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Originally Posted by Carriehelene
Another question. If I cover the the mulch in the pathways with black plastic (after watering it down) will that speed up decomposition?
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That will make all of the wood mulch decompose. Anything that doesn't get hit by light will decompose. The rate of decomposition is partially based on the availability of nitrogen because the stuff that breaks things down temporarily uses nitrogen to do it. The nitrogen becomes available again once the compostable material is processed.
The bacteria that break stuff down get killed by UV. The worms that break it down further after the bacteria are done avoid light. This is the same reason why tilling causes soil compaction because the things that break things down and loosen soil are dead.
If you're trying to decompose stuff, mix some manure in with it before covering it over. The amount of manure you need is based on how much carbon is in the stuff you're breaking down. Hard wood needs the most manure.
I'll link you a book about composting that you might find helpful. It talks about some of the micronutrients that are used in decomposition and how to naturally add them to your compost to cause hot composting very rapidly. Don't do this near your plants because the heat will certainly kill them. If I remember right, yarrow and nettle are really good for this.
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/QR/QRToC.html