LAWNOWNERS are just discovering that an ordinary garden purchase can spontaneously catch fire.
The realization has sent gardeners into a frenzy.
Josh Davis (@joshdavis355) shared a video of him smoking in his yard in a viral TikTok video.
“Have you ever seen a big pile of mulch? Fires will start in the middle of it,” he said.
“I played it as a kid and they said, 'You'll fall into a pit of fire if you keep playing that thing.'”
He stomped on the smoking mulch in an attempt to stop the approaching fire.
Experts at Turf landscape Ohio explained that while mulch provides many benefits to your turf, such as weed control, it can also be dangerous.
Homeowners should keep an eye on the material because it is flammable and can catch fire in extreme weather.
“It can easily be ignited by improperly disposed of smoking materials or by spontaneously combusting,” Turfscape said in a blog post.
“Unfortunately, hundreds of small and large fires start this way every year.”
Although the fires start small and are easily extinguished, the danger with mulch fires lies in their ability to spread quickly to buildings and homes.
Homeowners should watch out for warning signs, such as mulch smoking.
Before a mulch pile spontaneously combusts, heat and flames will penetrate beneath the surface before emerging.
Landscapers and gardeners can also avoid piling their mulch too high, at anything less than a few inches, to prevent mulch fires.
Proper hydration of plants and areas, such as consistently watering your crops, can suppress the symptoms of mulch burn.
Gardeners were shocked by the video, with some sharing their own experiences with mulch fires.
Have you ever seen a big mulch pile? Fires will start in their midst.
Josh Davis
“I'm looking at the mulch I just put down,” said one shocked viewer.
“Our playground catches fire at least once a summer,” said another.
“My friend lit out a cigarette and dropped it in the mulch. BOOM, I had to clear the entire side of the house,” said a third.
“Anyway, I ripped everything out and laid a raised garden bed, bricks and pavers.”
One commenter shared how they reduced the risk of fire.
“[I] worked at a lawn care company and they had us stir the well every morning to reduce the heat and steam,” they said.
Another shared a benefit of the cold weather phenomenon.
“A long time ago I was a landscaper, and in the winter we just rolled up our sleeves [in] a pile of mulch to warm them up. It was great,” they said.
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