>> what the best mulch material would be

Have either of them tried gravel? It sounds as if it would be plentiful and not a fire hazard.

Hi Rick ....

No they didn't say what they thought might be the best mulch material, but mulching with gravel is out. My older body is not up to hauling enough gravel up to the house pad level to mulch the whole area ....

Actually, our neighborhood is probably one of the most fire safe areas in town since CalFire did the fuel reduction work. All of the trees were properly limbed and all of the scrub brush removed. Even the blackberries were taken down and all of the dead growth under them removed. They also built a fire break between the meadow and the blackberry cliff.

We didn't remove the blackberries because of possible erosion problems. Jett, the owner of that property, continues to have someone cut them back every year. He also owns the property above me and has removed all of the junk pines which were more of a fire danger and has left only the oak trees.

I am really pleased that my neighbors were willing to join together to have all of our properties worked on for the fuel reduction project. My property had the least amount of work done, but with all of us getting it done at the same time and continuing the work to keep things fire safe, that is one thing we don't have to worry about.

Smiles,
Lyn

I understand about gravel being too heavy! That's why I would rather use the big plastic perforated, corrugated pipes for drainage rather than gravel. Lighter and cheaper!

>> I am really pleased that my neighbors were willing to join together to have all of our properties worked on

That is great. Neighbors can be difficult!

Lyn, skimming through your thread here, I wondered if anyone has mentioned the value of amending the soil with organic material before you put down the mulch? The cellulose fibers of all plant material act like little sponges that absorb and hold moisture and nutrients. If you're not already composting, make new beds a year ahead by digging in the shredded leaves, pine needles and stuff, and let them break down for a year before you plant there.

Here in FL we have sand that drains too fast, and all we do is add compost + + + to incorporate those absorbent fibers between the sand particles. Our County landfill makes great compost that is free, so we're lucky. Mulching over an amended bed will hold a LOT more moisture. Wood chip mulch is preferred, and readily available here, but we do not have your fire issues. It breaks down and adds more compost to the soil quickly because of all the hot, wet weather we get in the summer.

I wouldn't use gravel for mulch ever! It retains heat if it's in the sun, sinks into the soil, (unless you put landscape fabric under it) not adding anything useful as it goes, and doesn't retain any moisture. Here in FL we have hot, dry weather in the spring and fall, and the only plants that grow in rock mulched beds are desert plants. If that's what you want to grow, maybe it would work. I have gravel pathways and driveways, and not much of anything grows in them. Recycled rubber is just about as bad, plus it stinks when it gets hot.

Elaine .......

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge about the benefits of mulching with plant organic materials.

No, I won't be mulching with gravel. I do understand the heat retention issues.

I plan to use shredded leaves with a thin topping of wood chips to keep the leaves in place.

Since I mulch twice a year, the layer of mulch I put down in fall usually is quite decayed before I add my spring mulch to the beds. Of course, this year, without the usual rains, that process has slowed down. I'll still be adding organics, but won't let them be more than the recommended two inches.

I won't be making new beds during the drought. This year is just about keeping things alive.

Smiles,
Lyn

This sounds like a good compromise, Lyn. We typically use shredded/chipped wood here and/or pine straw, since it is readily available from several sources. I buy mine by the yard, which is a pick-up full, and have started using only cypress mulch. Other woods are available, depending on location, and pine mulch is always available and the least expensive. I like the cypress because it seems to last longer. I use 4-5 yds. each year.

I also use the cypress mulch as my "flooring" in my two greenhouses. I put down about 3", level it, and then cover it all with fabric flooring, a tough, durable fabric made to be used in greenhouses. I use perhaps 1/2 yd. per greenhouse. The mulch provides cushion, making standing more comfortable and is easy/inexpensive to use, but its main purpose is to absorb water and keep the humidity high in the greenhouses. I grow nothing but tropical plants in the greenhouses, so humidity is important. It will slowly break down and every two years I have to add another 1-2" of mulch.

@drdawg

>>>>This sounds like a good compromise, Lyn

Thank you for the confirmation. I haven't heard back from anyone else that I contacted up here.

I have to go out and gather my mulch materials and bring them back and then haul them up to the house pad level. I get the leaves from a friend's property and the wood chips from the utility company's chipping pile from where they have removed branches of trees under the electric lines. (I screen out the big pieces) It's a lot of work, but I can't buy mulch materials up here.

The high summer temps seem to "eat" mulch, so it's always an ongoing project.

Smiles,
Lyn

Yep, our climate is perhaps even worse. Three months with consistent 90's (and sometimes up in the 100's) and extremely high humidity. That combination really "eats" our mulch.

Wow ! We almost have the same kind of summer temps, but my climate has low humidity. It's always something ....

Smiles,
Lyn

Our spring and summers sound like yours DrDawg but with rain every evening in the summers. I don't mulch because I don't want to give the mosquitos a place to breed and I've heard that mulch traps enough water for them as they only need a small amount. I do put coffee grounds around the bananas and in one other bed but I hope the smaller grains will not trap enough water. This is why you rarely see mulch down here, I'm not sure if it is just a belief or if it is true. Most people keep their yards well raked and completely clear and clean to the soil around the plants.

I really don't remember anyone using mulch when I was growing up - not a single person. I think with the advent of landscape companies, and now, even in a small town such as mine, there are dozens of them, mulch became the norm (for those that could afford it). I live in a fairly large neighborhood, probably with 100 (though it could be twice that) or so homes, and there are only a handful of us who tend our own landscape. Peer pressure keeps mulch popular here. Since the vast majority of people don't do any of the physical labor putting down the mulch, we who do our own yard-work pretty much are forced to "keep up with the Jones's".

The south certainly has plenty of insects, and mosquitoes are the norm rather than the exception. The Gulf coast areas really have a significant mosquito problem. I have never heard of mulch making a difference in mosquito numbers. Mosquitoes need standing water and mulch does not afford that, at least not that I am aware of.

My mom never used mulch in the garden but it would have been much better if she had. I always had to water the tomato plants cause the soil was dry.

Well, we don't have a problem with dry, even in the "dry" season it seems anymore. What is said is that the tiny mosquito that carries dengue fever can breed in only a few drops of water, and that any debris on the soil will hold that much water.

Perhaps Mexico has a different variety of mosquito than we have. We do have a problem with West Nile Fever though, and several viral encephalitis diseases. Heartworm in animals, particularly dogs, is transmitted through mosquitoes. Dengue fever does occur some in extreme southwestern states and Florida, but I think that disease is fairly uncommon in the rest of the US. I have no clue what specific strain of mosquito carries what disease though. I just know there are a couple of thousand varieties of them.

I have never heard any "expert" mention mulch as a problem when talking about mosquito larva hatching out. They always just say to empty anything that would result in standing water or treat the water to kill the larva. I guess standing water could represent a tsp. of water, but I don't think those warnings pertain to that small amount of water. I could be wrong though.

I just googled the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is the one that carries dengue and found this:

The mosquito's preferred breeding areas are in areas of stagnant water, such as flower vases, uncovered barrels, buckets, and discarded tires, but the most dangerous areas are wet shower floors and toilet tanks, as they allow the mosquitos to breed in the residence. Research has shown that certain chemicals emanating from bacteria in water containers stimulate the female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. They are particularly motivated to lay eggs in water containers that have the correct amounts of specific fatty acids associated with bacteria involved in the degradation of leaves and other organic matter in water. The chemicals associated with the microbial stew are far more stimulating to discerning female mosquitoes than plain or filtered water in which the bacteria once lived.

So there might be facts to back up the belief that spreading compost or wood chips or leaves as mulch would attract the female to lay her eggs. I think that is enough for me, I've already had dengue once and don't want it again.

It sounds as if you would be attracting them even if they were not able to breed - good enough, as you said!

Never had it, never want to. No mulch for you, my friend.

I wonder whether compost piles would carry the same danger as mulch?