Free Yard Mulch! Available for pick-up for City of Sacramento Utilities customers on May 21! Bring your own shovels, containers, tarp to cover and haul away the mulch. Save 30 gallons of water for every 1,000 square feet, each time you water. Mulch slows evaporation allowing water to sink into the soil, moderates soil temperature and breaks down into nutrients for plants. Add three to four inches of mulch around trees and plants for maximum benefit! Plus, we’ll be giving away free soaker hoses to help you put water exactly where your plants and trees need it—at the root zone.