How is Mulch Made?

Ever wonder where we get our mulch? 

We have a couple of different vendors that we use, but probably our favorite is a place called Kinser Ranch out off of Fitzhugh Rd near Dripping Springs. They are a family owned and operated outfit run by none other than…the Kinser family. One of the reasons I love this place is that you can see the whole process. There is no mystery. Here is how we get our mulch:

  1. We take all of our “green waste” to their property. This includes tree branches, leaves, grass clippings. dead plants, etc. We dump it into a large pile along with a bunch of other companies and individuals. This results in a massive pile of branches and other stuff. It ends up growing to about the size of a football field 15 feet tall. 
  2. They then take this pile and use a huge grabber thingy (technical term) to grab hundreds of pounds of green waste and put it into a huge grinder thingy (another technical term). This is basically a huge version of one of those mulch machines you’re probably already picturing. 
  3. They run the mulch through this machine several times and then let it sit so that it starts to decompose. Picture another football field of mulch. They run sprinklers over it to help the decomposition process. This actually creates quite a bit of heat, so it is common to see steam rising from the pile. 
  4. We come back and grab the mulch and then install it in your yard. The mulch helps your plants and trees grow. At which point, we take the leaves and branches back to Kinser…and the whole thing starts over again. 

 

This is a pretty terrible video, but it will probably give you an idea of what they do…

IMG_1595_Kinser Mulch

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