I was taking care of a house on the Florida coast. It had a mulch flower bed up next to the house. It also had a carpenter ant problem. I determined that the colony for the carpenter ants was in the mulch bed. I carefully relocated that colony next to a fallen tree in a nearby field. I'm happy to report the carpenter ants loved the dead tree, and the homeowner loved not having the carpenter ants as house guests.
First, I removed the mulch and then I purchased a good grade potting soil and mushroom compost. I mixed them together and filled the void left by the removal of years of piling mulch on top of mulch. I added weed cloth and then a layer of white river rocks.
You might say oh, but mushroom compost can be harmful to salt sensitive plants. Remember this house was on the Florida coast where almost all native plants have a high tolerance for salt. That's right, we went with a native Florida coast plant bed. It looked beautiful and did not require additional watering beyond what nature provided.
Tell me about it. I have a huge house that’s 3/4ths surrounded by rock that went unkept for 4 yrs. Sprinkler lines weren’t blown out so they busted when winter hit and now I’m having to remove the rock little by little because I can’t afford to hire someone else to do it. Long story short, take this guy’s advice
9 Comments
Mulch is a $ pit that looks good for 3 months. Rock looks the same all the time.
I was taking care of a house on the Florida coast. It had a mulch flower bed up next to the house. It also had a carpenter ant problem. I determined that the colony for the carpenter ants was in the mulch bed. I carefully relocated that colony next to a fallen tree in a nearby field. I'm happy to report the carpenter ants loved the dead tree, and the homeowner loved not having the carpenter ants as house guests.
First, I removed the mulch and then I purchased a good grade potting soil and mushroom compost. I mixed them together and filled the void left by the removal of years of piling mulch on top of mulch. I added weed cloth and then a layer of white river rocks.
You might say oh, but mushroom compost can be harmful to salt sensitive plants. Remember this house was on the Florida coast where almost all native plants have a high tolerance for salt. That's right, we went with a native Florida coast plant bed. It looked beautiful and did not require additional watering beyond what nature provided.
Tell me about it. I have a huge house that’s 3/4ths surrounded by rock that went unkept for 4 yrs. Sprinkler lines weren’t blown out so they busted when winter hit and now I’m having to remove the rock little by little because I can’t afford to hire someone else to do it. Long story short, take this guy’s advice
Nothing better than rocks.
Mulch goes moldy if you put it on too thick. Rocks will look the same 20 years for now and longer.
Rock all day. Mulch is trash. Stinks. Why would i do this year after year. Waste of money.
If you live in a humid or rainy climate, mulch gets disgusting after a few months…
Rocks are better
Dont use small rocks. At least a brick size i think