I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.




My experience is limited to cedar bark, in both chip and shredded form. In
dry weather, the chips blow around. Either that or the squirrels play soccer
with them. And, they don't form a nice mat. The shredded bark tends to stay
put. I put down a 4" layer and it lasts a couple of years. Color fades, but
never looks weird. Speaking of which, do not under any circumstances buy the
stupid artificially colored mulch. Nasty. Ugly. My neighbor uses it. He says
"When people see it, they know I've been gardening."

Wrong. People know you think Fingerhut is an upscale shopping experience.
:-)

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

Bill


Rochester, Nueva York

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

Bill


Rochester, Nueva York

Sic the dogs on 'em.
--

Billy

Impeach Pelosi, Bush & Cheney to the Hague
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Bill" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

Bill


Rochester, Nueva York

Sic the dogs on 'em.
--

Billy


Dogs on this property are called "targets".

On Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:54:26 -0400, Bill
wrote:

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

This is for Long Beach, California, 90807.

Good hint on the gap to the structure, which we pretty much follow
anyhow - and then have the Orkin guy come once a month and spray the
boundary.

J.

(excuse me posting from multiple workstations!)

In article ,
JXStern wrote:

On Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:54:26 -0400, Bill
wrote:

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

Try to keep chips away from wooden structures you value. How far you
think? I'd go 2 or 3 feet depending on your clime. Termites and
critters. Not good.
For that matter the idea of foundation planting would benefit from
space from the dwelling and those little plants can get big. Adobe soil
means clay with little microbe life i guess.

Where do you live about?

This is for Long Beach, California, 90807.

Good hint on the gap to the structure, which we pretty much follow
anyhow - and then have the Orkin guy come once a month and spray the
boundary.

J.

(excuse me posting from multiple workstations!)

I'd look into what you have the Orkin guy sprays for. Than I'd deprive
them of habitat. I have no idea what is bothersome in your area.
Here I bait boric acid and sugar for ants with a yearly dose of
pennyroyal essential oil along a few spots in my basement if I see any
carpenter ant sign. The latter is not toxic but it is effective smell
deterrent.


Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

On Mar 13, 1:56�pm, "zzznot" wrote:
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. �It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. �So,
is there any downside to using it? �Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Pine bark nuggets work well. They're typically available in three
sizes, small. medium. and large. I like to use a mix of large and
medium piled about six inches deep. They are heavy enough that the
wind won't blow them around and wood eating insects do not eat pine
bark. The only drawback is if you have poor drainage causing large
puddles, then they may float away... it's best to contain them with
some sort of edging regardless, same as with any mulch.

http://www.thelandscapeshop.com/Hort.../Pine_Bark.htm

"Sheldon" wrote in message
...
On Mar 13, 1:56?pm, "zzznot" wrote:
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. ?It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. ?So,
is there any downside to using it? ?Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Pine bark nuggets work well. They're typically available in three
sizes, small. medium. and large. I like to use a mix of large and
medium piled about six inches deep. They are heavy enough that the
wind won't blow them around and wood eating insects do not eat pine
bark. The only drawback is if you have poor drainage causing large
puddles, then they may float away... it's best to contain them with
some sort of edging regardless, same as with any mulch.

http://www.thelandscapeshop.com/Hort.../Pine_Bark.htm

----------

Tried that last year. Stuff definitely floats away if not dammed in some
fashion. Does slow down weeds and such. Aids in moisture retention.
However, breaks down much faster than cedar mulch.

A local landscaper recommends it (pine bark) vehemently as a mix with new
soil for grass. He says it cuts down the need for fertilizer and keeps the
soil drained. Am on 2nd year with one plot with soil immersed in pine bark,
the other not, same topsoil used. He also said for established lawns, just
throw the bark out in the yard liberally. Mow it with a mulching blade.
Mow it once a week until the bark is absorbed, then mow as needed for lawn
growth. Took 4 weeks here on an established area.

--
Dave

My vote in this primary was for the lesser
of many evils...

In article sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03,
"zzznot" wrote:

I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

If you used a good mulch, like alfalfa, you would simultaneously feed
your plants and make good soil as well hold down weeds and retain
moisture.

--
Bush Behind Bars

Billy
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/

On Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:19:38 -0800, Billy
wrote:

If you used a good mulch, like alfalfa, you would simultaneously feed
your plants and make good soil as well hold down weeds and retain
moisture.

What's been done here over the years is, when a new bush or bed is
planted, the adobe is modestly dug out, and the hole filled with some
kind of bedding soil. But somehow, a year or so later, it seems like
all adobe again! House could use a total relandscape, actually, I'm
just patching for now.

J.

On Mar 13, 1:56�pm, "zzznot" wrote:
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. �It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. �So,
is there any downside to using it? �Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

It's a bit pricey but for smaller areas buckwheat hulls make excellent
mulch.

https://tbmpy.com/product_yard.htm

Bark mulch is made up of mostly suberin which is long chains of fatty acids.
No cellulose avail. to feed the soil micros. That's the down side.

--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.


"zzznot" wrote in message
news:sVdCj.21308$Qy3.12475@trnddc03...
I thought I'd spread some decorative bark on
the ground of the flower beds and between
some bushes, where the adobe soil otherwise
gets cracked and bare. It's supposed to
hold down weeds and retain moisture. So,
is there any downside to using it? Or, is
it just good organic matter anyway?

Thanks.

J.

"symplastless" wrote in message
. ..
Bark mulch is made up of mostly suberin which is long chains of fatty
acids. No cellulose avail. to feed the soil micros. That's the down side.


Nonsense, for the real compostion of bark:
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn091.pdf

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding
us that we are not the boss.

Deadwood is neither forester, nor tree expert.