Landscape help please
+6
Last year I put mulch around everything to make the yard look better. I live in Frazier Park. No grass. All dirt and rocks. I can't seem to keep the pesky weeds from coming right up through the mulch. Then there is the area around the pool. It would look awesome with grass, even artificial grass but everything is so darn expensive. What is the cheapest way to make my wrap around yard look neat and tidy?
Did you put down landscape plastic under the mulch. That would be the easiest way to be the most weed free. Fabric may let the most tenacious weeds and grasses come through easier. I would lay paver or brick paths to the pool and around it. You can make improvements piecemeal so that it doesn't cost as much. Gather what you need gradually for larger areas over time. Even the paths can be done a bit at a time. This makes it easier on the budget. I also use Preen Weed Preventer according to the directions and it prevents the weed seeds from germinating. It doesn't control the weeds that are root born, like creeping charlie and some grasses. That you have to dig up all the way back to the mother plant to make sure you get all the shoots and runners. I hope this helps you some to get ideas of what you want your yard to look like, Debbie! Have fun planning and getting your yard together!
Honestly I think you gotta go with what you got going. Rock it all in! Landscaping fabric underneath. Then pea gravel it all but put a walkway path to the pool using landscaping concrete squares.
I'm not a fan of mulch because it looks bad so quickly. It fades, it draws bugs and feral cats that use it for their litter box. And really if you have to keep digging the weeds out of it alot of work.
Good luck Debbie!
Put down weed block or the cheap way would be a thick layer a of newspaper
lay plastic after you get the big weeds out and cleared, some people say you can use newspaper but i dont see that working..like you i live on a rock pit..lol..all grass grown is from bringing topsoil in and backfilling alot of places..and then, WATER WATER WATER AND THEN WATER AGAIN..LOL..as for your mulching..lay plastic.. You can use landscaping drop covers but I have never used or bought it as i see it too expensive when there are so many other alternatives ...As for me and it works great,i use the plastic drops for painting that you can buy cheap and get like 4 ina package..its clear plastic but not very thick..but they are BIG pieces of plastic..fold to a thickness that would be good enough to smother the pesky things out...then cover with your mulch..red mulch will keep its color for several years.....i need to be on my phone so i could show you pictures and how i did the landscaping like this...its very easy and looks so clean as you know..but I haven't had any weeds come through and i have actually dug down planted things and they grow beautifully because the soil stays so moist..good luck and I hope my rambling helped you ,or at least gave you ideas..Have a beautiful day.
Remove all the mulch, spray weeds, lay down landscape fabric -NOT black plastic - the fabric must be put down with the correct side up so I blow on one side of it, if the air goes through, put the side you've blown on UP as the moisture must be able to go through it. The side that goes down on the ground will not let anything grow or go through it. Next, put some small rocks on top of the fabric. Mulch will compost and just make fertilizer/soil for weeds so if you're going to use it, put it down than put the landscape fabric over it. The rocks will help prevent weed growth. Good Luck!
Howdy neighbor! I am just downhill from you! It is a challenge isn't it? Landscape fabric under any rock or mulch will certainly help. To combat the weeds that will pop-up no matter what you do, just spray with vinegar as you see them. Boiling water works well too.
Around the pool, lay landscape fabric then use tumbled gravel (a few dollars more per scoop or ton, but well worth it), and add well placed stepping stones for a neater appearance. Again weeds are going to land on top, spread by wind, wildlife and people. Vinegar, Epsom salt followed by boiling water or just plain boiling water will do the trick.
Just be glad you have the pool, another heat wave expected this weekend!