mulch

American  

[muhlch] / mʌltʃ /

noun

1. a covering, as of straw, compost, or plastic sheeting, spread on the ground around plants to prevent excessive evaporation or erosion, enrich the soil, inhibit weed growth, etc.

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verb (used with object)

• mulches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mulched,
  past participle,  past
• mulching
  present participle

1. to cover with mulch.

mulch British  

/ mʌltʃ /

noun

1. half-rotten vegetable matter, peat, etc, used to prevent soil erosion or enrich the soil

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verb

1. (tr) to cover (the surface of land) with mulch

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmulched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• mulching
  present
• mulched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mulch
  simple
• mulches
  simple
• have mulched
  perfect
• has mulched
  perfect
• am mulching
  progressive
• are mulching
  progressive
• is mulching
  progressive
• have been mulching
  perfect progressive
• has been mulching
  perfect progressive

Past

• mulched
  simple
• had mulched
  perfect
• was mulching
  progressive
• were mulching
  progressive
• had been mulching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mulch
  simple
• will have mulched
  perfect
• will be mulching
  progressive
• will have been mulching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mulch

1650–60; noun use of obsolete mulch (adj.), Middle English molsh soft, Old English myl ( i ) sc mellow; cognate with dialectal German molsch soft, overripe

Explanation

In a garden or on a farm, mulch is an insulating and protective material that's spread over the soil. Mulch is made of organic stuff like bark or leaves. Mulch is almost magical in a flower or vegetable garden, keeping plants warm enough during the winter and cool enough during the summer. Mulch also suppresses the growth of weeds and encourages earthworms to burrow in the soil, which helps keep plants healthy. It also keeps the earth moist, by blocking some rainwater from evaporating. The word mulch comes from the Old English molsh, "soft and moist."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mulch mulches mulched mulching

Adams said replacing the top two inches of soil with store-bought mulch or straw will help to contain any remaining ash and prevent it from spreading any further.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

I’m a city dweller and homeowner who needs a pickup for innumerable small jobs throughout the year—leaf litter in the fall, mulch in the spring, dorm-room moving four times a year—but no big ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Alternatively, some charities offer collection for a donation or local garden centres may chip up your old trees for mulch.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

Troops have carried out a variety of tasks, from patrolling the National Mall and Metro stations to picking up trash, removing graffiti, spreading mulch and painting fencing.

From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025

In ten weeks, the garden had generated over ninety pounds of produce—from only about $200 worth of seeds and mulch.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Despite the garden’s neat appearance, Robbins notes that he mulches quite a bit and allows fallen leaves to decompose to prevent water evaporation and add nutrients to the soil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2022

There are plenty of mulches that come for free — if you have a yard, you can recycle organic materials such as leaves to make your own mulch.

From Salon ● May 2, 2022

Addressing alkaline soil requires products like sphagnum peat, elemental sulfur, aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate, acidifying nitrogen, and organic mulches, according to Grove Collaborative.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2022

Ballard; it mulches mythos on mythos in distinctly Smith-like shapes.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2021

Autumn rolled over the countryside as they moved through it: They were now pitching the tent on mulches of fallen leaves.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

That means ensuring they are well watered, properly mulched, kept safe from harm from construction projects or digging, and are treated for potential pest infestations, says Brunner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

It’s a strange and silent place, in which all the beds are neatly made, the floors around them no longer mulched with clothing, charge cords and snack wrappers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025

The flowers laid at sites across Birmingham in memory of Ozzy Osbourne will be mulched and scattered by his grave.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2025

“Artificial trees are made of plastic that will eventually end up in a landfill. Real trees are renewable resources and can be mulched up and returned to the ground,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2023

Then I mulched the gardens, weeded, planted, and watered everything.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Scattering straw between vines, known as mulching, is not new, but what has changed is its purpose: from improving general soil health to helping vineyards withstand a warming climate.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

For months, it was just prep work: sheet mulching, teaching and more sheet mulching.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025

Despite that, troops are expected to remain in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future, and many of them can be seen around the city helping with trash collection and mulching.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025

As the Washington Post explained the need for military-grade mulching:

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2025

He looked down at himself, and curled up his toes, feeling the cold leaves mulching between them.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Related Words

• compost
• manure