Young trees suffer from root shock when they are transplanted and need a lot of care in their first few years of life. Weeds around the base need to be removed regularly, either by using appropriate herbicides, hand weeding, or careful strimming. They also need to be regularly watered. Our 100cm jute mulch mat tree spats make this a whole lot easier, saving time, money and chemicals. Our biodegradable tree spat mulch mats simply slot around the base of the young tree, suffocating weeds and retaining water. They also protect the delicate roots from extreme temperature fluctuations. They are 5mm thick so are quite robust, especially once they’ve got some water soaked into them, and last around a year before they slowly biodegrade into the soil.

What are the benefits of using mulch mats for young trees?

According to horticultural expert Don Kinzler, “if grass is allowed to compete with a tree, the tree will grow slower in both height and trunk diameter compared to a tree grown in bare soil. If you add mulch over the bare soil, the tree’s rate of growth increases compared to both bare soil and grass. This is so important it merits restating. Trees growing in grass have the slowest increase in height and trunk diameter. Trees in bare soil grow next best, and trees with mulch over the root zone have the greatest rate of growth” Read more about it here.

Do the mulch mats need to be pegged down?

Unlike polypropylene mulch mats, the mulch mats tend to sit firmly on the soil without needing to be pegged out. These large ones will take a while to bed in, so it's recommended that they are pegged out. You can use the commercially available plastic pegs, metal pegs, or we use biodegradable bamboo skewers. They don't last as long but after a few weeks the weeds sort of mesh themselves into the underneath of the mat and help to hold it in place, after which it's not so necessary to peg them down anyway.

Do you do discounts on larger volume orders?

Yes! Our discounts start at 100 mats so contact us for a quote at info@chimneysheep.co.uk

Please note that unlike the other mats, these don't have a central hole or slit for tucking around the base of a tree. They are used for a range of tree sizes so it's best if you cut a nick in the centre yourself when fitting it around the base of the tree. If it's got a thin stem then it will just wrap around the base as it is.