Apsley Farms’ mulch allows rain to penetrate and helps the soil retain moisture. It suppresses weeds, protects plant roots during a dry summer and cold winter weather and adds vital nutrients – all at the same time..
Key product information
- Suppresses weeds
- Use as a Top Dressing
- Adds essential nutrients to the soil
- Use as a Soil Improver
- As an Organic Soil Conditioner
- Aids with water retention
- Acts as a slug and snail deterrent – see our video
- Compost activator
- Peat Free
- Free from synthetics and waste
- Free from plastic
Apsley Farms Soil Improving Mulch is used by a number of teams at RHS Garden Wisley
Important information
When applying our Mulch this spring, we would strongly recommend leaving a space around your young or tender plants. This will avoid any chance of burning issues. This happens due to the ammonia content. This will dissipate after around 24 – 48 hours being outside depending on weather conditions.
Mushrooms in your mulch – Visit our FAQ Page to find out why mushrooms in your mulch are a good thing!
Caution do not store or use fresh Soil Improving Mulch in enclosed places (eg. greenhouses, polytunnels, garages, cold frames and cloches).
How to use and when should you use our mulch?
There are three different ways we would recommend using Apsley Farms’ mulch
1. Using mulch as a Soil Improver
Use Apsley Farms Mulch as a Soil Improver to improve the quality and condition of your soil by adding nutrients and organic matter. A healthy garden or allotment starts with healthy soil. Please click to find out more – Soil Improver
2. Using mulch as a Top Dressing
Using Apsley Farms Mulch as a Top Dressing will reduce the usual garden maintenance, suppress and stop weed growth and give a professional finish to your garden. Please click to find out more – Top Dressing.
3. Using Mulch to improve your Lawn or Sports Pitches
Use Apsley Farms Mulch as a lawn dressing and help create a seed bed for turf or seed. Our organically approved peat-free mulch is the perfect alternative to chemicals and other synthetic materials. Please click to find out more – Lawn Dressing
See the results from our Independent Growth Trial
To see the results click here.
Use our soil improving mulch as a slug deterrent. Slugs and snails don’t like our Mulch – here’s the proof!
It certainly isn’t a slug killer, however it may stop slugs and snails from eating your plants.
Our video experiment showing how snails avoid Apsley Farms Mulch:
Product Details
Our mulch is anaerobically produced fibrous material, we are proud to say that it has been certified for Organic Use by the Soil Association. Click here to read about anaerobic digestion
- Rye, maize, barley and grass used as the feed crops are farmed and cultivated by Apsley Farms
- The crops are stored in large storage sacks (called Ag-bags) to pickle – for around 6 months
- It is then added to the Anaerobic Digestor for 150+ days to produce Green renewable energy, both gas and electricity. This process kills all seed traces that might be found
- Each 730 litre bag of Apsley Farms Mulch will have heated a home for 21 days
- Contains healthy amounts of Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, and other beneficial trace elements
- Peat-free
- Soil Association approved for Organic Use
- Improves soil structure for both heavy clay and sandy soils
- Helps with moisture retention
- Light and easy to handle and once applied is aesthetically pleasing
- Reduces soil erosion during heavy rain
- Increases the protection of roots
- Free from synthetics, waste and plastic
- Attracts worms to your garden
- Vegan friendly
- pH 8-8.5
Our mulch doesn’t have a manure smell, rather has an ammonia smell that dissipates quickly when spread. Left standing outside this will dissipate naturally in around 24 – 48 hours depending on the weather conditions.
Technical Information and Analysis
Fresh Mulch
| Units | Results | Amounts per fresh tonne | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven Dry Matter | % | 20.6 | 206 |
| Total Nitrogen | % w/w | 2.59 | 5.34 |
| Ammonium Nitrogen | mg/kg | 9898 | 2.04 |
| Nitrate Nitrogen | mg/kg | <10 | <0.01 |
| Total Phosphorus (P) | % w/w | 0.605 | 2.85 |
| Total Potassium (K) | % w/w | 2.71 | 6.7 |
| Total Magnesium (Mg) | % w/w | 0.331 | 1.13 |
| Total Sulphur (S) | % w/w | 0.303 | 1.56 |
| Total Copper (Cu) | mg/kg | 11.3 | <0.01 |
| Total Zinc (Zn) | mg/kg | 51.2 | 0.01 |
| Total Sodium (Na) | % w/w | 0.047 | 0.13 |
| Total Calcium (Ca) | mg/kg | 8921 | 1.84 |
How our Mulch is composted down after three months.
| pH – 6.8 – 7.3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Results | Amount per fresh tonne | |
| Oven Dry Matter | % | 12.1 | 121 |
| Total Nitrogen | % w/w | 3.14 | 3.8 |
| Total Phosphorus (P) | % w/w | 0.45 | 1.25 |
| Total Potassium (K) | %w/w | 0.174 | 0.25 |
| Total Magnesium (Mg) | %w/w | 0.243 | 0.49 |
This is a similiar product to garden compost, delivered free with in 30 miles or nationwide.
Delivery information
If you’re lucky enough to be within 30 miles of our farm in Andover; we offer FREE DELIVERY using our in-house fleet of vans with cranes to manoeuvre the mulch bags. Our specialist team can deliver onto gravel driveways and up tight country roads safely. For more information see our delivery page.
Bulk discounts
If you’re after a large quantity of mulch in bulk bags or loose loads please contact us on 01264 554433
Stephen –
This mulch is the best I have ever bought and at a good price.
John Hunter (verified owner) –
Just received our second bag. The most friendly and helpful delivery driver is also one of Apsley’s assets – such great service all round. Have recommended to many friends as a great value product which is so good for the garden, just as I was recommended to benefit from the mulch. Thank you.
Alison Small (verified owner) –
I ordered my first bag of Apsley farm soil improver this week over the phone. Excellent customer service, Tom was very helpful and cheerful. Very prompt delivery by the charming Martin who answered all my questions and offered lots of advice. I’m so pleased with this product that l have ordered more. I’m starting a new to me no dig allotment so l am thrilled to use organic vegan mulch. I highly recommend this company.
Roger Nield (verified owner) –
Great service all along the delivery path. The mulch is top quality and I am delighted.
Karen Head (verified owner) –
Last year I found solace growing flowers for the bees so I’m building on that this year. This mulch has to be the greatest gift I’ve given to my garden! So satisfying to be able to add a generous layer and there are many happy worms right now. Delivery was great…..a friendly phone call, a helpful and informative driver , and the bag was positioned perfectly. I admire the ethos of Apsley Farms, and it feels good to be playing my small part.
Rachel Oliver (verified owner) –
Couldn’t be happier with this product. It arrived much quicker than we expected and was positioned perfectly on our awkward driveway. Started spreading it today, nice texture. Will be back for more. Thank you Apsley.
Pauline Turner (verified owner) –
Yes I agree with all the reviews. It is good stuff! I debated getting it last year but ended up getting bark chippings – which don’t do much for the garden…So glad I got it this year. It’s a massive amount though! I think when I’ve done I’ll invite the neighbours to help themselves as I’m sure I’ll have plenty left over! ?
Richard Spain (verified owner) –
Agree with all the comments above. Excellent product, price and delivery. And nice team of people to deal with.
Kim Stone (verified owner) –
Had our first delivery after buying an alternative product that was awful. Superb product, looks good too. Delivery very quick and efficient. Am about to order some more and it certainly won’t be the last.
Acker (verified owner) –
I agree with all the above. Good product,prompt delivery, Martin & his team are pleasant to deal with nothing to much trouble delivered to my door even offered to take round the back for me.
I’m also using Apsley Liquid Digestate Fertilizer absolutely brilliant product.
John Howat (verified owner) –
Easy on-line ordering, with map to show exactly where to leave the bag. Delivered efficiently (phone call the day before to confirm) and precisely where I wanted it. Bag filled to the top, Mulch is perfect, good texture (I can’t comment on any odour as Covid has killed my sense of smell but no-one has complained.) Spreads beautifully. Website has advice on its use. I will be back for more.
glenys wood (verified owner) –
Just finished my 3rd bag ! Will order one more for this year as our heavy soil already shows signs of improvement. Plan to top up each year. Brilliant, efficient service.
Glen Jewell (verified owner) –
3 bags last year and 4 bags just ordered to put the garden to bed this year. Great stuff, clean and easy to handle , really helps the plants and during the dormant season the rich dark mulch helps show off autumn and winter plants
Mike Smith (verified owner) –
Great customer service. Delivery made to exactly the location I ask for. They go the extra mile to make sure the customer is happy. Excellent product for mulching flower borders or for use on the allotment.
Imogen (verified owner) –
Steve arrived early and very carefully put the bags down where I decided I wanted them rather than my original instructions. The bags are full to the brim and the mulch looks grand. All I need to do now is borrow a wheelbarrow !
John Howat (verified owner) –
I bought a bag last October, it went a long way. A fair bit went onto my blackcurrant bed. This year I’ve picked 12lbs – 50% up on my previous best year. Everything else where it was applied has done very well. And the weeds are down. I’ll be back for another bag in a couple of months.
Alan McPherson (verified owner) –
The delivery of 18 bags of mulch to our allotment went like clockwork. John arrived promptly at 8:00 am with a lorry and trailer and offloaded 16 bags closely followed by Martin with another truck and the other bags. Martin then distributed the bags around the allotment to individual plots. All finished in a couple of hours. John and Martin were polite, efficient, knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. Allotment holders have been very pleased with the deliveries. The mulch looks so much better than the cattle manure we were using previously. Would definitely use Apsley again.
Gillian Gilbert (verified owner) –
Just place my second order. Having lost my ‘mulch provider’ (an aged pony kept on deep litter system hemp bedding) a few years ago, hadn’t found anything that was doing the job the same. Came across this ‘by accident’. Bag arrived up to us in East Anglia with minimum of fuss and having been put in place and found to ‘look similar’ (high praise indeed) – we are getting more AND taking advantage of the Plant food/Mulch offer. Win Win!!!