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Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Cypress Mulch 
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The best mulch is recycled mulch from power line cleanups which is usually free. I prefer to use pine straw, since it is both a renewable resource and in most cases, it is inexpensive or you can rake it up and it is free.
From contributor J: All ethical and moral issues aside, cypress performs well as a mulch. It is rot and decay resistant (that is why it grows in swamps). Termites don't seem to like it much. Cypress also gets cut for lumber to make fencing and siding and other outdoor items. If you get a splinter, it will swell and puss up really badly and is painful because it really likes to absorb water, so wear gloves. I have used power line mulch and it lasts for a season and is rotted the next, depending on the species. Great if you want to make compost. I have also seen harvester ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, termites and all sorts of other insects delivered in loads of the stuff.
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: The cost of trucking cypress mulch from LA to Iowa would be huge. Rather, you probably have cypress mulch from Iowa or maybe MO, where it does indeed grow. Here is a paragraph from Iowa State Hort. Dept.:
From contributor H: Just a quick clarifier - cypress does not grow in wetlands due to decay and rot resistance. Cypress has morphological and physiological adaptations that allow it to out-compete other non-wetland species. Locust is a species we have much of locally and is hailed as being rot and decay resistant, but is strictly an upland species and is very infrequently found in wetland environments. Dr. Gene, does cypress wood (or other wetland trees such as green ash and pin oak) exhibit similar characteristics of other tree species that are sometimes found in bottom lands? As an example, I understand that a red oak that grows in a bottom land environment will show larger growth rings, and less dense wood structure vs. a red oak that grows in a drier upland landscape. Do the cypress and other wet tolerant species across the board have the same less dense, weaker structured wood as an oak found in a bottomland hardwood local?
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: Fast grown softwoods are weaker, while fast grown, ring porous hardwoods are stronger. From contributor R: A lot of the cypress mulch from around here comes from mill waste, tops and what would be pulpwood in pine. Most of the loggers will sort out the saw and veneer logs. I haven't seen a clear cut of a cypress head in our area that was due to logging only. From contributor D: Here in north Florida there are several cypress mulch manufacturers that are very large operations. They have no saw timber taken there, it is all just for mulch. Our company does wetland restoration projects and some of these projects are complete cutovers just for cypress mulch. Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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