Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> About Gardening

Spiders in Mulch: Beneficial Predators, Not Pests

Spiders in mulch eat aphids, ants, caterpillars. They're harmless (black widows stay in rock piles/meter boxes). Let them work; fear fades with exposure. Straw mulch attracts spiders intentionally.

About Gardening: Ceiling Spiders: Sticky Traps Over Pesticides; Mulching Over Shallow-Planted Bulbs: Depth Concerns and Bulb Emergence; Converting Lawn to Garden with Newspaper and Mulch; Fall Leaves, Spring Cleanup, Composting, and Mulching: A Complete Organic Garden System; Mulching Your Vegetable Garden: Materials, Methods, and Benefits; Garden Mulch 101: Types, Benefits & How to Choose the Best for Your Beds; Living with Black Widows in the Garden; Walnut Mulch Toxicity: Juglone Damage to Garden Vegetables; Spiders and Ants in the Vegetable Garden: Friend or Foe?; Using Wheat Straw as Mulch in the Vegetable Garden

Garden Articles

Using Pine Mulch in Vegetable Gardens: What You Need to Know

Vegetable Garden Mulch: DIY or Buy, Apply for Better Yields

How to Plant Seeds: A Step-by-Step Guide for Successful Germination

Spiders: Garden Allies Worth Keeping

Using Grass Clippings as Mulch in the Vegetable Garden: Pros and Cons

Choosing Mulch by Plant Type: Pine Straw, Bark Chips, Wheat Straw

Wheat Straw Mulch in the Vegetable Garden: Excellent Choice

Plants

Creosote Mulch: Plant vs. Coal Tar - Critical Distinction

What Is Mulch? (And Why It's Not Just Manure)

Whitefly Prevention in the Vegetable Garden: Early Soap Sprays Win

Testing Soil pH for Blueberries and Estimating Yield from a Small Planting

Mothballs in the Garden: Not Labeled, Not Recommended

Choosing the Right Fertilizer: Time-Release vs. Water-Soluble for a Thriving Garden

Garden Mulch Guide: Benefits, Types, and Application Tips