---
title: "What Is Mulch? Stump Grinding Glossary | Cincinnati Stump Grinding"
description: "Mulch is a layer of material, often wood chips or bark, spread over soil to hold moisture, slow weeds and keep the ground cooler in summer."
url: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/mulch
publisher: Cincinnati Stump Grinding
phone: +1-513-587-6772
quote: https://cincystump.multisites.ai/contact
---

Soil

# Mulch

Mulch is a layer of material, often wood chips or bark, spread over soil to hold moisture, slow weeds and keep the ground cooler in summer.

Mulch is a covering spread over bare soil. Organic mulches such as bark, shredded wood and wood chips break down slowly and add organic matter. Iowa State Extension says organic mulches serve several important functions in gardens and landscape plantings.

Clean [wood chips](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/wood-chips) from a grinding job can work as mulch in a bed or around a tree. They should not stay in the hole where grass will grow, because wood in the soil can cause [nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up). Use them on top of the soil, not mixed in.

Keep mulch a few inches away from living trunks. See [can I use stump grindings as mulch](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/blog/can-i-use-stump-grindings-as-mulch) and [what to do with stump grindings](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/guides/what-to-do-with-stump-grindings).

[From Cincinnati Stump GrindingChip haul-away and topsoil](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/services/chip-haul-away-topsoil)

## Related terms

-   [Wood chips](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/wood-chips)
-   [Stump grindings](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/stump-grindings)
-   [Nitrogen tie-up](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/nitrogen-tie-up)
-   [Soil compaction](https://cincystump.multisites.ai/glossary/soil-compaction)

## Sources

1.  [Iowa State University Extension, Yard and Garden: Using Mulch in the Garden](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/using-mulch-garden)