On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we welcome Emily Swihart back to talk about mulch! Learn about what mulch is, what it’s good for, what mulches we should avoid using, and why our mulch should be thick and chunky. We also dispel some common misconceptions about mulch. Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sqw4Cwr7wjo  Skip to what you want to know:    00:30 – Welcome, Ken and Emily, and Chris’ existential crisis  02:45 – What is mulch, and what is it good for?  04:50 – What are our favorite types of mulch?  09:20 – Any drawback to using woodchips as mulch?  12:12 – Most effective mulch attributes  14:15 – Much repelling water  15:25 – Is rubber mulch a good choice?  18:25 – Are rocks and landscape fabric a good mulch option?  23:40 – Astroturf as a mulch?  25:25 – Is allelopathy a problem with mulch?  26:50 – Will mulch from diseased trees infect plantings?  31:06 - Will decomposing wood mulch tie up nitrogen in the soil?  32:00 – Should we or should we not use landscape fabric?  33:45 – Is there a best time of year to put mulch down in the landscape?  40:10 - Wrap-up, thank yous, what’s up next week, and goodbye!   Contact us! Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.eduKen Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu Emily Swihart: eswihart@illinois.edu  Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingSubscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies. --You can find us on most podcast platforms.  SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-555304573   iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377   Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/show/good-growing   Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR   Vurbl https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/   Listen notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/   Ivy https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902   Castbox https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us   Google podcasts https://bit.ly/3AiYjTD