Can Bark Mulch be dangerous for pets?

While bark mulch is perfect to help your garden fight weeds and keep moisture locked within the soil can it be dangerous for our family pets? While most bark mulch is not poisonous to pets they can still cause a major headache for pet owners.

Although as said bark mulch is not dangerous in any way to pets the small pieces can be a nightmare for pet owners especially dogs and puppies because of the small pieces dogs will usually pick these up and eat them as if they are treats. Although the bark mulch doesn’t contain any poison it can get stuck within your pets throat and cause it to choke.

To help prevent dogs from eating bark mulch you can look at picking pine bark mulch for your garden as it is allot bigger and will be harder for your dogs to swallow. Pink bark mulch will still contain all of the nutrients and prevention skills as normal bark mulch but it will make it allot harder for pets to eat.

Allot of dog owners think it is fine to play with a dog using a wooden stick this however can be very dangerous although owners love to play with sticks they need to know the risks they run when using them with a dog, yes it can be fun but the back particles can easily snap off within a dogs mouth and cause the mouth to splinter and cut the inside of the mouth.

This can then cause your pet dog to get small abscesses on the inside of his mouth from where you have been letting him chew on a small stick. The abscess can also lead to digestive issues and can cause allot more health issues down the line.

While normal bark mulch is not poisonous to dogs there is a specific bark which you should take allot of care with and that is cocoa mulch as this is very poisonous to dogs according to recent research. The smell and taste can attract dogs but it will kill your pet dog, we would advise you remove all cocoa bark mulch as soon as possible and replace wit pet safe bark mulch.

Removing topsoil

It’s not very often people wish to remove top soil unless it has been rotted and not very good for plants. If this is the case then the below short simple guide will help you remove any top soil you no longer require. 

Before you remove any top soil please be aware of the risks involved, removing any top soil from your garden can result in various nutrients been lost which can result in your garden become very week and not ideal for planting or growing.  This can also then lead to soil erosion which will mean you will have to dig back your garden and lay brand new thick layers or top soil to help your garden grow later down the process. 

If you still wish to remove your topsoil for whatever reason then there are a few simple ways to go about doing this.  The best three ways of removing top soil from your garden are described below. 

Firstly you can look at using a trowel this is one of the easiest ways to remove topsoil and will ensure you do not take too much away from your garden. If you wish to use a trowel to remove top soil from your garden then make sure you know just how much you will be removing.

You can also use a rake to help you remove top soil from your garden if you do choose this method it will help you ensure a continues level throughout the removal process but ensure you have a good rake which will dig deep down to remove the top soil and not just the top level.

A shovel is the quickest way to remove topsoil but can also be the biggest worry and headache as you can quickly remove too much top soil can and cause various issues within your current garden layout.  

No matter which method you use to remove your topsoil always ensure you make the ground even after you have removed the soil, make sure you have enough top soil left that you can still plant and grow within your garden. 

If you remove top soil ensure you know just how much you wish to remove and why you wish to remove it please don’t just remove any topsoil because you want to lower the garden people all across the world would do anything for lovely topsoil so don’t remove something that could take years to build back up.

Tips for Laying Top Soil

Top soil is ideal for any sort of garden and although people struggle to see which top soil will help there will garden the most there are bigger things to worry about. Laying your top soil incorrectly can have a little or small improvement on your garden.

With this in mind we have made a small guide on how to lay top soil in 10 simple tips, all these tips have been a process of how we lay top soil on a regular basis but this is not a guaranteed method to see improvement within your garden.

Firstly we will discuss the tools you will need to lay the perfect amount of topsoil within your garden. These are usually simple tools the beginner gardener will already have.

• ·         Sack Truck (optional)
• ·         Rake
• ·         Shovel
• ·         Ruler
• ·         Tiller

Now you have these tools we will show you the quickest and most beneficial way to lay top soil.

1 – If you only have a small amount to top soil such as a small flower pot or flower bed then you can simply buy bagged top soil from your local garden retailer. If you have a bigger area to lay topsoil then you will need some loose top soil from a specialist garden store. Depending on the amount you need some companies will deliver the soil to your house for you.

2 – Ensure the ground is clear to do this simply remove all material from the ground this can be anything from grass to gravel this will help in the long run although can be a long process it will be worth it.

3 – Create depot areas if you have a large area simply make some small piles of top soil around you area it will make the process easier later on if you have a small area to lay top soil then a one or two piles will be fine.

4 – Using a rake and a shovel spread the top soil across the area until it is a smooth even layer about 4-6 inches thick from the first point.

5 – Measure the topsoil ensure it is about 4-6 inches yes we know this is very fiddly but please we cannot stress enough how important it is to ensure you have a good amount of top soil all across the area you are laying topsoil.  

6 – Place your tiller at the edge of the topsoil and set the blade depth to as deep as possible, turn the tiller on and run it over your top soil several times to ensure it mixes into any underlying soil below your new topsoil.

7 – Now you have done this use a small rake to go over the new top soil areas make sure it is evenly spread and make sure the area is as smooth as possible.

8 – You will need to hire a small roller to smooth of the topsoil surface to ensure you have an even and compact area.

9 – After you have rolled your topsoil give it some time to settle before using a household sprinkler to water the newly laid topsoil.

10 – Get planting your topsoil is laid and is now ideal for planting so get planting and what your flowers and vegetables grow.

That’s it your done these simple tips will ensure your topsoil is evenly laid and will ensure your garden has the best chance of growing vegetables and plants within your own garden.