Wood Chips vs. Mulch: Which Is Better for Your Yard and Garden?
There’s lots of ground to cover when it comes to wood chips vs. mulch
Highlights
Wood chips cost, on average, $85 per cubic yard.
Mulch costs, on average, between $30 and $150 per cubic yard.
Generally, wood chips are aesthetically pleasing for landscaping.
Mulch doesn’t look like much, but helps plants look their best.
In landscaping, planting your garden is only half the battle. You'll need to cover your beds to ensure your tomatoes are top-notch and keep wicked weeds at bay. Using wood chips or mulch in your beds can improve soil quality, save your plants from an early frost, and even improve the look of your beds.
But what’s the difference between wood chips and mulch? This guide lays out the uses of both, comparing wood chips vs. mulch to find the ideal fit for your outdoor oasis.
Wood Chips vs. Mulch: Key Differences
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between wood chips vs. mulch. You can use both in your yard, and both will help plants grow.
Wood chips are considered more of a landscaping tool. Chips make your beds look crisp and clean, contributing to the overall aesthetic. Mulch is much less about its looks. Instead, it can look very similar to soil, and its main objective is helping plants grow for a better-looking flower or vegetable garden.
You won’t go wrong using either of these ground covers in your backyard, but depending on what you grow and use your yard for, there may be a clear winner when it comes to wood chips vs. mulch.
What Are Wood Chips?
Wood chips are small, shredded pieces of wood made from the interior of trees. Landscapers use wood chips as ground cover to retain some moisture and prevent weed growth. Wood chips can come in their natural color, but there are also some dyed varieties to complement landscapes.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Variety |
| Long-lasting | Cost |
| Erosion protection | Can harm seedlings |
| Temperature regulation | Lower water retention |
Best for:
Landscapers. Wood mulch is great for use around shrubs, trees, or perennials.
Playspace. Wood chips are larger and softer to land on in outside spaces where children play.
Pros of Wood Chips
Uniform. Wood chips are ground up to be the same size and texture, meaning more even coverage across a garden bed. Laying down wood chips in a garden bed can make a yard look tidier.
Long-lasting. Once installed, wood chips last up to five years. Plus, when the wood chips start breaking down, they’ll just feed more nutrients to your soil.
Erosion protection. Wood chips are highly absorbent and can help prevent erosion in climates with high rainfall.
Maintaining temperature. Wood chips are great at retaining temperature. They keep vegetation cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. While this temperature regulation won’t keep your plants from frosting in some climates, it helps prevent drought in the summer and stave off late frosts in the spring.
Cons of Wood Chips
Variety. Since wood chips are all made the same way with the same materials, you won’t find them in different colors, styles, or sizes.
Cost. Options for wood chips are limited and typically cost around $85 per cubic yard.
Can harm early-growth plants. Sometimes, wood chips are almost too good at keeping small seedlings, like weeds, from growing. If your bed has seeds or seedlings in it, wood chips could prevent them from growing. Similarly, using too many wood chips around a tree can lead to too much moisture, causing wood rot.
Lower water retention. Wood chips can be a great fit for wetter climates because of their absorbency level. But, for gardeners in a drier climate, wood chips might not retain enough moisture to keep your plants cooled and watered.
What Is Mulch?
Mulch is organic, or inorganic, matter used to cover over soil. Its main purposes include retaining water, reducing weed growth, keeping plants cool, and improving the appearance of a garden bed.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Made with different materials | Frequency |
| DIY-able | Aesthetic appeal |
| Stronger growth | Rough feel |
Best for:
Gardeners. The nutrient-rich nature of mulch makes it ideal for spreading across vegetable and flower beds.
Drier climates. Mulch can retain lots of moisture, helping plants receive nutrients, even when it hasn’t rained. But using lots of mulch in a climate with tons of rain can waterlog your plants.
Pros of Mulch
Types of mulch. Mulch can be made from organic and inorganic materials, including everything from shredded leaves to rubber, which means you have a wide variety of colors and sizes to choose from. Mulch costs anywhere from $30 to $150 per cubic yard. The variety of choices means you can find the right mulch to fit your budget. There are plenty of mulch alternatives to consider as well.
DIY-friendly. If you have the time and patience, a mulch job can be very affordable. You can make your own mulch and spread it yourself, saving on the materials and installation. If not, hire a local mulch delivery service.
More growth. Covering your garden beds with mulch keeps them moist longer, prevents weeds from creeping in, and provides your plants with important nutrients. Laying down mulch in your beds will likely lead to better plant growth and fewer weeds.
Cons of Mulch
Frequency. Ideally, gardeners should aim to mulch their beds twice a year, once at the least. Mulch breaks down quickly, so it requires some upkeep to see the benefits. This could make the process pricey or time-consuming for some.
Curb appeal. Because mulch pieces are smaller and less uniform, they may not be as aesthetically appealing as a wood chip, which is more uniform in shape.
Tough texture. Due to their irregular shape and material, mulch might feel tougher under foot or on a gardener’s hands.
Wood Chips vs. Mulch
Now that you have a basic understanding of wood chips and mulch let’s lay out the differences between the two.
Added Curb Appeal: Wood Chips
Due to their uniform size and shape, wood chips generally make beds look tidier than mulch. While everyone has their own taste, wood chips are better at defining garden beds, making them look crisp and tidy.
Mulch will also create dimension in a yard, but it might not look as tidy as wood chips without much upkeep.
Options and Customizations: Mulch
Wood chips are simply pieces of shredded wood, whereas mulch has seemingly endless options to choose from. You can choose from organic mulch, like shredded bark or pine straw, or inorganic, like rubber mulch. Mulch comes in many different sizes and finishes, giving homeowners more variety.
Maintenance and Durability: Wood Chips
If you choose the mulch route, you could be spreading it in the yard twice a year, at the most. On the other hand, wood chips can last in a yard for up to five years.
Garden Benefits: Mulch
Both mulch and wood chips will keep garden beds cool and moist and prevent weed growth. But, when you put the two head to head, mulch will help a garden grow more. The general rule of thumb when it comes to wood chips vs. mulch? Use wood chips around shrubs, trees, or landscaping. Opt for mulch in garden beds or vegetable gardens.
Playground Safe: Wood Chips
Wood chips provide a softer fall during outdoor play, making it ideal to install under swing sets and home playgrounds.
Price: Mulch
Generally, most mulches are cheaper per cubic yard than wood chips. Plus, mulch can be made at home for close to nothing.
However, mulch can be laid up to twice a year, while most opt to install wood chips every few years. Frequency could have an impact on your bottom line.
DIYability: Mulch
It could mean a long day in the yard, but installing mulch or wood chips is simple. However, DIY-ing wood chips would take some industrial machinery and an entire tree.
You can make mulch from organic matter in your own backyard. You can DIY mulch using compost, shredded newspaper, lawn clippings, and even dried leaves.