not mentioned in the article is that other dyed brown mulches and “landscaper’s mix” may have the same issue, without the cocoa content on it’s label. I can’t find a web link about this at the moment, unfortunately.
Despite my normal environmentally sound preferences, I use cypress mulch on my front yard. Why? It’s undyed, it contains only cypress, it doesn’t get washed away as easily as pine or cedar, and last but definitely not least, I’m not allergic to it for whatever reasons. Want to see me break out in hives? Let me play in a flower bed full of cedar mulch for an afternoon.
Anyway. If you have dogs, please be aware of what you’re buying at the garden center, and what you let your dog into at home!
Karl, here in Louisiana cypress mulch is a very controversial thing. That’s because the cypress swamps are the state’s best natural defense against hurricanes but they’re being clearcut just for bark mulch. So even Wal-Mart is no longer buying cypress mulch that comes from Louisiana. For your area, what about shredded hardwood mulch or pine bark mulch? They are usually from by-products in the manufacturing process from managed forests. Just a thought.
Jean
Jean, the cypress mulch that I bought at Home Depot was a touch more expensive but specifically states that it was not harvested in a clear cut fashion, that it was farmed, and that harvested trees were replanted. It doesn’t list state of origin or any other details, though, so I don’t know whether or not to believe the marketing on the bag.
I’m allergic to most tree pollens, and by extent, most tree-originated barks (including hardwoods). Cedar is by far the worst, with walnut, oak, and others close behind. Kneeling in a bed of cedar bark dust (or god forbid getting any in my gloves) will leave me itching for a week, or even breaking out in hives. For me, Cypress bark dust is a godsend. Frankly, I should live in a bubble… I’m even allergic to hay.
[...] I got some flack for preferring Cypress bark mulch for dressing the front beds of my house. I defended my preference, citing my allergies to most conventional cedar, pine, and hardwood mulches. Personally, I’d prefer to use cheap shredded leaves, but I don’t have easy access to a large enough supply of them (anyone from the north is laughing right now, but we don’t have many mature trees in my neighborhood) and HOA bylaws specify bark, wood, or rubber mulches. [...]
We got a truck load of mulch on Friday and my husband and daughter spread it together. My daughter has had hives since Friday night. She has terrible allergies – never thought about the mulch breaking her out. Not sure what kinds of trees are in this mulch – got it from a local mulch yard…
Thanks for the info – too late for this year, but maybe we’ll try cypress…
Stephanie