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[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

Mark wrote "In cases where there are only puny rains, yes some mulches may shed/absorb
water, but 1/4" rain isn't going to do much for a tree in bone dry soil".

 

Interestingly, Carl Whitcomb, the master of counter intuitive research suggests in his book "Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants"  that frequent shallow watering is a better way to get trees through drought than fewer deep waterings.   It gives the trees what they need without stimulating new vegetative growth which would require increasing amounts of water.  So maybe 1/4" of rain could make the difference in a trees survival although I figure Mark is fundamentally correct.

 

Also, on the subject of mulches matting up and repelling water, I do think this can be quite a problem in any normal summer here in southeastern NY  (as if we ever had normal summers).  I have never had stable waste do this, but shredded wood is automatic in this regard.  It never happens to me with wood chips, but shredded wood gets glued together with fungus and completely sheds water.  No amount of rain will penetrate it.  This can be advantageous for weed control under an established tree but for an establishing tree, and especially blueberries, this can be fatal.  This mulch can be broken up periodically to assure water penetration but the problem is usually overlooked.