Best Mulch ?

[TomDunreedy]

Hi all,

Can someone point me in the right direction ?
We put some nice black mulch in our garden and looked great!
However, after 6 months it's completely broken down and has disappeared!!

What type of mulch is best? That is, doesn't break down quickly...
The plants we have in the garden bed are a mixture of flax & palms.

Or should I have put more mulch down in the first place ?

Apologies if a thread like this has already been asked.

Thanks

[aussieorchid]

I am just about to redo my gardens as the previous owner was no gardener to say the least. I think they just let grow what ever shot up. After pricing a few options I think I am going to go with pebbles rather that mulch. My soon to be removed gardens have a bark chip mulch and it contains a lot of bugs and the ants (the big Black ones) seem to love building in any dry spot they find. And the weeds grow like crazy in it. I am also considering putting Bidim under the pebbles rather than weed mat as weeds seem to grow right through weed mat. Has anyone has any experence with bidim. The reason I was looking at bidim is I have to build a small garden retaining wall 3 blocks high and I was told this stuff works well at letting the water out and keeping the fine soil from washing through the blocks.

[abitfishy]

We've done a variety of things in our garden, woodchips, sugar cane mulch, pebbles, all with or without weedmat. The better bet is pebbles with weedmat underneath. However, if you EVER think you will need to plant a new plant in the garden, weedmat and/or pebbles make it a nightmare. If you don't tend to have too much a problem with introduced weeds/seeds from surrounding properties - ie, once you weed the area they don't pop up too soon afterwards, and you want to be able to garden in the area without too much hassle, then I would go with a mulch, but yes, it does break down. You just need to decide on weed protection vs usability. We have a major problem with onionweed, so we needed something weedproof, and the weed mat with pebbles does the job well.

[aussieorchid]

If you do use weed mat or similar and I wanted to plant something like black mondo grass would I then have to plant is above the weed mat as it spreads by runners or do I just make a long slit in the matting for it to grow through. And one had a similar situation with a plant they wanted to spread but had weed mat down.

[Dirty Doogie]

Hi Aussieorchid, only the thinner Bidim is suitable for an underlayer but grass and nutgrass still comes through.

[malb]

Have worked on a few projects of late. We have been using a 3-4 in layer of mulch with good success. The particular stuff we are using is being produced by a guy supplying all of the mulch for the new Eastlink Tollway being finished in Melbourne at the moment.

This guy accepts old hardwood fencing, reject timber etc from fencers and recycling depots, mulches it, screens it and sells it on. There is a good mix of fine, medium, and large (to 70 x 10 x 10mm) particles. Material packs down well and does a great job of keeping weeds out and moisture in.

Finished planting a 1/2 acre area in November, 40 small trees, shrubs, grasses and some ferns in a sheltered area under shade sails. Soil remains moist with brown 1 outlet/metre drip tube active for 2 hours twice a week, and is generally weed free. When we arrived on site 60% of the area was covered in weeds 300-600mm high, or running weed clumps up to 1.5m accross. Can now manage all weeds with a 1 litre pump bottle of Gly mix in about 20 minutes each week.

Think that the mulch works so well because it is a combination of sizes, The fines pack well and smother weeds, while the medium and coarse grades in the mix help to keep it in place. Has endured high winds, torential rain and just stays in place and works.

Have done a couple of smaller jobs with the same stuff since and seems to keep on keeping on. Can't guarantee that you will find something similar in your area though.

[Planned LScape]

You want a good all-round mulch with a bit of a mixture of different sized particles. Larger woodchips lose colour too quick, they get scattered around by birds etc, and don't really work to keep weeds down. Too small will break down very quickly.

Try for a mulch that has both medium-large pieces, plus smaller fines. This way it will look aesthetic, and will serve its purpose of keeping moisture and temperature in the soil. Just make sure it is 75mm (3") thick but keept it directly off the plant base so it wont rot

I usually use a medium pine bark/border bark/hammermill, name will depend on location. Also check to see if the mulch will affect the soil and plant conditions

[Ivan in Oz]

G'Day Tom, Others,

I am thinking that I am the opposite to you, TOM;
in what I want from my mulch.
I like it, when it is breaking down. It is adding to the garden FoodChain sas well.

I use a number of things;
SugarCane Mulch; when on Special; I 'over' purchase
Grass clippings; sometimes fresh, sometimes pre-composted with "STUFF"*

B&B, no not Bed and Breakfast

Feedlot Material; Fairly Raw and ACTIVE, this goes on top of the Grass and SC Mulch, with a watering...Phewww!!!!

* "STUFF"
Kitchen scraps which I mow into the lawn,
and then what I catch gets composted.