Rock VS Mulch Around Live Oak/Plant Beds
bjb817
4 years ago
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phoenix7801
4 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Opinions on mulch vs rocks
Comments (31)We have continued to mulch with finely - not coarse - pine bark mulch. At least I think that is what it's called. It is what is sold by garden centers in our area. My DH buys pick up truck loads of it every summer. We tried buying bags but we needed too many bags and I think it was more expensive that way. We are not changing what we use as mulch. The termites are gone now. According to the person who treated around our house, termites in our area need moisture. Without moisture they die. My original question was not for me - I'm not changing my mulch for anything else. It was for conversation purposes that I was going to use to talk to my neighbor. Too late on that front though - a couple of days ago a truck came and delivered 3 ton of large red stone - not lava rock but larger stone. I've never seen anything like it before. She and her DH had it all spread by that evening. So now, I'm just enjoying the conversation going on here in this thread! Linda PS Thank you for the name of company who bags the Super Fines Soil Conditioner. I will look them up and see where they distribute....See Morelava rock vs mulch
Comments (2)My grandmother used lava rock to "mulch" her beds, and my mother used the extra on one front bed. None of us would ever use it again, for very different reasons. My grandmother hates moving it around every time she wants to take out a shrub, weed, plant annuals, etc. It literally hurts your hand to scrape against it--like a pumice stone. My mother hates the color now, and has worked on removing what she has (stealthily adding it to Gma's yard, where it won't be noticed among the rest). She's replacing it with something more natural looking. I won't use it for all of the above reasons, but also because it doesn't break down and add any nutrients to the soil. I want my mulch to do double-duty! As far as wood mulch recommendations go, I don't remember my pine nuggets fading very quickly, but I admit I haven't used wood mulch in a while. I normally just use groundcovers and compost in place of wood chips anymore... sorry. :( Hope that helps a bit......See Morewant to use big river rocks in plant bed, what plants?
Comments (15)What a great idea for that space! You might want to peruse some sites to get a visual look at the plantings others have used (see my link below). Or just study creek beds (although your plants won't be the usual 'water' plants due to dry conditions (unless you want to lay a drip line along the banks of your stream). In real creek beds I think you'll find that there are all sizes of stones from boulders to gravel, grasses and wildflowers of different heights. It sounds like your choices will have to like a fair amount of shade. Also, I would recommend laying some thick landscape cloth in the 'creek bed' prior to adding the rocks. That way any weeds that eventually form between the rocks cannot establish very deep roots and can be more easily removed. Of course a little Roundup sprayed onto weeds might be just as easy. Here is a link that might be useful: google image pages of 'dry creek beds'...See MoreTaking care of bed on north side of the house, rocks or mulch?
Comments (3)Mulch adds more hiding and breeding space for insects, but there are other conditions that attract unwanted insects to your yard. At the same time, if there are a lot of insects, you might then get beneficial visitors like lizards and lady bugs, too. Even spiders and praying mantises. I would say that if you liked how the previous owner did it and were happy with the results, you can do the same again, because mulch looks good for the first few weeks after you apply it. Later, you will get weeds poking out from it, or the color will have drained a bit and not look as new and fresh. You probably also have to apply mulch again every 1-2 years, depending on how much you did it the first time. Getting new mulch near the base of plants is hard (or even not recommended) so that basically means that it's a place where weeds can come up from....See MoreYardvaark
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agobossyvossy
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agojaviwa
4 years agojaviwa
4 years agoYardvaark
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agobjb817
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agobaileysr
4 years agobjb817
4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agobaileysr
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agoIrving Ragweed (Austin 8b)
4 years agowantonamara Z8 CenTex
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoNicole R Dsp
4 years agoVulture61
4 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
4 years agodeanna in ME Barely zone 6a, more like 5b
4 years ago
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