Fort Myers • Lee County
Mulch Installation in Fort Myers, FL
Established Fort Myers yards tend to have years of mulch stacked on top of mulch, particularly around shade trees in neighborhoods like Seminole Park and Edgewood. UF/IFAS recommends keeping beds at 2 to 3 inches and warns that scraping a bed completely bare can tear up surface roots, so the job is usually removing the matted, decomposed excess down to that depth rather than stripping everything. Mulch is kept pulled back from trunks; piling it against bark holds moisture against the wood. Tree health is worth a look while the beds are open. UF/IFAS Lee County Extension reported gumbo limbos toppling a year or more after Hurricane Ian with rotted lower trunks, and a cleared root flare makes problems like that easier to spot. Florida-Friendly Landscaping guidance steers away from cypress mulch, so pine bark, pine straw, or eucalyptus are the usual replacements. A fresh layer also helps beds hold moisture between the city's assigned watering days.
or call (239) 301-9455
Where it comes up in Fort Myers
Edgewood
Valencia Terrace
Edison Park
Plants and materials that suit it in Fort Myers
- Firebush
- Simpson's stopper
- Cocoplum
- Gumbo limbo
- pine bark mulch
- pine straw
- eucalyptus mulch
Questions
Should all my old mulch be pulled out before new mulch goes down?
Not usually. UF/IFAS cautions that removing everything can damage roots near the surface. We take out the compacted, broken-down excess so the finished layer lands at 2 to 3 inches instead of climbing every year.
What should I use instead of cypress mulch?
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping program does not recommend cypress. Pine bark, pine straw, and eucalyptus mulch are common alternatives, and fallen leaves from your own trees work in less visible beds.
How far from trunks should mulch stay?
Keep it off the bark. UF/IFAS guidance ranges from a gap of a couple of inches around shrubs to roughly a foot from the base of large trees, and it specifically warns against volcano-style mounds.