Are all wood mulches created equal?

Are all wood mulches equally bad for plants? Mike McGrath host of You Bet Your Garden, reveals which wood mulch actually makes a really good  mulch— if you use it correctly. Plus Mike speaks with fruit expert Lee Reich about his favorite fruits and of course, your fabulous phone calls. 

Question(s) of the Week:

We had several large trees go down during hurricane Matthew and so we spread the resulting wood chips in an island in the middle of our driveway that contains palmetto trees and a large magnolia. Was that okay? And do we need to routinely treat the area with a fungicide and high nitrogen fertilizer to offset the potential nitrogen robbing and fungus producing qualities of the wood chips? – Ted in Edisto Island, South Carolina

I recently came across a 2007 article from Washington State University that seems to refute much of what you’ve said about the dangers of using wood mulch. Now I’m confused. Care to comment? – Tom in New Britain, PA

Yes, Virginia, there is a good wood mulch »