Mulch

let's discuss.

What does mulch do?

do you like it around flower and bush beds?

We're thinking of mulch.

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Love Mulch!!!

It keeps weeds from popping up and keeps the moisture in the dirt so you don't have to water soooo often.

It also looks so polished and gives a great "finished" look to the garden!!

ETA: they have so many different kinds now with all different colors. Perfect for any garden or bush area.

Im a big fan!!

Message edited 5/22/2009 11:45:27 AM.

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Posted by Linda1003

Love Mulch!!!

It keeps weeds from popping up and keeps the moisture in the dirt so you don't have to water soooo often.

It also looks so polished and gives a great "finished" look to the garden!!

ETA: they have so many different kinds now with all different colors. Perfect for any garden or bush area.

Im a big fan!!

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we're thinking of red mulch.

I like black mulch too because it makes the beds look like rich soil.

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We used the red mulch... Looks terrific!!!

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We have red mulch & love the look. However, how are you all keeping yourselves weed free? Mine is not working like that! We have a TON of weeds still

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Agree with what everyone said.

The key to weed-free mulched beds is the prep. We had landscapers completely level part of our yard, rip up all the weeds, and then put the mulch down. We wanted to do landscape fabric too, but they didn't do that.

Landscape fabric is good but will be a PITA when you choose to put something in the bed. A box cutter helps there though.

Keep in mind, mulch will fade and gray during the season, especially in full sun. You might find yourself removing some of it next year and putting more down. We got brown mulch so the change wasn't as evident but I know it won't look that good in 3 months.

Oh and a few weeds are popping up but nothing like it was. I'm going to pull and spray with vinegar + water to keep them under control.

Lastly, if you mulch with rocks, they will raise the immediate temperature around them.

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FYI, the Town of Islip has free mulch at their composting facility just south of the Ronkonkoma train station. I stop by there every once in a while and fill the bed of my truck with mulch. There's no limit to what you can have. Just bring a shovel and somewhere to put it. It's the black type.

I would go broke if I had to buy bags of mulch....

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Posted by jellybean1420

Posted by kat151

Posted by GoldenRod

FYI, the Town of Islip has free mulch at their composting facility just south of the Ronkonkoma train station. I stop by there every once in a while and fill the bed of my truck with mulch. There's no limit to what you can have. Just bring a shovel and somewhere to put it. It's the black type.

I would go broke if I had to buy bags of mulch....

I always wondered about the free mulch because we have a place by us in Smithtown. Is it clean? I know that sounds funny but I heard sometimes they can have alot of insects so I was worried about that.

Wondering that as well. Is it the same as the bags of mulch you buy in the stores?

My grandmother lives in Town of Islip. I'll take her with me to pick up mulch for our yard

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Love black mulch!

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spend $$ on the preen with miracle grow.
Do what you normally do with the soil (i do nothing, i have a ton of worms and little weeds), Plant flowers, drizzle down preen. water well. throw mulch on top. that's it!!

i never weed, my impatiens grow like wild-fire! i have good luck.

i got the scotts red mulch this year, did black last year and am happy with it.

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Well the landscaper is doing it all.

He is charging $300 for my whole property. Maybe I can convince him to get it for free and just pay hin for the labor.

I think $300 is ok though for all the prep and buying and laying it all down. I didn't know though that you have to replace it year after year. That makes me not want to pay $300.

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I've used town mulch too, and didn't have many issues. I heard the same about insects which I suppose is possible. I've had shrubs that were infested with things like mealy bugs. All they do is chip the branches that get picked up from the curb.

I had a bag or two that I didn't use right away and kept it next to my shed. The next time I went to grab some a few weeks later, I found the bottom infested with termites.

I guess that's the danger of using wood based mulch, no matter what you use.

As far as replacing it, I don't know that you have to get it all dug up each year. You could probably just 'fluff' it so it doesn't form a mat and then add some top dressing to it.

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I just laid black mulch down in my veggie garden and new plant beds. It looks so good (this week at least, LOL).

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We use the free mulch from the Town of Smithtown (over 100 yds for the backyard) and we buy Black Mulch from PowerCrush in Kings Park (for planting beds in the front of the house.)


We've been using the free mulch from the TOS for several years now with no issues.

The only prob with the dyed mulch is that it ruins your shoes & clothes.

Message edited 5/22/2009 5:34:33 PM.

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I guess if I had a pick up I could transport the mulch and save some money.

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Never seen black mulch until I moved here..... Now that's one look I like a lot....

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