Cocoa Shell mulch is the broken up shell from cocoa beans. It has a dark brown color and darkens even more over time. It’s great for the soil and has been found to kill slugs and deter termites...and it smells great too!

Sometimes mold can appear, but it’s harmless and mostly occurs in fully shaded areas. If mold does appear in the beds, it is harmless, and can be eliminated by simply scratching up the surface of the mulch.

Cocoa Shell Mulch has been heavily used at the Hershey's Gardens in Pennsylvania for over 30 years as winter-protection mulch for roses. In late November, after the rose canes have been cut back to a height of 3’, a 10-inch mound of Cocoa Shell Mulch is applied to each rose plant, and then soaked to keep it in place. This mound of mulch remains in place until Mid-March when the roses are again pruned and the mulch is spread around the plants. The mounds of mulch will mold throughout the winter – again, it is harmless, and is controlled when the mulch is spread out over the beds.

Hershey’s Gardens uses Cocoa Shell Mulch as a soil amendment in preparing beds of roses, annuals and chrysanthemums for planting. Here, a fine (no more than 1/2”) layer of Shell Mulch is spread over the beds that need amendment before tilling, and then tilled into the soil, providing excellent drainage and organic matter to the soil. No mold has occurred with this manner of use.

For the last three decades, the experiences at Hershey Gardens have been that, at most, any mold that occurs in the Cocoa Shell Mulch is a minor, cosmetic inconvenience that is easily controlled with proper application and routine cultivation.

• 2 cubic feet / 65 bags per pallet