Where to Get Woodchip Mulch for Landscapes in Southern Nevada

Q. I have been very pleased with the woodchip mulch I got from the University Orchard and am using around my fruit trees. I need more of it in larger quantities. Can you recommend where I can get it?

A demonstration on fruit tree growth using woodchip mulch applied to the surface of desert soils after planting clearly showed the benefits that this organic mulch gives fruit trees planted in desert soils after only one season of growth.

The community mulch pile is a free source of wood chips that are diverted from entering public landfills, buried in the desert. Community mulch piles are located in North Las Vegas near the RC airport and shadow Creek High School as well as in the southern part of the Valley just south of the airport near Windmill and 215. For more information about how you can get this mulch, call the Master Gardener helpline at 702 – 257 – 5555

A. I started using local woodchips as a surface mulch around fruit trees back in the late 1990s at the University Orchard in North Las Vegas. I agree. The health of the trees when woodchip mulch is used surrounding them is like the difference between night and day.

            Woodchips slowly decompose into the soil surrounding these trees over two or three years time, thus dramatically improving desert soil.

When I was looking for woodchips in the late 1990's to supply to the Orchard as a mulch that was free from palm (slow breakdown) and mesquite wood (thorns), First Choice Tree Service jumped at the chance of working with us on this project. They provided a beautiful mulch free of both of this type of wood and clean. They rearrange their pruning schedule so they could deliver a clean supply of mulch for our fruit trees.

            These woodchips are sourced from local trees “rescued” from the landfills. They are recycled rather than buried in the desert. I do not allow palm trees or mesquite wood in this woodchip mulch mix because of the dangerous thorns of the mesquite and the difficulty in getting palm wood to decompose.

            The benefits from using woodchips as a surface mulch around fruit trees and landscape plants will be seen the first year after it’s applied around the trees.

            These woodchips can be picked up free of charge from the University Orchard and North Las Vegas or the Cooperative Extension office just south of the airport. For more information call the Master Gardener helpline at 702–257–5555.

            The primary tree company in Las Vegas responsible for this effort is First Choice Tree Service. It is worth giving them a call to see if they can deliver it in large quantities.