Every time I put down Mulch it gets washed away when it rains.

Spa22493324
by Spa22493324
What can I do About it.
How do I stop that from happening. A border. Will only cause it to flood.

  12 answers
  • FL FL on May 01, 2017

    Hi! I would put up a border/barrier wall, even one a few inches tall may help to keep the mulch in place. Use bricks, pavers, plastic/rubber border in a roll, even stones/rocks. I'd go with something that can take a whack from your weed whacker when you do lawn care. You may also want to use a pitch fork to poke holes in the soil in your garden in case it is too hard to absorb the rain. Good luck!

  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on May 01, 2017

    Mulch is never going to be a permanent situation regardless .You will always have to add it regardless if this is a border or not.

    • Gregg Gregg on May 02, 2017

      You are right mulch will always need refreshing, but a border will prevent it from washing away, which was the question.

  • Mary E Cates Mary E Cates on May 01, 2017

    I had the same problem, so I went to Lowes & got a landscape edger, & some stakes to hold it in place. The height is about 2- 3 inches. It's not too high, but, not too low unless you put more mulch in the area than the height of the edger. It's dark green, sturdy & can curve. I really like mine, & I've not seen it to cause any flooding at all.

  • Graham Hooper Graham Hooper on May 02, 2017

    Get some Shade Cloth Netting and cut into Strips to use as Edging Free draining Would Hold the Mulch unless the Flood waters were Higher than Border

  • Spa22493324 Spa22493324 on May 02, 2017

    Thanks, I guess I will try to put some kind of border around it.

  • Deb Deb on May 02, 2017

    Try using pine straw as your mulch. Once it's down and has been rained on a few times it forms an almost interlocking mat around your plants and it stays in place!

  • Debbie Spilsbury Debbie Spilsbury on May 02, 2017

    I use the bigger 'chunky' bark. It's windy where I live almost 24-7 and 365!! I had the finer bark mulch EVERYWHERE!! Now we have the bigger bark that's appx 2"x3" pieces and it stays put with only a small rock (less than fist size) border. Hope this helps! Deb from.....ready??.......Hurricane, Utah......honest!

  • Donna Donna on May 02, 2017

    I was also tired of my mulch washing/blowing away so last year I put down edging similar to this picture; it has kept the mulch in pretty well. As was stated in other comments, you will still lose some to the wind and you will have to refresh it, but this does help contain it.

  • Beachbren12 Beachbren12 on May 02, 2017

    Rubber mulch is the answer! It's a more expensive initial investment, however, it doesn't rot and therefore doesn't need to be replaced each year! Bugs of all types hate the smell of it and won't be feasting on your plants! We got rid of snails and roaches and lots of snakes hiding beneath layers of old wooden mulch by clearing it out, covering the dirt with cinnamon which kills mold and messes up the senses of snakes and bugs, putting black rubber edging around the flower beds to hold the mulch in place. Nuggets are heavier and stay in place better than the shredded rubber mulch if you are in an area that gets a lot of wind and/or rain, and it never sun-fades. We hauled off 130 XL bags of old wooden mulch when we purchased our house 3 years ago, put in edging and rubber mulch nuggets because we needed to be rid of snakes and wanted something low-maintenance. It's held up thru hurricane winds and rain and still looks wonderful! We use a wet/dry shop vac to pick up dead leaves from the top of it in the autumn.

  • Vel14616494 Vel14616494 on May 02, 2017

    I use bark chips and edge the beds.

  • Bobby P. Lavergne Bobby P. Lavergne on Feb 02, 2022

    I realize this answer is from 2017 statements in the blog. However, I use to use red wood chip mulch. Exterminator found termites in the corner of my bed, that had not entered the house. I decided to break down and get the larger, chunky rubber mulch for filling the flower beds. Don't believe the statements of flowers/shrubs not growing in thick plastic (V-squeen) just how we call it down south. Laid it down, cut holes for my flowers & shrubs & filled with the rubber mulch. Has not floated or blown away. It does settle, which is expected. I've purchased about 20 more bags & spread around my house. Couldn't be more happy with less bugs, no termites. I'll rake the mulch near my front barrier (which is 4" thick landscape blocks) & then trim my shrubs. If you want termites, just keep using any type of wood, cedar or even cypress & you'll have your new pets...Big nugget rubber mulch is the best...

  • Terri Matheis Terri Matheis on Apr 13, 2022

    Has anyone used the Dominator Mulch Anchor? Did it work?