Mulch
- Thread starter chrisasst
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chips/noodles/shavings from milling & bowl turning,pieces/nuggets/sheets/strips of bark,all local species except for Black Walnut
chewed up oak leaves in the garden. (chewed up with the mower enough so the wind doesn't blow them around) I save them in a pile over the Winter.
My B-I-L manages a golf course so he has a nice wood chipper and dyes some brown for me.
I may have to buy them this year, though. Nice under bushes and landscape plants.
I've tried the black fabric, but dirt/dust/pollen/fines accumulate on top of it and the weeds grow in it.
My B-I-L manages a golf course so he has a nice wood chipper and dyes some brown for me.
I may have to buy them this year, though. Nice under bushes and landscape plants.
I've tried the black fabric, but dirt/dust/pollen/fines accumulate on top of it and the weeds grow in it.
Where are you mulching. I mulch differently in the vegetable garden versus our beds.
If you want a degradable weed block for vegetables, newpaper with grass clippings on top works well.
In beds we just use seasoned hardwood bark mulch.
As someone already mentioned. Watch out for Black Walnut and the Juglans it produces.
If you want a degradable weed block for vegetables, newpaper with grass clippings on top works well.
In beds we just use seasoned hardwood bark mulch.
As someone already mentioned. Watch out for Black Walnut and the Juglans it produces.
Mulch (for beauty's sake) is a ritual that has lost it's purpose for me. In the garden I use grass clippings/compost. Everywhere else I use crushed stone when I can, and hemlock where I must. Every year I try to either dig out some lawn and add an area of stone/hardscape or scrape off the bark mulch and cover the area with crushd stone. I have tried 1/2"- 1 1/4 and settle on 3/4" crushed granite in various colors. 1/2" doesn'ts stay put and <1" is too hard to move and too much tree/leaf debris get's caught and settles into it.
I love the stone because it lasts a lot longer, but it doesn't last forever because debris still gets in and you can't blow it all off. Turn it over, spray it down and you'll get another year but eventually the acorns and twigs will turn it into rock loam. Weed block I sometimes use more as a barrier layer (multiple layers, not a single sheet) to keep the dirt/stone seperate, but not since I bought a small compactor. Another good thing about stone/peastone is the critters don't usually dig into it, because the stone will just collapse back into to their hole/den.
I love the stone because it lasts a lot longer, but it doesn't last forever because debris still gets in and you can't blow it all off. Turn it over, spray it down and you'll get another year but eventually the acorns and twigs will turn it into rock loam. Weed block I sometimes use more as a barrier layer (multiple layers, not a single sheet) to keep the dirt/stone seperate, but not since I bought a small compactor. Another good thing about stone/peastone is the critters don't usually dig into it, because the stone will just collapse back into to their hole/den.
Every time I see folks out putting down mulch I think of one of our members (I forget who) who absolutely hates the "mulch volcanoes". That always amuses me . . . not sure why . . . but it does.
Oh yeah . . . this time of year also tends to be the time of year when we get mulch fires here in the big City when restaurants, the Mall, etc. have smokers who carelessly discard their cigarettes into the dried out mulch instead of the smoking cans as they enter the building.
Oh yeah . . . this time of year also tends to be the time of year when we get mulch fires here in the big City when restaurants, the Mall, etc. have smokers who carelessly discard their cigarettes into the dried out mulch instead of the smoking cans as they enter the building.
Growing up we used a lot of eel grass. It used to blow up on the beaches. I don't think you can drive on the beaches anymore.
Grass clipping are awesome mulch, but don't last long. Leaf mold is good for plants that can stand acid like tomatos.
Compost, also awesome.
My shrubs and flower beds get a lyaer of ash then bark from my processing area.
Grass clipping are awesome mulch, but don't last long. Leaf mold is good for plants that can stand acid like tomatos.
Compost, also awesome.
My shrubs and flower beds get a lyaer of ash then bark from my processing area.
Bark is a biproduct of our local timber industry. Mountains of it around the corner but the dange stuff is almost 30$ per cubic yard. Yes, it looks nice but I prefer vegetation so we plant those areas with spreading groundcover.
Sitting in the yard right now with snow on them I have 240 knick-a-nick (sp?) plants in 4" pots to be planted on where many folks would just apply bark. I will apply bark one time and then the plants will do the job.
Sitting in the yard right now with snow on them I have 240 knick-a-nick (sp?) plants in 4" pots to be planted on where many folks would just apply bark. I will apply bark one time and then the plants will do the job.
I'm trying to find edible ground cover but the damn deer are killing me. One of the little bastards was tasting my peach tree and I went after it barefoot in the snow, throwing my boots and hollering like a crazy person.
My wife has to appoligize for me on a regular basis. For some reason the neighborhood kids don't come over to play anymore.
My wife has to appoligize for me on a regular basis. For some reason the neighborhood kids don't come over to play anymore.
firebroad
Minister of Fire
Compost for veg garden, pine needles for flower beds, wood trash/bark/sawdust/sawnoodles for walkways. I found that pine needles do NOT acidify my soil significantly, contrary to popular belief. So outfits even sell it as "pine straw".
Hello chrisasst
Here is what I used from Home Depot and Market Basket.
See Pics and Detail here.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/does-weed-block-fabrick-work-mb-has-red-cbm-8-bags-for-10.87206/
I pant lots of hosta where I once would have put mulch. If you can keep the slugs out, you will have a safe shade tolerant ground cover that is fairly easy to take care of. Unlike wood chips it doesn't catch fire so it can go right up next to the house. If you don't rake the dead leaves after a frost, they quickly decay right back into the soil. New plants come up wether you attend to them or not. Some vanities can grow to the size of a barrel, others may only be a couple inches tall. Many colors and option available.
Eatonpcat
Minister of Fire
Is the question about mulch? Or blocker? Like a weed fabric blocker? Or both?
I use Preen Weed blocker and either Black Triple shred and River Rock. Depends on what area or island gets what..
I use Preen Weed blocker and either Black Triple shred and River Rock. Depends on what area or island gets what..
Shredded leaves, compost in the garden.
In flower beds- shredded leaves topped with bark mulch. It's cheaper than all bark mulch, the leaves are good for the soil, and the wife likes the look (it's our compromise).
Watch out with all wood chips- there's certain molds (shotgun/artillery fungus) that may take up residence and cause issues with house siding etc. Fine away from houses.
In flower beds- shredded leaves topped with bark mulch. It's cheaper than all bark mulch, the leaves are good for the soil, and the wife likes the look (it's our compromise).
Watch out with all wood chips- there's certain molds (shotgun/artillery fungus) that may take up residence and cause issues with house siding etc. Fine away from houses.
Good not to have anything in a state of decay next to your home. Too many things like bugs and fugus that can cause you no end to your headaches. Plant your foundation plantings, consider crushed stone, or even sand, but never anything that is rotting.
Creeping Charlie is edible & will grow like crazy in the shade. Will also spread like crazy if you don't watch it. It's in the mint family & tastes great in spring in green salads, sandwiches... Later in summer the leaves are tougher, but still not too bad.
I just took these in the rain. I still have a lot of plants and pots to set out, not to mention the amount of trimming that needs to be done!
Save$... Very nice. I spy a pellet vent in the 2nd from bottom.
Thanks for the pics. You have a beautiful home.
Thanks for the pics. You have a beautiful home.
Yes, when the plants are young. But about the third year, they get so thick, nothing survives but them. When frost hits, they turn rusty brown, then with a hard freeze, they drop flat on the ground like cooked spinach. Rake them off then. You might need to cut them in the fall, but if you wait until spring. They rake up fairly easy. Remember, you can get them that will grow from 6 inch to 3 feet. Many color selection. Can get infected with a rust fungus if bought from cheap outlets. Growing hostas can be a hobby. Some plants will sell for over $100. at hosta auctions. (none of mine). I'm Mr. Cheap! You can devide your clumps of plants. Swap with others and increase your collection. Number one problem with them is slugs and snails. They can grow in sun and shade. The ground they grow on seldoms dries out because of the thick canopy they provide.
Eatonpcat
Minister of Fire
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