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Posted by Steve on April 4, 2008, 11:07 am
alt.home.repair:
> i have around my home, some shrubs, hedges and other
> assorted plant life.
>
> i think the previous owner had some "mulch" in the
> areas where those plants were.
>
> other areas have a lot of rocks, that, from one landscape
> guy told me, he didn't lay down a fabric, so the rocks
> just over the years sank into the dirt.
>
> my question is, which is better ?
>
> (a). to go with root mulch (not the wood type that
> termites love),
>
> or
>
> (b). rocks with a layer of anti-weed fabric underneath
>
> i think the rocks are a better idea, because it "should"
> help water run off during storms... right ? i mean at
> least that's what i think rocks in a perimeter drain do.
> (house does have a perimeter drain system by the way).
>
> but i have no experience with this type of stuff and
> am wondering what most people choose (and why).
Trader4 covered most of the issues. Here are a couple more:
* The smaller the stones, the more trouble you'll have. Pea gravel moves
a lot. The wind can blow it around. Baseball-sized stones stay put, and
you can remove and replace them more easily when you have to replace the
fabric in a few years.
* Did I mention that the fabric will have to be replaced in a few years.
You'll *love* that job.
* Wind-blown dirt will eventually fill in around the stones. It's a pain
to dig them out.
--
Steve B.
New Life Home Improvement
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Posted by Norminn on April 4, 2008, 12:35 pm
Steve wrote:
>alt.home.repair:
>
>
>
>>i have around my home, some shrubs, hedges and other
>>assorted plant life.
>>
>>i think the previous owner had some "mulch" in the
>>areas where those plants were.
>>
>>other areas have a lot of rocks, that, from one landscape
>>guy told me, he didn't lay down a fabric, so the rocks
>>just over the years sank into the dirt.
>>
>>my question is, which is better ?
>>
>>(a). to go with root mulch (not the wood type that
>> termites love),
>>
>>or
>>
>>(b). rocks with a layer of anti-weed fabric underneath
>>
>>i think the rocks are a better idea, because it "should"
>>help water run off during storms... right ? i mean at
>>least that's what i think rocks in a perimeter drain do.
>>(house does have a perimeter drain system by the way).
>>
>>but i have no experience with this type of stuff and
>>am wondering what most people choose (and why).
>>
>>
>
>Trader4 covered most of the issues. Here are a couple more:
>* The smaller the stones, the more trouble you'll have. Pea gravel moves
>a lot. The wind can blow it around. Baseball-sized stones stay put, and
>you can remove and replace them more easily when you have to replace the
>fabric in a few years.
>
>
It comes labelled for how long it is supposed to last. Ours is about 8
years old, doing fine, but it
doesn't last forever.
>* Did I mention that the fabric will have to be replaced in a few years.
>You'll *love* that job.
>* Wind-blown dirt will eventually fill in around the stones. It's a pain
>to dig them out.
>
>
A border is important to keep rock out of the lawn. I have seen med.
river rock break glass on
second story. As for water, the ground should slope away from the
house, and water would run
off rock more quickly (leass permeating the soil) during heavy rain.
Landscape cloth lets through
plenty of moisture and the rock keeps ground from drying too much for
the plants. No heat issue
that I have observed. I would not consider pea gravel,lava rock, nor
sm. river rock. Lava rock
ic crap. Med. river rock stays in place with leaf blower so you can
keep most debris out of it; sm.
river rock moves easily.
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Posted by Norminn on April 4, 2008, 12:27 pm
mr smith wrote:
>i have around my home, some shrubs, hedges and other
>assorted plant life.
>
>i think the previous owner had some "mulch" in the
>areas where those plants were.
>
>other areas have a lot of rocks, that, from one landscape
>guy told me, he didn't lay down a fabric, so the rocks
>just over the years sank into the dirt.
>
>my question is, which is better ?
>
>(a). to go with root mulch (not the wood type that
> termites love),
>
>or
>
>(b). rocks with a layer of anti-weed fabric underneath
>
>
>i think the rocks are a better idea, because it "should"
>help water run off during storms... right ? i mean at
>least that's what i think rocks in a perimeter drain do.
>(house does have a perimeter drain system by the way).
>
>but i have no experience with this type of stuff and
>am wondering what most people choose (and why).
>
>
>
For mulch that you refer to first, if it isn't wood then, what? Bark? Bark
lasts much longer but is worthless and blows around too much. Shredded
(not chipped) cypress is my favorite because it holds moisture well and
stays in
place, even with leaf blowers. Thick enough, and fairly compacted, it keeps
weeds down very well and keeps the ground moist..
We have used both cypress and rock around our condo. I have had to clean
up the messes like you describe where folks used rock without landscape
cloth. We used river rock, med. size, with landscape cloth where nothing
else will grow, and placed pavers in it in places so my bare feet don't have
to tred on rock to go to the faucet.
If you keep it clear of debris, then it won't support weeds. I had a
few small
plants that were not hardy, so I put them in pots and put the pots into
the ground
surrounded by rock. When the weather got too cold, I just pulled the pots
to take them indoors and stuck them back in the hole when the freeze was
over with.
Allegedly, pine needles make good mulch but didn't work for us. We have
a lot
of hedges, so the cypress was easier and more effective for us. If you
have a lot
of trees, you might want to shred the leaves and use them for mulch ...
great for
azaleas, rhododendrons. If you have a lot of room to fill, you might
want to consider
non-invasive ground covers, like hosta.
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Posted by ransley on April 4, 2008, 12:33 pm
> i have around my home, some shrubs, hedges and other
> assorted plant life.
>
> i think the previous owner had some "mulch" in the
> areas where those plants were.
>
> other areas have a lot of rocks, that, from one landscape
> guy told me, he didn't lay down a fabric, so the rocks
> just over the years sank into the dirt.
>
> my question is, which is better ?
>
> (a). to go with root mulch (not the wood type that
> =A0 =A0 =A0termites love),
>
> or
>
> (b). rocks with a layer of anti-weed fabric underneath
>
> i think the rocks are a better idea, because it "should"
> help water run off during storms... right ? i mean at
> least that's what i think rocks in a perimeter drain do.
> (house does have a perimeter drain system by the way).
>
> but i have no experience with this type of stuff and
> am wondering what most people choose (and why).
Much enriches soil as it decomposes, mulch holds water and keeps dirt
from drying, so you have to water less when its hot out, rock collects
debris, sinks and makes replanting hard.
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Posted by Joseph Meehan on April 4, 2008, 2:34 pm
I tend to use mulch if really needed, but most of the time I don't use
anything other than dirt or maybe grass or other living ground cover.
Overall I think people greatly over do the much thing.
>
> i have around my home, some shrubs, hedges and other
> assorted plant life.
>
> i think the previous owner had some "mulch" in the
> areas where those plants were.
>
> other areas have a lot of rocks, that, from one landscape
> guy told me, he didn't lay down a fabric, so the rocks
> just over the years sank into the dirt.
>
> my question is, which is better ?
>
> (a). to go with root mulch (not the wood type that
> termites love),
>
> or
>
> (b). rocks with a layer of anti-weed fabric underneath
>
>
> i think the rocks are a better idea, because it "should"
> help water run off during storms... right ? i mean at
> least that's what i think rocks in a perimeter drain do.
> (house does have a perimeter drain system by the way).
>
> but i have no experience with this type of stuff and
> am wondering what most people choose (and why).
>
>
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia 's Muire duit
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