Check with your city to see if they have cheap or free mulch. I saw something on the news the other night about a city that was letting the residents have free mulch from tree yard waste. Another option might be if you have a recycling center in town.

Ours does that!! a certain amount is free, then after that it's real cheap to buy. They do the same with compost. You usually need your own containers ( or a truck). Worth a call, If they pick up yard waste, they probably do!!

Maria

I live in a small town. And the town doesnt cut trees or power company does every summmer with the offer of free mulch. Ive put my name on that dang list 20 times lol still no mulch. But thanks for the suggestion.

I purchased the cypriss mulch at walmart for 2.00 a bag. I put news paper under it it will stop the weeds.

A couple of seasons ago, I purchased the red rubber mulch at Walmart. It was on sale for $5 a bag. It also came in the lighter and darker colors. I got tired of buying a lesser priced brand of the red mulch cause that's all I could afford and within a month or so in the sun and rain, it faded right away and I kept having to replace it. Two years now and the rubber mulch still has its original color and looks great. My sis and her DH dug down their flower beds at least four inches before planting. It really did get a lot of the weeds and their roots right out of there. In some flower bed areas, she doesn't even have to mulch now.

Sal

PLEASE for the environments sake do not purchase CYPRESS mulch!
Some towns have actually banned it's use! And if you think Wal Marts Mulch is all Cypress read the fine print. It says Cypress and OTHER woods.
I won't apologize for being a tree hugger but we need the Cypress trees ALIVE!
Try Eucalyptus for a change. I just spoke to a Mulch Manufacturer and they said the rising cost of fuel is adding to the cost of mulch.Also they are using Pine trees for medical purposes which makes them scarcer(thus costlier)But I won't complain about that!We need cures!
To cut down on the amount of mulch you need you may recycle cardboard to lay beneath it(wet first) some people use newspaper if the printer uses SOY ink!
My father cuts up Palm fronds for me as they cannot go through chippers and end up in the landfill. Gives him something to do. Sorry.Im not lending him out!
Think GREEN!{{gwi:50622}}
{{gwi:50623}}

Personally I like cocao hull mulch- I don't think it would help Ladyraven though, because it breaks down each winter and needs to be replaced. But that's why I like it. It breaks down and helps amend my soil. I also love the way is smells- MMMM, chocolate! It is what is left over from cocao beans when they are processed to make chocolate, so takes no toll on our trees!

I just read yesterday a article about coco mulch...it said it is poisonous just like chocolate to dogs and some love to eat it, so beware if you use it and are a dog owner.

well my two cents are that I gather the pine cone left overs. I call it "pine mulch" that is left over from what the squirrels do with pinecones under my huge pine trees. It lasts for a couple years but does eventually break down too. Its pokey but its free and I love it. I have never had a problem using it around my plants at all. And the squirrels build up a supply for me every year(-:

Well that is mighty neighborly of the squirrels.Mine just like steal and then plant things all over the yard!I just found a sunflower growing out of a Palm tree thanks to their handy work.Well I for one am glad you put the pine pieces to good use and out of the landfill!
Lady raven,could you ask the extension service in your county?.We keep those phone numbers on hand to pass along. Of course with living in hurricane country there is always plenty of tree debris!
Also what about neighbors' leaves and lawn clippings(unpoisoned of course)Good LUCK!

I use black plastic and live oak leaves. If it is a particularly bad weed area, I put old newspapers under the blacd plastic. If I decide I want to plant something, I just cut a big x, fold the points back under the plastic, and dig a hole. Live oak leaves don't blow around once they are in place unless it is unusually dry and windy.
Our leaves are falling now-the new growth 'pushes' the old leaves off. That's not much help about mulch for you however....Pine straw that is my other option.

LadyRaven,

I'm not sure how CHEAP this is for mulch--but it should keep the weeds out!---On another group Me and the other gals were trying to come up with a solution for one of the members for a path. Someone suggested composite roofing material--the kind that is tarred with sand on it! I guess you could lay it any old way if you;d like...

Also, like someone else mentioned, some cities have a recycling program with trees and shrubs that they shred. Here we have a place that you can go--bring your own bukcets, truck and haul away yourself...Check into it and see what is offered in your area.

A few here have suggested the newspaper. I have never used it but someone else told me that if you make few inches of strips and lay down in the areas you'd like weed free. Just make sure to wet them a bit so they don;t blow away with windy areas.

I've seen and heard about the rubberific mulch. I would give that a try since it's a recycled product.

Hope I've helped.

Jules

Check to see if any of the tree service companies will bring you some chips. We own a tree service and we are always looking for somewhere to dump the chips. We give them away.

I am not sure what kind of look you are seeking, but for a rustic style, you might consider straw. The cost is only 3 or 4 dollars a bale. It is easy to walk on and if very cost effective. A bale will cover quite a few square feet. Place it over the plastic, so the straw seeds won't germinate and create a new kind of problem.

I don't know what you could use instead of mulch,but I get my mulch at home depot or wal-mart.They sell broken bags at half price.Around here you have to go when they open/ or at closing time cause everyone wants them.The bags are usually full they just get broken open and taped up.I also have gone to a town 1/2 hour away cause they sell mulch $10.00 a truck load. I have changed to large rocks mixed in my beds the last few years so I don't need as much any more.

I've heard that you have to be careful getting mulch from the townships because of termites. Anyone else ever heard this?

Don't want to dampen anyone's enthusiasm, but be careful of your city mulch..if they cut down a tree that has a poison ivy vine growing up it, it is all chopped up and you get it!

uglyoodie,

WOW, what a good insight--or perhaps it happens to be wisdom from an unfortunate experience???

Jules

We had the free mulch from the city. After getting some I was really disappointed with all the "stuff" in it having no business being there. The last load was black and what a mess. If you do take advantage of doing this, watch for different piles available and what is in them. The piles will change as they replenish depending upon what has been brought in.

Thanks for the suggestion regarding a tree service, am going to try this one.

Cindee.......we call those squirrel cobs here,LOL!! My squirrels like to toss them on your head as you walk under. As for mulch,I'm like some of you,newspaper,black weed block fabric,sometimes the bagged mulch. I remember my mother using newspaper many many(many) moons ago.

fyi - the cheaper hay bales are coastal hay which is treated with herbicides. And the free stuff from the city either has oak wilt, poison ivy, weed seeds or all three.

if you want to be environmental and cheap, use cardboard and alfa alfa hay. a bale of alfa alfa costs $10 down here -it goes a long, long way. If you want aesthetics, scour stores for broken bags of bark chips and mix them with leaves to stretch it (magnolia leaves are the best if you got them in your area.

To stretch my dollar a little more, I lay down a layer of oak leaves, then a layer of cardboard, and then a layer of mulch twice a year. Mulch lasts a little longer that way and I don't hafta water quite as much.

Living in a prairie state, the weeds down here are noxious. I keep an eye skinned for problems and lay a thick layer of wet newspapers on areas that are becoming a problem between the spring and fall "coats".

Manzomecorvus, so glad I read your post. I fill trashcans full of magnolia leaves every year--never once thought about using them as mulch. Two trees out front and more on our street that blow around keep me busy cleaning them up. I have a side yard with just wood mulch path down the middle of it--now I will start adding the leaves to it also. I've been thinking that it needed to be thicker to keep the weeds out. Thanks for the suggestion. Luvs

Don't forget the earthworms LOVE the newspaper!

This has been an interesting thread and I do not wish to hijack it or ruffle any feathers but I would like to point out a misconception. I work for a log home company who sells primarily cypress (any tree huggers out there wanna' lynch me up that's fine). A couple of the main reasons many home owners choose cypress wood is because it is more resistant to rot and most insects & termites will chew a pine house to the ground before they go for a cypress one because of the natural preservative cypressine oil it contains. Now I know cutting down trees even to build homes may as well be considered a crime to some but I can tell you from my experience what happens with regard to the mulch end of things. The mill I work for puts out a finished product, in other words a cut and shaped log ready to be used to build a home. My employers buy the rough unfinished timbers from several different mills in other states. I can tell you that not one of the mills we use down there that harvest the trees cut down those trees in order to make mulch. It is a by-product created when trees are cut down to make lumber and timbers. These mills cut lumber from their own property and then replant them. It makes no financial sense for them to cut down a tree and chip it into little mulch pieces when it can be rough sawn and fetch a hefty price from the housing industry. The mulch is created from the bark and limbs that would otherwise be discarded as trash. Now I can only speak for the mills that we buy from and perhaps there are mills out there that destroy the trees just for the sake of mulch, but fiscally speaking that just wouldn't make much sense.

Again, I know cutting down a tree regardless of its intended use is a hot topic for alot of folks but if you actually like cypress mulch I wouldn't feel too guilty about using it. That tree didn't die because you wanted to control your weeds, it was dead already because somebody wanted to build a home, a restaurant or a church. I have access to a pile of discarded cypress mulch because it isn't even worth the trouble for our company to start selling it. Even with access to it I don't use it myself because I personally don't like the look of it.

As this thread has pointed out though there are other alternatives to cypress and pine mulch. Use what works best for you =)

Just another perspective. Sincerely, Squirrellypete

Well put Squirrellpete.
Jill