Compost as Mulch

Compost as Mulch
Even your compost can serve as a mulch for your garden. When
used in this way, it is often referred to as native mulch. Since
compost consists of items such as grass clippings, leaves, soft-wood
bush prunings, plants, coffee grounds and other types of kitchen
waste, it is also great for providing your garden with much needed
nutrients.
In some cases, you need to use caution when using compost as a
mulch. This really depends on what you have added to your compost
pile. If you have added white wood, it does not compost well and
can promote fungal growth and attract insects such as termites. If
you use your compost as a mulch, do not include white wood in your
compost pile. Or, be sure to blend it with hardwood bark in order
to gain the beneficial anti-fungus and anti-insect properties.
Native mulch can also be purchased from some garden centers and
landscape centers. In this case, it generally includes only brush and
grass. Nonetheless, you cannot be sure of what types of woods are
in the compost. It is also sometimes called hardwood mulch in an
attempt to sound as if it is hardwood bark mulch. Therefore, be
careful when ordering mulch and be sure it is hardwood bark mulch
or else be prepared to mix your hardwood mulch with hardwood
bark.