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Jute Tree Spat Mulch Mat – 16″/ 40cm
FREE delivery on all UK orders over £25!
Jute Tree Spat Mulch Mat – 16″/ 40cm
£10.00 – £16.00
These larger 40cm Tree Spat Mulch Mats are ideal for protecting new young trees. The tree spats are made of 100% needle-felted recycled jute from coffee sacks, so it is naturally biodegradable after about a year of protecting your trees. Simply slot around the base of the young tree to retain moisture in the soil, protect it from competitive grass and weeds, and protect delicate young roots. We’ve been using them extensively on the Chimney Sheep woodland.
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Description
Young trees suffer from root shock when they are transplanted and need a lot of care in their first few years of life. Weeds around the base need to be removed regularly, either by using appropriate herbicides, hand weeding, or careful strimming. They also need to be regularly watered. Our 16″/ 40cm Jute Tree Spats make this a whole lot easier, saving time, money and chemicals. Our biodegradable jute tree spat mulch mats simply slot around the base of the young tree, suffocating weeds and retaining water. They also protect the delicate roots from extreme temperature fluctuations. They are 5mm thick so are quite robust, especially once they’ve got some water soaked into them, and last around a year before they slowly biodegrade into the soil.
Do get in touch if you want to know any more about the jute products we make, but here are some of the questions we are asked more regularly:
What are the benefits of using jute tree spat mulch mats for young trees?
According to horticultural expert Don Kinzler, “if grass is allowed to compete with a tree, the tree will grow slower in both height and trunk diameter compared to a tree grown in bare soil. If you add mulch over the bare soil, the tree’s rate of growth increases compared to both bare soil and grass. This is so important it merits restating. Trees growing in grass have the slowest increase in height and trunk diameter. Trees in bare soil grow next best, and trees with mulch over the root zone have the greatest rate of growth” Read more about it here.
Do the tree spat mulch mats need to be pegged down?
Unlike polypropylene mulch mats, they sit firmly on the soil around the tree without needing to be pegged out.
Is there an issue with the tree spat mulch mats spinning in the wind, creating bark damage?
No. The 5mm thick mulch mats are quite heavy, and will stay put, even in windy conditions. If you are concerned you can secure them with a biodegradable peg (we’ve experimented with bamboo food skewers) but to be honest we haven’t found any problems with the mats, they just sit where you put them.
Do you make larger or smaller size tree spats?
Yes, we do! Head over to our gardening page to have a look.
What do you do with the off-cuts?
As we cut out discs we invariably end up with spare bits of jute felt, just like when you cut out discs of pastry or biscuits. The larger pieces are cut into small discs, for our excellent value for money mulch mats for smaller plants, which fit over plant pots or directly onto flowerbeds or veg patches. Other off-cuts are chopped into even smaller pieces and sold as jute chippings – these also make excellent mulch for pots, beds, or heaped around trees instead of bark chippings.
Beth –
Excellent quality matting for our newly planted trees.
We’re in the process of re-wilding an old farm and these are an absolute boon to feed our young trees but protecting them from strangling weeds at the same time.
Great idea !
Pauline Grist –
They do the job nicely, although need to be pegged or weighted down in a windy site. My second purchase, so fine!
Mick Davison –
Great around the bottom of Young trees. Stops weeds and grass growing. Make sure you peg it down.
Bryan Irving –
The plants are loving these winter warmers.
garyg –
As you can see from the photos of before and after, birds really like the tree mats and took most of the padding off over a period of couple of days.
A good idea, but not at a time when birds are building nests.
Mrs S C Hanley –
Delighted with product, quality and quantity
Ellison F –
Helps to reduce water evaporation in soul of outdoor potted plants, especially ornamental trees. A slot in the coir mat makes it easy to fit around trunk. Looks good around the tree, too.
Margitta Hülstrunk –
We planted little plants and want to protect them from being overgrown. It seems to work. A few years ago, I tried it with plastic and it ripped and polluted the whole garden. I am still finding threads and they are not degradable.
These ones here will rot and warm the plants in the meantime.
E.Meredith –
High quality mulch mats. Nice and thick and well made. Very pleased. They took one day to arrive! I was amazed.
It is proven to speed growth of young trees and shrubs if grass is suppressed under them, as well as retaining moisture and warmth. A good size and excellent value.
Recommended.