- Cypress, like other landscape mulches, helps maintain a healthy, moist soil for landscaping plants. However, it also creates an ideal environment for termites. Even though wood mulches create favorable conditions for termites to tunnel and forage for food, they do not consume the mulch itself unless they have no alternative.
- According to the University of Florida, the cypress heartwood---the hard inner portions of an old tree---contains properties that repel termites. Unfortunately, most cypress mulch sold in gardening stores is not made from heartwood, but from entire trees too young to produce the termite-resistant heartwood. Most landscaping cypress is composed of cypress sapwood that can be consumed by termites.
- Cypress mulch is a cheap way to improve the health of lawn plants. Leaving several inches of space between where you apply cypress mulch and the foundation of the building will help you monitor for the presence of termites. Termites will prefer to feed on the wood of your home over the cypress mulch.
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