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violetwest

Need advice on mulch dilemma

11 years ago

I tried posting this question in other forums without much success, and I'm still struggling with this dilemma. Hope I can get some advice here!

I live in the Southwest, and have a new tract home with a rectangle of dirt I in my back yard. Soil is sandy. Rock mulch is ubiquitous (and needed) here in our fierce heat.

I live on the edge of the desert and new construction, and the fierce winds of fall and spring blow dust and sand onto my property. This will be the case for at least 1-2 more years, until the rest of the homes in my subdivision get built and more landscaping, etc. is put in.

I am having to pay $350 to get the dust and sand dug up, and all my rock mulch sieved in the already-landscaped front yard. But I cannot wait much longer to do the back, so . . . .

--Should I just go ahead and mulch the back now with rock? I'll probably have to dig up and sieve it next year, if so, or just dump more rock on it.

--alternatively, can I use compost as mulch? I'm assuming it's more expensive, but my thinking is if it gets coated in dust and sand over the course of the next year while construction is going on, I can just turn it under when I'm ready for the next stage in my landscaping. Is this correct?

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