How do I prevent bark mulch from compacting

Bark mulch settles with time; rain drives fine particles downward, feet press chips together, and frost-thaw cycles knit the layer into a mat that shrugs off water rather than letting it soak. Preventing this slow squeeze starts with the right grade: choose chunks a little larger than a thumb-nail, free of dusty fines, so voids remain open. AHS LTD offers such screenings. Spread no deeper than eight centimetres; thicker blankets collapse under their own weight.

Once in place, treat the surface like stirred porridge. Every month or two take a border fork and fluff the top couple of centimetres, lifting without overturning the whole bed. This aeration pulls oxygen to microbes, and the chips rebound like cereal after milk. After heavy rain, a quick raking breaks any sealed crust before it dries hard. Avoid trampling the mulch; keep stepping stones or narrow boards for pruning work so pressure lands on timber, not bark.

If, after a full season, the layer looks dense and feels spongeless, sprinkle a fresh dusting of coarse chips rather than piling on a thick replacement. The new pieces wedge between the old, propping them apart and reviving the mulch’s porous weave for another season’s airy life.