Cover with wood chips or coarse-structured mulch to help prevent direct sunlight exposure, while returning nutrients to tree , reducing evaporation, providing insulation to the root system, and keeping the SteadySpring mat from stolen! Do not use dirt/soil/fine sand/fine-structured mulch to cover SteadySpring Tree Mats because the small particles may block rainwater! Leave out year-round - even in climates! They refill themselves with snow and rain while protecting your plants against freezing temperatures and deicing salts! Keep SteadySpring Tree Mats in place for 1 year plus 1 year per inch of caliper (e.g. 2 years for 1inch caliper trees, 3 years for 2inch caliper trees) to establishment of the trees in the new environment. Rated life of SteadySpring Tree Mats is 3-5 years. Weed barrier on top suppresses weeds and other plant life from utilizing water your plants need. To Fully Charge, Soak for 1-3 hours, Water the plant once, and then Set it and Forget it for 30+ Days or more. SteadySpring saves you water, stress, and time, and frees you to travel without having to worry about your plants!Steady Spring has a weed barrier top to plants and weeds growing around the root system that normally steal water and nutrients. This allows for less water to be used., Weight: 0.38139971326 pounds, Manufacturer: Oewwthy