Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

"John" wrote in message
...
Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.


I would think that Helga Walters (Housekeeper) would be the one to ask.
Perhaps she will "honor" our little group and provide the answer that only
she could provide! On the chance that this is a serious question, I'm sure
that many others on the list will chime in with their opinions. :-)

How about a permanent organic solution...gravel?

"John" wrote in message
...
Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I'm not sure about rubber, but you can use decomposed granite. It will be hard
to penetrate once it establishes itself and becomes impermeable. Pea stones can
be used, but you chance losing them is a good gully wash comes through and you
are on a slope. The idea of mulch is to break down slowly and replenish the
soil with adequate food for micro and macro organisms. Is there a reason why
you want something permanent?


On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 04:54:50 GMT, "John" wrote:

Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I just got a quote for replenishing mulch on our flower and shrub beds. It
was high enough to prompt me to look for a "permanent" solution. That's
all.
While I am on this topic, if I am to replenish with organic mulch,
which is the best kind - cedar, pine needle, etc?
Morever, what is the optimum thickness?
One quote showed 3", while the other listed 1.5-2" (and claimed anything
more was a waste).

"animaux" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure about rubber, but you can use decomposed granite. It will be
hard
to penetrate once it establishes itself and becomes impermeable. Pea
stones can
be used, but you chance losing them is a good gully wash comes through and
you
are on a slope. The idea of mulch is to break down slowly and replenish
the
soil with adequate food for micro and macro organisms. Is there a reason
why
you want something permanent?


On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 04:54:50 GMT, "John" wrote:

Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

If you are using it as a cushion for your children when they fall, I don't
really recommend mulch because it can cause splinters. If you go with mulch,
cedar will break down slower than pine. Optimum thickness is probably at least
three inches both under the swing set and for the flower beds, as well. IMO


On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:54:33 GMT, "John" wrote:

I just got a quote for replenishing mulch on our flower and shrub beds. It
was high enough to prompt me to look for a "permanent" solution. That's
all.
While I am on this topic, if I am to replenish with organic mulch,
which is the best kind - cedar, pine needle, etc?
Morever, what is the optimum thickness?
One quote showed 3", while the other listed 1.5-2" (and claimed anything
more was a waste).

"animaux" wrote in message
.. .
I'm not sure about rubber, but you can use decomposed granite. It will be
hard
to penetrate once it establishes itself and becomes impermeable. Pea
stones can
be used, but you chance losing them is a good gully wash comes through and
you
are on a slope. The idea of mulch is to break down slowly and replenish
the
soil with adequate food for micro and macro organisms. Is there a reason
why
you want something permanent?


On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 04:54:50 GMT, "John" wrote:

Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

I prefer cement.


"John" wrote in message
...
Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.
If there is an alternative, is it cost effective?
Where can I get it?
Is it as effective as organic mulch in water conservation and
weed control?
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 04:54:50 GMT, "John"
wrote:

Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,

The Anasazi Indians and later Southwestern Native Americans used mulch
to control soil temperature (I may be making that up but I think I
heard so). To get their crops up in the Spring, they would use dark
colored sands and gravels as mulch to heat the soils. In the summer
they would switch to light colored sands, etc., to keep the soils
cooler.

So, the mulch was used to retain soil moisture and keep soil
temperatures in the correct range.

In my spare time I have been goofing around with container glass
recycling - grinding up bottles and trying to figure out what to do
with the particulate glass, termed cullet in that industry. One use
of the larger sized particles is mulch and you could use clear glass
for "heat reflecting" mulch and brown glass for "heat absorbing"
mulch.

I have been using it mostly in potted plants so I do not end up with a
hazardous waste site in my back yard. Smaller sized glass particles
corrode fairly rapidly and would release the chemicals in the glass to
the soil, so I think you would have to use the bigger, pea
gravel-sized glass to avoid that.

So smooth glass cullet is a mulch possibility but I would not
recommend it until I had some test results from what comes out of the
glass, long-term that is.

Rusty Mase


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On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 15:04:46 -0500, Rusty Mase wrote:


So smooth glass cullet is a mulch possibility but I would not
recommend it until I had some test results from what comes out of the
glass, long-term that is.

Rusty Mase

I've seen glass mulch. It comes in many colors. The only problem now is I have
no idea where I saw it. It was on one of the gardening shows. Perhaps it was A
Gardeners Diary. The gardener used it in ways to add to the aesthetic of his
Zen garden. He placed the glass in contrasting spirals and shapes, sort of like
a mosaic. He used blue, green/blue, red, brown and clear glass colors. The
edges were all smooth. I recall they were tumbled as a stone would be to make
smooth edges.

On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 20:50:40 GMT, animaux
wrote:

I've seen glass mulch. It comes in many colors. The only problem
now is I have no idea where I saw it.

The problem is the weight. It weighs about 85 pounds a cubic foot so
shipping it is a problem. A cubic yard would weigh more than a ton.

The edges were all smooth. I recall they were tumbled as a stone would be to make
smooth edges.

Yes, it depends on the machinery. Most waste glass is processed with
Hammer Mills and that appears to wear away the sharp edges. I am
using a Ball Mill and that does the same. I have ground up a ton or
more of glass bottles in the last 3 years and have not been cut by it
once. Even doing the final processing by hand.

But it is the metals in the glass I worry about and I would not
recommend soil contact without detailed studies on what comes out of
the glass and how fast it is released. That is why lead glass crystal
is considered a hazardous waste. Red glass can be colored with
uranium oxides - so you get the drift.

Rusty


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On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 01:54:33 GMT, "John"
wrote:

I just got a quote for replenishing mulch on our flower and shrub beds. It
was high enough to prompt me to look for a "permanent" solution. That's
all.
While I am on this topic, if I am to replenish with organic mulch,
which is the best kind - cedar, pine needle, etc?
Morever, what is the optimum thickness?
One quote showed 3", while the other listed 1.5-2" (and claimed anything
more was a waste).
One study I heard about at a seminar said you get increasing benefit
up to 4 inches, and beyond that it doesn't help to add more. This was
strictly in reference to trees, but I imagine the same is true for any
plant--we're really talking about doing something to/for the soil here
and the plants benefit indirectly. If you go too deep, you can create
such a big distance from soil surface to mulch surface that you would
reduce O2 penetration to roots. If you are concerned about the cost
of replenishing, you might go a little deeper than 4", since it would
probably not add as much to the cost as having to re-replenish it
sooner would, but I'd stop at 6" regardless.

Keith
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.../consumer.html

"Robbin" wrote in message
...

Is there any alternatives to organic mulch that is "permanent?"
I am thinking (wild guess here) something like recycled tires,
platstics, etc that does not need to be replenished.

I would think that Helga Walters (Housekeeper) would be the one to ask.
Perhaps she will "honor" our little group and provide the answer that only
she could provide! On the chance that this is a serious question, I'm sure
that many others on the list will chime in with their opinions. :-)

Children often fall off, Robbin, and the application of mulch of any kind
simply encourages the child to believe it is OK to do so. If anything,
playing-surfaces should be raised to a level where falling off of any
description would become a painful (if not maiming) experience, and
shock-absorbing mulch should of course be replaced with something less
likely to attract a child into falling, such as discarded electrical wire,
or cats which you've been teasing.

Psychology can play a part, too. For instance, when Sir Edmund Hillery was
going through his 'Himalayan' stage I took to arranging deer around the base
of his mountains, knowing that should he think of falling off before
reaching the summits his fear of the deer would act as a lever, driving him
ever onward towards the top.

I know - Sir Edmund WASN'T a child at that stage, but that just goes to
prove that the younger you start the better it can be for all of us!

Best wishes
Helga Walters (Housekeeper)
http://www.the14thdisciple.com