Mulch/Rock, Which Should You Use in Your Landscape?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Have you thought about which product you should use for covering your landscape beds? In this video, we cover some of the scenarios we use mulch or rock and why or why not. 👀🧐❓🏡🌲🌱
I did a test on 2 avocado trees I purchased. One covered in mulch and the other covered in lava rocks.
The one covered in lava rock is much healthier! I also mixed in a little lava rocks into the native soil when I planted it.
The one covered in much is doing okay too. But I can see a huge difference with the lava rocks.
Thanks for this. I have some formal box hedging with flower beds in between and was considering putting rock infuses of mulch, so thanks you’ve saved me a potential head ache!
In California, there are new rules for landscaping near your homes in high fire danger areas. Within 5 feet of the building, they want homeowners to remove the ground cover and not put down bark there. So rocks are a good option to put under the plants near the home. I'm working on that now with my home. Beyond that point, I'm using mulch.
Interesting. I want to find this article so i dont make that mistake, i don’t understand lol im new to landscaping
Thanks for help
Hey there. Just curious 🧐….. if a landscaper already planted some plants and put fabric down and then stone on top , is there anyway to move the stone out-of-the-way and put some mulch down and then put the stone back on top? Thanks a lot.
What would be the better application for the sides of the houses with bad drainage and to help with the House Foundation?.
I had Mulch on the sides but a lot of weed grew so I am planning to remove everything, apply landscape fabric and use rocks instead this time.
Btw, I used cardboards because I saw it being used in a lot of YT Videos. Never use cardboards, they suck. They pretty much break and disintegrate after rain season (Here in FL). Always go with landscape fabric.
Which one is better stop ur neighbors weed to crossover under the fence. Thanks
Thank you!!!!
Not sure if you will see this considering this was 4 yr's ago.. But recently I suggested to a friend to use black rock instead of yr after yr of mulch. The area being done is front of her house but only gets morning /late morning sun. We were at a nursery and I mentioned the rock and man worked there so o no never use rock it will get really hot and burn up her bushes. What do you think. This is in Northern KY area.
Help
Can you add wood mulch over marble stones ??
One minute in and I knew what I was getting from Lowes...Mulch
-please help me. I have 7 children the lawn is SO Much for me🙏🙏🙏
River rock? Weeds still grow through the rocks pain in the ass after
Is it better to use mulch or rock near a tree that drops a lot of leaves?
He doesn't know.
It's better to dig around the base of the tree and exposing the trunks... its better to mulch around those areas and not covering the trunks. Then use rock on the outer layers of the mulch.
Rocks will help keep the soil/ground saturated instead of taking a beating. It also helps on insects
I have mulch right now, but my dog digs into it so I am thinking about changing to rocks. However as you say, its not as good for the plants. hmm what to do.
Yes, this might be a good option for river stone but that is correct. Your plants may not respond super well depending on the types.
I have same problem dogs digging mulch up. You can always use fertilizer and water stone plants. But yes I’m switching to stone
@@addisonwilliams2221 ha I never thought of that issue before I had a dog. I'm getting 3/4 brown stone to replace it within the next few weeks. I wanted to get stones a bit bigger so they would be more immovable but the landscaper didn't have bigger. Hopefully those will do the trick still.
both
Which is better multch or rocks when you have alot of water around your foundation of the house and front deck while it rains and afterwards?
If the areas around your foundation are holding water, this is a grading and drainage issue that should be first addressed. Often we recommend stone on top of any subsurface drains… just don’t install plants where the stone & drains are.
Areas experiencing washouts from rain, or areas where rain is causing mud or mulch to splash up onto the foundation, these are also good areas to use stone. Again, I wouldn’t put plants in those areas. We have plenty of beds where we put stone along the foundation, and transition to mulch around the plants.
How deep should you put the mulch or barks? Thank you for the video
If it's bare soil, we normally put it about 2-3" thick. If it's a top dress over existing mulch, 1-2" thick. Be careful to taper up to the root flare of your plants.
@@earthcraftdesignbuildmaint5321 Thank you. What about if it is the first time on top of the membrane?
@@amourmtungo6941 Although we don't recommend using fabric or a membrane (unless with stone) for many reasons (check out our blog: earthcraftlandscaping.com/landscape-fabric/), it's the same scenario for thickness.
I am considering using river rocks or gravels next to my exterior walls next to the foundation. The only concern I have is whether or not termites will be a problem with rocks right up against the exterior walls or near foundation. Would you happen to know?
I did pea stone next to my (low) foundation, instead of mulch, to protect siding from rot. 10yrs later and seems to have been good decision.
I had that same question and looked into it awhile back.
Rock next to the foundation is actually PREFERRED to help avoid termites and other insects. Measure approximately 6” from the foundation/exterior wall outward and fill that space with rock. In a garden/flower bed, you would then use mulch from the edge of the 6” lane of rock (white rocks, drainage rocks, or river rock, etc.) into the rest of the garden/flower bed.
@@benjaminallen2370do you have many weeds growing in there? How deep did you go? Did you put a weed barrier? Some type of edging? Please help as I’m about to undertake this huge project.
Use rubber mulch if u dont want it to float?
We're aren't huge fans of rubber mulch as it doesn't add anything to the soil since it doesn't break down. It is similar to rock as well as it will heat up causing plants to dry out more quickly. They do make some topical spray products that help hold mulch (like mulch-lock) in place in difficult areas but I'd use them sparingly. Hopefully this helps!
Im worried about mulch on a slight slant where i have roses/. Worried of a hard rain pushing it into a dry river bed…. Any thoughts?
There is definitely a chance of a washout on a steep bank when utilizing mulch. It's more work but we often try to incorporate boulders (even small ones) to create mini terraces for the mulch to hold better. We will also utilize river rock in pockets, create French drain systems to catch surface water before it hits the mulch, create dry creek beds redirecting the water to another location, or really any compilation of these items. I've seen some products out there that you can spray on the top of the mulch to hold it in place but then you are adding more chemicals to the landscape and possibly impeding the natural breakdown of the mulch (nutrient reduction) and moisture retention. Hope this helps!
@@earthcraftdesignbuildmaint5321 Thank You. I was going to see about some larger rocks… definitely. We had rock (not mulch ) under the roses before…. but no fabric and lots of weeds. Its a desert climate so im just trying to figure out if i put a fabric arouns it and the mulch ( likely dirt mulch ) at least maybe the dirt mulch if it washes into the mostly dry river bed will carry out over time versus wood chippings…. Definitely agree no spray. We try to be organic here
@@maylisa962 We aren't a huge fan of fabric but it can help with weeds in the short term. If you are using soil or an organic compost mulch, I wouldn't bother with the fabric though. The weeds will just grow in the soil which will defeat the purpose. I know a mulch will probably perform better for you as far as weed control is concerned. Some mulches seem to interlock better than others as well. When I was in Oklahoma, we used a shredded cedar bark mulch that was more "stringy" and interlocked very well. Added bonus, cedar mulch naturally helped repel the bugs!
Can I place bark chipping and then put cobblestones ontop of them?
So rocks it is then ? 😅🤞🏼
Hey, that's up to you! 😂 Fingers crossed! We've just seen so much plant death when we install rock vs. mulch, we don't recommend it.
I choose Paper. I win!
@@TonyNguyenJr 😀
If I have some previous lava rocks in a small 8x8 are and want to just cover the rocks with landscaping paper then just add newer rocks on top. Is that ok? Or do I need to recover as many of the old rocks as possible, then put down the landscaping fabric?
If there are plants in this area, you should remove the old lava rocks first, then reinstall the new fabric (paper) and stone, because otherwise the stone will likely be too high around the stems/trunks of the plants. If the 8x8 area does not contain plants, then your idea of simply topping with more rocks is okay. However, I don't see a benefit in adding another layer of fabric.
I don’t understand why it baffles me that people put out videos as though they’re in the authority on some thing they know absolutely nothing about!!
OK-about a minute and I realize you don’t know WHAT you’re talking about. Roth absolutely do add minerals to the soil and mulch isn’t really good for the soil until it has been broken down. Moreover rocks do keep the moisture in you should just Google it or do a little test on your own but it depends on the size of the rock in the kind of the rock if you put sand all over the top your soil do you think it’s going to dry out faster than if you don’t have anything on it? Really??!
use your brain and stop putting false information out there. And also if you’re going to make a video as though you do you are the authority on something... say “uh uh um so uh” Isn’t that convincing
Hi NefFy, I must admit in the brevity of this video, I have missed some implied details. You are correct in saying that rock adds minerals to the soil (after a long time of breaking down depending upon the material). Mulch tends to break down much much faster than rock which adds more organic matter to the soil more quickly. Also to my point, fabric is usually used with stone which is an impediment to allowing nutrients (and water) to penetrate the soil. While I understand the sentiment that rocks hold moisture depending upon the material, we have found in over 10 years of business that plants don't do as well in rock in our area because of the heat that is held and reflected by the stone (and to that - we don't warranty plants planted in stone because we have had so many problems with the scenario). Heat will evaporate water much quicker in a rock area than a mulch area because of its larger porous voids comparatively to mulch which is densely compact & dries out more slowly. Perennial herbaceous plants especially tend to burn up in these scenarios except for those that are more tolerant to such environments (cacti, succulents, etc.). Thanks for the tips on my speech. I'll keep that in mind as I do more and more videos. We hope this helps clarify some of the things I left out and hope this gives you more confidence in my credibility and the companies. Have a great day!