Learn from my mistake

14 years ago

About three years ago, I put down a thick, thick layer of mixed hardwood mulch in the landscape beds around my house. It worked awesome. No weeds in the beds, and my plants took off from all the extra, retained moisture. I also noticed that the soil quality (it had previosuly just been sandy/shelly/rocky fill) really improved as well - it became soft and dark instead of sandy and white.

Anyway, in March we were having a party, so I figured I would "spruce up" all the mulch in the beds, which had weathered from a dark brown to a silvery grey. I raked the top surface of the mulched beds, turning over the old and bringing new to the surface. It looked awesome, very dark and rich in color.

Then, in May when the rains came, I noticed some weeds cropping up in the mulch. Before I knew it, All the beds were choked thick with all sorts of weeds. It has been a disaster. I cannot really spray these weeds because of the proximty to desried landscape plants and covering the ground up with paper or cardbioard, well, there's just too much. Evidently, what I did was effectively "sow" all the weed seeds that landed in the mulch but couldnt find a place to germinate on its hard, dry "silvery" surface. By turning over the mulch the way I did, I introduced these seeeds to the softer, darker "compost" or "humus" undrneath, and they all sprouted.

So, PLEASE take my advice: just put down new mulch - dont try to rejuvenate old mulch.

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Comments (7)

boom1
14 years ago
those dollar weeds and my grass tend to grow right through mulch. i put down black paper designed to stop weeds from growing through but allow moisture to pass and then put mulch over it.

they make a mulch that has weed killer in it at home depot.

all my mulch is organic, you have to be really careful if your growing organic food because it could contain arsenic.

there was a Hersheys mulch made from cocoa that is toxic to dogs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cocoa Meal Shell Mulch
teeka0801(7aNoVa)
14 years ago
I replaced all my lawn w/ mulch two years ago and I was actually thinking of turning it because I've heard it gets matted and then won't let air in, but have not(and,now,WILL NOT!)done so yet.

You know, my biggest money waster was buying weed fabric because the weeds out here grow right on top of the mulch, they are so aggressive they do not need soil!!! Also, that weed fabric that is supposed to be good for 10 years or so, well, I've dug it up and let me tell you it already looks half decomposed,lol!
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msmarion
14 years ago
Use layers of newspapers instead of weed block. I wet it after laying it down then add 3 inches of mulch. Hardly ever had a weed problem.
billbrandi
14 years ago
I got tired of replacing the mulch every 3-4 months so I put in.......red lava rocks. Now the guy who cuts my yard hates me because the dogs play with the rocks, scatter them in the yard, wherein he ruins his lawn mower blades on them. Plus I step on them constantly as I am a native Floridian who likes to walk in the yard barefoot. I am slowly going back to mulch. I guess there is no easy way out.
gatormomx2
14 years ago
Plus - any kind of stone or rock acts like miniature heating pads in your flowerbeds . Kind of like solar cooking .

I agree with msmarion . Newspaper or cardboard make a great base for mulch .

Weed seeds arrive by air and sprout thanks to the breezes and birds . Pulling weeds is a year round activity in Florida . Just think of it as cheap exercise !
an_ill-mannered_ache
14 years ago
i have found that, over time, the weed problems get better. i've had some areas in my yard mulched since 2003 and i hardly ever get weeds in them. sometimes i use cloth and sometimes i use papers, but mostly i use nothing... it takes a few months to get rid of the weed seeds, and you'll never get rid of the betony, oxalis and spiderwort, but given some patience, things get better.

like mary sez, it's florida, there will always be weeds, 365 days a year... but vigilance and regular weeding makes things easier with time.
annafl
14 years ago
I've found that the less you disturb the soil, the fewer weeds you have. We also just keep piling on top. We have extremely few weeds for the amount of mulch areas we have, and when one pops up it is easy to pull. I never use a hoe because it just brings seeds to the surface.

A couple of months ago we gave away a mango tree that was planted in the veggie garden. I add a lot of organic stuff to the garden and never disturb the soil except to open a small hole for seedlings. The drainage there is great. Where the mango was dug up, there are still some drainage issues when it rains, and the weeds are popping up daily. The rest of the garden rarely gets a weed, and never gets a puddle.

Anna

Learn from my mistake

Comments (7)

boom1

teeka0801(7aNoVa)

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