Ann R says:

I may not be able to give you ‘exact’ answers to each of your questions – but I may be able to help you help yourself.
“Organic” has turned into one of those words that is very overused and abused. For it to have meaning – you’ll need to narrow down a definition for it. A better question perhaps when looking for mulches or soil additives would be, “What’s in it?”
If the mulch comes in bags, then you should be able to either read the label for contents, or if you’re more ambitious, contact the manufacture and have them send you a list (via snail mail or e-mail) of what goes into that specific product.
If the mulch is being sold in loose bulk – the place that sells it should be able to tell you what went into it, or what company provided them with it. Then, again, you can contact that company for details. Anything that has been made with say – shredded treated lumber from building sites – should be avoided if your using it in a food producing garden because the chemicals will leach and could be absorbed into your food.
The purpose of adding a mulch into a clay soil is to improve drainage, loosen the soil for root penetration, and slow compaction. Clay soil is a good soil in-so-far-as it doesn’t loose moisture or nutrients quickly. You do fight with compaction and water logging though. By tilling in enough mulch you’ll be able to ‘fluff’ (seriously non-scientific word) the clay and improve growing conditions. What exactly you use or what combination you use can get a little tricky if your going for “great soil”. AND – what you want to live in that soil also drives that train for what you add to it. Veggies, grass, ornamental plants ….. all have different needs.
Since I don’t know where you live, or what you want to grow in your soil – here’s what I suggest:
Contact your nearest Cooperative Extension Service (web site listed in sources) and pick their brains. Most of what they offer is free. They can give you information that is for your location – soil information, plant growing requirements – pest information – and so on.
Ann

Kimberly C says:

Hi:
I live in a clay base soil. The mulch you get at nurseries comes in different categories. Most suppliers ground their mulch. If it is not ground, there will be bark pieces in the mulch. There is three different stages of grinding mulch. Single ground is usually the cheapest and there will be some small pieces of bark in the mulch. Twice ground means it has been grounded two times and is finer then the once ground mulch. Three times ground means it is the finest and has been ground three times. This is usually a little more expensive. Most nurseries in my area will use a supplier with a twice ground mulch.
You might want to check around to different nurseries in your area and ask them what ground their mulch is. I am a landscaper and designer and I usually recommend to my clients at least a two ground mulch.
I hope this has helped some and I will link you to landscape articles section as there is an article on mulch versus pine straw and decorative rocks. This may give you some tips. I will also link you to the site map, as this has everything that is on the website. Browse through and see if you can find any other lanscape solutions that you may need. Good luck to you and have a great day!
Kimberly http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c…http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c…