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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 01:55:06 am

Title: A good mulch.
Post by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 01:55:06 am
What do you recommend?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 02:08:56 am
Nothing says "Florida Native" like Pine Bark
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: goodwithagun on February 10, 2019, 02:09:34 am
Anything you can get for free from a tree cutting service.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 02:18:58 am
Nothing says "Florida Native" like Pine Bark


Yeah..  I ain't buying it.     The shit floats away like Gilligan on a three hour cruise.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 02:34:38 am

Yeah..  I ain't buying it.     The shit floats away like Gilligan on a three hour cruise.

Nothing says "Yankee" like someone who got conned into buying poorly drained/elevated property.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 02:37:18 am
Nothing says "Yankee" like someone who got conned into buying poorly drained/elevated property.


Or someone who owns swampland in central Florida,
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 02:49:38 am

Or someone who owns swampland in central Florida,

We live on a big sand hill with about 40' of elevation change over the length of our property.  If all of ManBearPig's predictions come true we're going to cash in and sell our beachfront property.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 03:04:28 am
We live on a big sand hill with about 40' of elevation change over the length of our property.  If all of ManBearPig's predictions come true we're going to cash in and sell our beachfront property.

Good to know;  I figured we would all be renting from Ambassador FC in ten years
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: GtHawk on February 10, 2019, 03:04:31 am
Lot's of good minerals with this one

Sorry... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qWFhDvURLg#)

Oh wait, you asked about mulch, not fertilizer................my bad!
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 04:33:00 am
https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ (https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/)

irregular chips from a tree service, preferred with plenty of leaf material.
Watch the movie.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 05:17:07 am
https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ (https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/)

irregular chips from a tree service, preferred with plenty of leaf material.
Watch the movie.

That's for gardening with.  I think he's asking about for landscaping.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 05:27:04 am
That's for gardening with.  I think he's asking about for landscaping.

Ahh... That would be landscaper's cloth and washed rock...
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: goodwithagun on February 10, 2019, 03:47:35 pm
https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ (https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/)

irregular chips from a tree service, preferred with plenty of leaf material.
Watch the movie.

That’s the method I use!
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Idaho_Cowboy on February 10, 2019, 05:56:43 pm
Gonna go with Roamer and say rocks. They don't wear away and you can just use round up to keep the weeds down.

If you want plants use bark. It's all the same.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 06:54:17 pm
Gonna go with Roamer and say rocks. They don't wear away and you can just use round up to keep the weeds down.

If you want plants use bark. It's all the same.

That's why I have a gravel lawn around my Castle.  Next best thing to a Moat. 
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 07:16:46 pm
Rock looks nice, but down here it's WAY more expensive than mulch; $3 / 0.5 cu. ft. for rock or $2 / 2 cu. ft. for mulch.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Bigun on February 10, 2019, 07:25:41 pm
Pine straw is excellent, and around here, free for the taking.  Lasts longer than most other stuff as well in my experience.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on February 10, 2019, 07:30:20 pm
Whatever is cheapest at Home Despot.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Weird Tolkienish Figure on February 10, 2019, 07:31:18 pm
Gonna go with Roamer and say rocks. They don't wear away and you can just use round up to keep the weeds down.

If you want plants use bark. It's all the same.

Nice thing about rocks is you can use a weed torch without worry.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 07:44:32 pm
Nice thing about rocks is you can use a weed torch without worry.

That's Mrs. Liberty's favorite weeding accessory.  There is something satisfying about watching the wretched little weeds curl up and burst into flames.  I tried to tell her she doesn't have to actually ignite the weed to kill it, but what satisfaction can be derived from that? 

It's like not smashing a cockroach, instead hitting it hard enough to crawl off somewhere and croak.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Dexter on February 10, 2019, 07:49:15 pm
I personally wouldn't use anything with dye in it. The weather slowly washes it away. I'm no expert but I doubt that's good for your lawn.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 09:42:33 pm
Rock looks nice, but down here it's WAY more expensive than mulch; $3 / 0.5 cu. ft. for rock or $2 / 2 cu. ft. for mulch.

Well, the rocks you buy once...
But I did LOL at the cost of rock... I get rock between 3 and 7  bucks a YARD, depending on the type... but a 1" washed river rock, typical for ornamental plantings, would be around 3/yd.

Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 09:48:42 pm
Pine straw is excellent, and around here, free for the taking.  Lasts longer than most other stuff as well in my experience.

I guess pine straw is what we'd call duff - The litter from under a pine tree... Works fine as a mulch , but is highly acidic. So only would work for plants that like acidic ph...

Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Bigun on February 10, 2019, 09:49:54 pm
I guess pine straw is what we'd call duff - The litter from under a pine tree... Works fine as a mulch , but is highly acidic. So only would work for plants that like acidic ph...

Like maters for instance.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 09:50:43 pm
Whatever is cheapest at Home Despot.

Nope, WAY better buying by the yard, if you have a pickup truck.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 09:52:19 pm
I personally wouldn't use anything with dye in it. The weather slowly washes it away. I'm no expert but I doubt that's good for your lawn.

I'm with you on this, @Dexter.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 09:54:22 pm
Nope, WAY better buying by the yard, if you have a pickup truck.

At least a 3/4 ton pick um up.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 09:54:23 pm
Like maters for instance.

Right, but most things don't like it acidic... The funny thing about the Back to Eden method - ph don't seem to matter.  :shrug:
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 10, 2019, 09:59:01 pm
Well, the rocks you buy once...
But I did LOL at the cost of rock... I get rock between 3 and 7  bucks a YARD, depending on the type... but a 1" washed river rock, typical for ornamental plantings, would be around 3/yd.

A friend of my wife asked her one day where we got our river rock...

She told them Winston was a rock hound. (Best fishing buddy ever, too.)
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 10:01:50 pm
At least a 3/4 ton pick um up.

Well, yes - Depends on what and which... A half ton would take a yard of bark mulch. Might will take a yard of 3/4 crushed gravel... if it's an older truck from back when they meant it. I would not worry about a yard of gravel on the back of a 70's or 80's chevy 1/2T Heavy (6 hole)... But she'd be riding on the bumpers, for sure...
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 10:05:39 pm
A friend of my wife asked her one day where we got our river rock...

She told them Winston was a rock hound. (Best fishing buddy ever, too.)

LOL! One piece at a time! Each a fishing trip souvenir... If you can fill a flowerbed that way, you've been busy fishing.

 :beer:
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 10:19:58 pm
Well, the rocks you buy once...
But I did LOL at the cost of rock... I get rock between 3 and 7  bucks a YARD, depending on the type... but a 1" washed river rock, typical for ornamental plantings, would be around 3/yd.

You'd think you only buy rocks once, but I have an area out back just off the porch where the dogs travel to get out of and into the house.  I put rock out because it helps knock the sand off their feet and keep it out of the house.  We put a few inches down and put concrete block meant to edge landscape areas/retaining wall around the outside edge.  After a few years that rock is scattered around past that outside edge and we're down to bare dirt in some spots.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 10:27:01 pm
You'd think you only buy rocks once, but I have an area out back just off the porch where the dogs travel to get out of and into the house.  I put rock out because it helps knock the sand off their feet and keep it out of the house.  We put a few inches down and put concrete block meant to edge landscape areas/retaining wall around the outside edge.  After a few years that rock is scattered around past that outside edge and we're down to bare dirt in some spots.

Absolutely correct, and I can't figure out how that gravel at my old house got intermingled.  Wind?  Heckuva windstorm.  The most a good Haboob can kick up is a lot of sub-micron dust.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 10:34:38 pm
Absolutely correct, and I can't figure out how that gravel at my old house got intermingled.  Wind?  Heckuva windstorm.  The most a good Haboob can kick up is a lot of sub-micron dust.

Yeah, and with the money it cost us to put that rock down I'm hesitant to do it again.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 10:39:36 pm
Yeah, and with the money it cost us to put that rock down I'm hesitant to do it again.

Use pavers next time?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 10:45:00 pm
Use pavers next time?

The porch is pavers, it just ends up covered up with sand.  I'm always trying to think up something that will work and it all does, for varying lengths of time but never permanently.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 10:52:42 pm
The porch is pavers, it just ends up covered up with sand.  I'm always trying to think up something that will work and it all does, for varying lengths of time but never permanently.

Well, you could always pour some 'crete...

Nah.  Not even if you're covering it in astroturf.  N/M

 :shrug:
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 10:54:59 pm
You'd think you only buy rocks once, but I have an area out back just off the porch where the dogs travel to get out of and into the house.  I put rock out because it helps knock the sand off their feet and keep it out of the house.  We put a few inches down and put concrete block meant to edge landscape areas/retaining wall around the outside edge.  After a few years that rock is scattered around past that outside edge and we're down to bare dirt in some spots.

 :pondering: Confucius say:
Use bigger rocks.  :laugh:
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 10:56:59 pm
Absolutely correct, and I can't figure out how that gravel at my old house got intermingled.  Wind?  Heckuva windstorm.  The most a good Haboob can kick up is a lot of sub-micron dust.

Depends upon the rock, too - All y'all are more likely to use lava rock, which degrades rather quickly... same with sandstone, etc.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 11:10:11 pm
Depends upon the rock, too - All y'all are more likely to use lava rock, which degrades rather quickly... same with sandstone, etc.

True about the material I had.  Sure ain't Granite.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:16:35 pm
Mine was 1" - 3" river rock.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 10, 2019, 11:20:27 pm
Mine was 1" - 3" river rock.

Did you try any containment? Like railroad ties?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 11:22:12 pm
Mine was 1" - 3" river rock.

I like 1" washed rock... I bedded a lot of beds in pea gravel, all the way to 3/4 washed... The stuff will not stay in the bed (even as you complain)... 2" starts to be hard to walk on... And I don't like the finished texture as well either (according to sight).

If you want it to stay put, use shale. It is irregular and sharp in shape, and binds like the dickens.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:27:38 pm
Did you try any containment? Like railroad ties?

We used retaining wall blocks like this;

(https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/192e7aed-a956-4d25-a922-4cea01970953/svn/tan-pavestone-retaining-wall-blocks-82105-64_300.jpg)
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:28:36 pm
I like 1" washed rock... I bedded a lot of beds in pea gravel, all the way to 3/4 washed... The stuff will not stay in the bed (even as you complain)... 2" starts to be hard to walk on... And I don't like the finished texture as well either (according to sight).

If you want it to stay put, use shale. It is irregular and sharp in shape, and binds like the dickens.

I can't have anything sharp for the dogs to walk over.  Last thing I want to take care of are cut up pads.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 11:31:47 pm
I can't have anything sharp for the dogs to walk over.  Last thing I want to take care of are cut up pads.

Nah. Dogs up here do fine with it... if it is sharp, they won't walk on it.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:38:34 pm
Nah. Dogs up here do fine with it... if it is sharp, they won't walk on it.

LOL  The point of it is to get them to walk on it before they come in the house to knock the sand off their feet.  Jesus H, has anyone been paying attention to what I've said.   :silly:
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 10, 2019, 11:39:27 pm
We used retaining wall blocks like this;

(https://images.homedepot-static.com/productImages/192e7aed-a956-4d25-a922-4cea01970953/svn/tan-pavestone-retaining-wall-blocks-82105-64_300.jpg)

Sand has some fluidity so I know how those would shift. A railroad tie can be staked in place, but still might not hold in sand over time. But they shouldn't shift as much as a rock.

If you can't get used ties maybe landscaping timbers would work. They are usually inexpensive. As is rebar for staking.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Wingnut on February 10, 2019, 11:42:05 pm
I decided to just use Round-Up as often and liberally.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:42:35 pm
Sand has some fluidity so I know how those would shift. A railroad tie can be staked in place, but still might not hold in sand over time. But they shouldn't shift as much as a rock.

If you can't get used ties maybe landscaping timbers would work. They are usually inexpensive. As is rebar for staking.

Those big blocks we haven't really had trouble keeping in place.  It's all the smaller rock that they're supposed to be keeping in that has been disappearing.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 11:44:12 pm
LOL  The point of it is to get them to walk on it before they come in the house to knock the sand off their feet.  Jesus H, has anyone been paying attention to what I've said.   :silly:

I have the exact same thing going on around the back of the house... An apron of 3/4 crushed shale. It is there for precisely the same reason. Chewy is never cut up by it - That is what I am telling you.

And that shale has been there for 5 years and some... still just fine, other than I should have used washed. But the outlying gravel is washed... just where the porch is going to go is crush... It's growing stuff now.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 10, 2019, 11:48:22 pm
Those big blocks we haven't really had trouble keeping in place.  It's all the smaller rock that they're supposed to be keeping in that has been disappearing.

The ground is actually swallowing the rocks?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 10, 2019, 11:50:10 pm
I have the exact same thing going on around the back of the house... An apron of 3/4 crushed shale. It is there for precisely the same reason. Chewy is never cut up by it - That is what I am telling you.

And that shale has been there for 5 years and some... still just fine, other than I should have used washed. But the outlying gravel is washed... just where the porch is going to go is crush... It's growing stuff now.

Oh, I getcha.  I just checked prices on shale. Closest I can get is slate chips and it's $500 for 32 cu. ft. 
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 10, 2019, 11:54:00 pm
Oh, I getcha.  I just checked prices on shale. Closest I can get is slate chips and it's $500 for 32 cu. ft.

That's crazy money. LOL! I never thought rocks could be valuable. All we got is rock around here. It's the dirt that costs the money
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 10, 2019, 11:54:08 pm
Those big blocks we haven't really had trouble keeping in place.  It's all the smaller rock that they're supposed to be keeping in that has been disappearing.

Then try what @roamer_1 suggested upthread. Try an underlayment of plastic sheeting or landscaper's cloth. Blowing sand may defeat anything you try, though.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: rustynail on February 10, 2019, 11:56:31 pm
Democrats.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 11, 2019, 12:00:01 am
Democrats.

Too strong. They would poison the ground for years.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 11, 2019, 12:00:25 am
Then try what @roamer_1 suggested upthread. Try an underlayment of plastic sheeting or landscaper's cloth. Blowing sand may defeat anything you try, though.

Landscaping cloth is always better than visqueen- The material doesn't slide on it as easy, and it allows drainage through it... The only place I use visqueen at all is where I don't want water - Under decks for instance, or were I am actually creating a drainage to move water...

But none of it actually stops growth indefinitely. enough fines blow in to allow growth eventually. the choice then is to start spraying,  or clean out the bed and remove the fines.

Crushed gravel will grow grass and weeds almost right away within the media - so underlayment is moot under crush.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 11, 2019, 12:00:28 am
Then try what @roamer_1 suggested upthread. Try an underlayment of plastic sheeting or landscaper's cloth. Blowing sand may defeat anything you try, though.

Yeah, that might be the next experiment whenever I work up the courage to fix it.... again.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 11, 2019, 12:07:15 am
Landscaping cloth is always better than visqueen- The material doesn't slide on it as easy, and it allows drainage through it... The only place I use visqueen at all is where I don't want water - Under decks for instance, or were I am actually creating a drainage to move water...

But none of it actually stops growth indefinitely. enough fines blow in to allow growth eventually. the choice then is to start spraying,  or clean out the bed and remove the fines.

Crushed gravel will grow grass and weeds almost right away within the media - so underlayment is moot under crush.

Actually a bit of growth could help. A root system, even if dead, can work to help set the stones.

Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: bigheadfred on February 11, 2019, 12:08:42 am
Yeah, that might be the next experiment whenever I work up the courage to fix it.... again.

One of the things about living where winters are cold. Freeze/thaw pushes rocks out of the ground.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: roamer_1 on February 11, 2019, 12:17:07 am
Actually a bit of growth could help. A root system, even if dead, can work to help set the stones.

In a high traffic area, nothing will help. That's why paths happen. Best you can do is an erose (irregular)  gravel, and if that ain't enough, set flagstone stepping stones or go to pavers. You can do alright setting a crushed gravel path through the high traffic area, leaving the rest washed decorative stone, but like I said, crush will grow things, and will require greater maintenance.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 12:37:21 am
Actually a bit of growth could help. A root system, even if dead, can work to help set the stones.

@RoosGirl's geological conditions are alien to us.  None of our usual rules apply with sand.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 11, 2019, 12:44:06 am
We're very sandy, almost like beach sand.  Supposedly this area was beach way back in the day when the sea levels were higher.  But, we grow a surprising number of weeds and grasses considering.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 12:47:02 am
We're very sandy, almost like beach sand.  Supposedly this area was beach way back in the day when the sea levels were higher.  But, we grow a surprising number of weeds and grasses considering.

Sawgrass?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: RoosGirl on February 11, 2019, 12:52:43 am
Sawgrass?

I think sawgrass is more of a wetland plant.  We are excessively drained.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 12:56:06 am
I think sawgrass is more of a wetland plant.  We are excessively drained.

Good.  I hated the feel of sawgrass (which is why it's called "sawgrass").  I'd still like to know exactly where your rock mulch is going.  If it's sinking onto the sand, you're pretty well screwed and need to find stuff that is cheap and easy to replace, because nothing is going to stay put.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Sanguine on February 11, 2019, 01:07:05 am
LOL  The point of it is to get them to walk on it before they come in the house to knock the sand off their feet.  Jesus H, has anyone been paying attention to what I've said.   :silly:

That's a good idea.  I need to do that. 
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 01:14:32 am
That's a good idea.  I need to do that.

You have sand on your feet?
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Sanguine on February 11, 2019, 01:21:23 am
You have sand on your feet?

Yes, my dogs bring it in. 
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 01:27:17 am
Yes, my dogs bring it in.

Gotcha!
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Idaho_Cowboy on February 11, 2019, 04:42:36 am
That's Mrs. Liberty's favorite weeding accessory.  There is something satisfying about watching the wretched little weeds curl up and burst into flames.  I tried to tell her she doesn't have to actually ignite the weed to kill it, but what satisfaction can be derived from that? 

It's like not smashing a cockroach, instead hitting it hard enough to crawl off somewhere and croak.
Except for goatheads. Only way to get rid of that stuff is to burn it otherwise it will be back.
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Cyber Liberty on February 11, 2019, 04:51:34 am
Except for goatheads. Only way to get rid of that stuff is to burn it otherwise it will be back.

I looked that up, it's a pest where I am.  Good advice, thanks!
Title: Re: A good mulch.
Post by: Sanguine on February 11, 2019, 02:33:05 pm
Except for goatheads. Only way to get rid of that stuff is to burn it otherwise it will be back.

I'm getting goats this year.  Apparently, they keep it eaten down so that the burrs can't form. We'll see.