Does Bark/mulch attract unwanted....?

clogher71

Hi All

We have a new house and I want to put down bark/mulch with a membrane to stop weeds and sow trees in the future along driveway.

My question is does Bark/mulch attract mice etc, I don't have any cats or dogs near by.

Any other cost effective ways of keeping down weeds?, Decorative stone would be a lot more expensive.

km79

clogher71 wrote: »

Hi All

We have a new house and I want to put down bark/mulch with a membrane to stop weeds and sow trees in the future along driveway.

My question is does Bark/mulch attract mice etc, I don't have any cats or dogs near by.

Any other cost effective ways of keeping down weeds?, Decorative stone would be a lot more expensive.

Have you priced mulch ? I'd be interested to know how much it is as I'm considering doing similar to an existing strip of lawn

paddy147

Approx 5-6 euro per 80 litre bag of bark mulch.

Mypex is approx 50 euro for a 1.1 x 50 meter roll.

ymurtagh

No Bark does not attract mice or other unwanted, 50euro per cubic metre (builders bag)

km79

The area I'd be considering doing would be roughly 120 feet by 20 feet !!! Although if I ever do it I may do just half and raise that bit up with sleepers

bbam

Bark mulch with a membrane under isn't a great job.
It will be fine for a year or two. However being a degradable product it will break down into a rich compost on top of the membrane and grow savage weeds.

I'd recommend no membrane and deeper mulch or go with stone on the membrane

clogher71 wrote: »

Hi All

We have a new house and I want to put down bark/mulch with a membrane to stop weeds and sow trees in the future along driveway.

My question is does Bark/mulch attract mice etc, I don't have any cats or dogs near by.

Any other cost effective ways of keeping down weeds?, Decorative stone would be a lot more expensive.

ymurtagh

i would agree with bbam but would use membrane if it is a play area

clogher71

Rough price, a person told me his neighbour got a lorry load, E300 delivered, it was 8 cubic meters, but I would have to have to get that confirmed. I would need at least that much. I am guessing decorative stone would be three times that?

Its not a play area just side of driveway into house, which we want to sow trees along. I would pile the mulch high, but I have heard it can attract mice, in the same way I have heard wooden decking, sleepers etc can attract them.

We don't have that kind of money to spend on stone

paddy147

clogher71 wrote: »

Rough price, a person told me his neighbour got a lorry load, E300 delivered, it was 8 cubic meters, but I would have to have to get that confirmed. I would need at least that much. I am guessing decorative stone would be three times that?

Its not a play area just side of driveway into house, which we want to sow trees along. I would pile the mulch high, but I have heard it can attract mice, in the same way I have heard wooden decking, sleepers etc can attract them.

We don't have that kind of money to spend on stone

Bark mulch,some nice silver birch trees and then underplanted with various spring and summer flowering bulbs,or the likes of an everygreem ground cover like Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese spurge).Lovely little white flowers off them too.

Beautifull.:)

The Princess Bride

I would recommend saving up and doing it properly with the decorative stone and double layers of membrane.

I did this and it looks well and works well-minimal weak weeds,if any.
Mulch, regardless of depth,will only last a few years anyway,(as has been said already.)

What's the rush? Do it once,and do it properly.

ymurtagh

what size area is it?
price sounds about right

paddy147

msthe80s wrote: »

I would recommend saving up and doing it properly with the decorative stone and double layers of membrane.

I did this and it looks well and works well-minimal weak weeds,if any.
Mulch, regardless of depth,will only last a few years anyway,(as has been said already.)

What's the rush? Do it once,and do it properly.

Sorry but I feel that when you say "do it propperly" that you dont think that using bark mulch is doing a job propperly,and that anyone who uses bark mulch doesnt do a job propperly.

Lots of people use bark mulch and do things propperly.

Some people like the more natural look of bark mulch as opposed to a stone look.

I would be one of those people,and I find that the bark mulch is a more natural and enviromentaly friendly way of doing things.

bbam

Yea
Bark mulch looks great under trees and shrubs, very natural and breaks down to improve the soil too.

I just wouldn't recommend a membrane under it. Spend the membrane money on more bark mulch and a deeper layer will reduce all but the persistent weeds that can be spot sprayed to kill.

looksee

I have bark mulch, also have small pebbles. I prefer the look of them to the decorative stone, you need to look out for a nice colour though. There is a pleasant brownish colour comes from Wexford. €85 a tonne delivered.

planetX

currently having a hellish time pulling up membrane with bark - when I moved in it was full of bramble, couch-grass and all sorts which had put roots down thru the membrane and spread underneath to pop up everywhere.
Long story short - you will still have to keep on top of weeding.

morg

Hi,
If you do choose to use a membrane as a weed barrier don't buy Mypex or similar expensive brands. We use Terram membrane sourced from chadwicks and it works a treat. It comes in a massive roll about 4m long and is permeable to let water through. It isn't made from coal bag material will not to shreds after a few years. Suitable for pebble or bark mulch and easy to trim for plants/edges. Weeds can't grow through it either. Far superior product compared with what you'll get in garden centers.
HTH

paddy147

Ive never had any issues with Mypex and both myself and my girlfriend have used it alot,in gardens and under block paved driveways.

Can be had in 1 meter wide rolls up to 4 meter wide rolls and up to 50 meters in length.

Tough as fcuk too.:)

ymurtagh

agree with you "paddy147" never had any issue with mypex or protex etc

leeomurchu

Bark mulch ends up a right state after a year or so you'll end up with a load of mushrooms growing in it,the neighbour has it and cats use it as their toilet. I'd go with slate chippings if I were you a lot less hassle and cleaner.

muckyhands

Suppose it all boils down to what you want to achieve-

If you use weed fabric, of any kind, with a top layer of mulch, your choice of plants are limited. Perennials wont spread, ground covers wont spread, self seeding plants and bulbs wont seed and spread etc. etc. etc.

By far the best weed control is the plants you plant, themselves, in that they compete with the weeds.

In my opinion there is nothing worse or more unnatural than bare soil- whether its covered with bark/ stone or whatever......

Which is why, in my own garden that I did, decided to pull up all the mypex, because I didnt want to use it in the first place and got soooo fed up of it!

I would far rather put the effort into it, forego the fabric and use a natural looking mulch, like bark, put up with some weeding, and have the ground smothered in greenery and flowers at various times of the year and have plants that will self seed and pop up here and there-

Far nicer than vast areas of bark or stone- with a plant dotted here and there- because that is all the fabric will allow , rather than a complete covering of plants in the ground.

Just to add I believe its impossible to use stone without fabric because it eventually all gets mixed in with the soil, causes problems and looks like sh1t.

muckyhands

I happen to like mushrooms and hey- we all have to 'go' somewhere.

I have yet to lose any sleep because the local little black cat, who is sooo affectionate I have to add (coz he knows hes doing wrong? Nah, sure when you gotta go, you gotta go!) leaves 'presents' for me now and then. :rolleyes:

clogher71

A few good ideas and tips there....I want to sow leylandii trees along one side of my driveway/house. It would be too awkward and time consuming to be trying to cut around them with a lawn mower....Good to see no one had a problem with mice...

I am leaning towards stone, it would not have to be piled as high as the bark and should last longer.

Any one know what is the cheapest 'presentable' stone?

It would be a lorry load!.

bbam

The whole project just went out the window when you mentioned the dreaded leylandii ! Don't do it !

Ddad

Leylandii! Don't do it. You'll get old they'll get big (when you can't cut them anymore. It took two day to cut cart off and dig out one flaming tree in our house and it was only in there 10 years. They are a nice specimen tree for parkland but other than that:eek:.

I like deep bark mulch BTW as it is a great weed suppresant and when they do come up they tend to be sappy and weak and are more easily pulled or sprayed off. Gravel mulches over time will get contaminated by windfall leaves and debris and is apain to keep clean. Bark breaks down and you lorry on more. Make sure you add some nitrogen rich fertiliser around your plants before you deep mulch as it depletes nitrogen as it breaks down and can stunt plants in the short/medium term.

ymurtagh

wow leylandi are 1 of the best hedges you can plant, if looked after.

leeomurchu

muckyhands wrote: »

I happen to like mushrooms and hey- we all have to 'go' somewhere.

I have yet to lose any sleep because the local little black cat, who is sooo affectionate I have to add (coz he knows hes doing wrong? Nah, sure when you gotta go, you gotta go!) leaves 'presents' for me now and then. :rolleyes:

Hope you've no kids playing in your garden so as there is a risk of toxoplasmosis from car faeces, Glad you like the local cat pissing and ****ting in your garden. odd

bbam

ymurtagh wrote: »

wow leylandi are 1 of the best hedges you can plant, if looked after.

Maybe. But sooner or later they get neglected and then BOOM, it twice the size it was the last time you looked out the window and there is no going back.

OP, how about western red cedar, my understanding is you will have the same hedge but can cut it hard back and it will regrow. Check it out.

paddy147

leeomurchu wrote: »

Hope you've no kids playing in your garden so as there is a risk of toxoplasmosis from car faeces, Glad you like the local cat pissing and ****ting in your garden. odd

Do you understand the ":rolleyes:" at the end of Muckyhands post and what it is in relation to??


Have a read of it again so.



Also,dont mushrooms grow in wild and meadow style gardens,public parks and forests (especially around trees and old dead branches) and dont kids all play and run around these places and play in the grass too???


But maybe not in your part of the world though?

noddyone2

Bark mulch will turn to a sort of compost in a couple of years, and will alter the Ph of your soil. The disadvantage of sleepers is that they get really slippy.

noddyone2

DO NOT, DO NOT sow them flocking leylandii. I did, both sides of the garden, they were the worst thing ever, for me, the garden, the neighbours. The dried up the garden, nothing grows near them ,if a branch tips the ground, it roots. Jebus, I'm going to have nightmares tonight. One Saturday, I got the chainsaw and cleared the lot, put in Beech instead - pure bliss.

paddy147

noddyone2 wrote: »

Bark mulch will turn to a sort of compost in a couple of years, and will alter the Ph of your soil. The disadvantage of sleepers is that they get really slippy.

Grass gets slippy when wet too.

Plenty of surfaces can get slippy when wet.