Tips of the Trade: Help Consumers Understand Wash Off
February 25, 2025
An industry-wide headache for mulch producers concerns a problem they didn’t cause but one for which they are routinely blamed.
Too often, colored mulch loses some of its color when exposed to water shortly after being put down in a landscape setting. It is not due to the quality of colorant. It is not the result of careless work on the mulch yard. Rather, it is a reality that bagged mulch products will always contain moisture.
The solution is simple: colored mulch needs a day to dry to retain its optimal appearance. While this is no mystery to producers, educating customers and end users on this practice can improve their experience, reduce misplaced blame and position that producer as a trusted mulch expert.
“The number one complaint we get from the field is related to wash off,” says Nick Lincoln, national sales manager at Colorbiotics.
“Most consumers don't understand that mulch needs a full day to dry in a landscape setting for color to properly adhere to the mulch.” - NICK LINCOLN
Properly drying the product does not require labor-intensive efforts, such as putting down a tarp or giving the mulch a day to sunbathe on the driveway. Instead, it’s a matter of checking the forecast, and if dry, putting down the mulch where the customer intends to have it. The colorant will adhere on its own.
“Rain is the biggest risk, but there are a lot of other factors to think about as well,” Lincoln says. “Sprinkler systems need to be turned off to make sure they allow the mulch to dry, and mornings with a lot of dew — and dew through the evening — can really delay the drying process. You always want to make sure to put mulch down in dry conditions.”
The color loss from wet mulch is striking and provides consumers a simple reason why they should give bagged mulch time to dry.
Informing consumers about the risks of wash off guards the integrity of the business’s product and helps the end user enjoy colored mulch as it ought to look.