[Acinonyx]

We bought a home in the Village of Collier. Our shrub beds are mulched with red stone that I gather was a standard by the developer. We get a lot of weeds and such growing through it. One landscaper said the stones should be removed and replaced with the pine straw mulch the developer uses all over the place.

I know the pine straw needs to be applied annually. If we were to do this, do the red stones need to be removed before another mulch is put down?

Thx in advance!

[Wiotte]

Originally Posted by Acinonyx

We bought a home in the Village of Collier. Our shrub beds are mulched with red stone that I gather was a standard by the developer. We get a lot of weeds and such growing through it. One landscaper said the stones should be removed and replaced with the pine straw mulch the developer uses all over the place.



I know the pine straw needs to be applied annually. If we were to do this, do the red stones need to be removed before another mulch is put down?



Thx in advance!

The developer only uses pine straw on it's new homes. Never red stone or any other stone or mulch.


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[rjm1cc]

The stones should have a cloth under them to prevent weeks. This and the stones should be removed in my opinion. Have you though of spraying week killer every few months?

[billethkid]

There will be weeds coming up with the pine straw or any other mulch....including stones both with or without weed mats.

It takes a regular maintenance of pulling and or spraying to keep beds weed free.

Unless you do not like the red stone, it is the more expensive, most durable mulch....with weed maintenance remains attractive. No annual replacement. No attraction or containing of bugs and other critters like pine straw.

It is an individual choice.

So if you decide to remove the rock, repair and or replace the weed mat before adding the pine straw. It does help with the proper maintenance.

[asianthree]

Snakes love the pine straw. We use it, but need to be aware

[Nucky]

We put down a double layer of the thickest weed block fabric we could find and covered it with 4" of yellow pea gravel and still we are dealing with heavy duty weeds. It has also come thru the test area on the side of the house I did with the pine straw after a double layer of weed block and 2" of stone and the pine straw on top of that. Just go over the stone instead of scraping it all up. We are not accustomed to the way things grow in Florida.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Stones are not mulch. They do not improve the soil because they cannot break down and they "bake" your plants in the sun.
As time goes by, they sink into the soil/sand and with the blowing wind, dirt ends up filling in the crevices giving weeds more opportunity to grow.

Pine straw is not the only mulch you can use. Alternatives would be wood chips, cypress mulch etc. Do not even consider shredded rubber!
I would remove the stones, put down a thick layer of newspaper ( yes, newspaper!), and a thick layer of weed block on top of that and then the mulch.
The newspaper will kill any up-and-coming weeds (no sunlight) and when it breaks down, will add nutrients to the existing soil.

No matter what you do, you will always get an occasional weed, but they are easy to simply pull when first growing.
Good Luck with whatever you do!

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by asianthree

Snakes love the pine straw. We use it, but need to be aware

We replaced all of our pine straw with stone (Seminole Chip, to be precise), and I can assure you, snakes aren't picky. We have them. Our landscaper installed weed mat, which helps prevent stones from "sinking". As far as the "burn your plant" rumor, in three years, I have not observed this occurring. Our plants, bushes and trees are thriving.

[biker1]

You will get some weeds regardless of what you do. If you like the look of the red stones then keep them. Stories about stones "baking" plants is urban myth. Everything we have grows great with stones. Go buy a one-gallon hand pump sprayer and a bottle of concentrated weed and grass killer. Mix it in the pump sprayer according to the directions and walk around and spray weeds once a week. It will take you 5 minutes. Don't bother with the pre-mixed weed and grass killer in a disposable sprayer. Here is a link for a sprayer:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RL-Flo-Ma...&wl13=&veh=sem

Here is a link for concentrated weed and grass killer, there are lots of them out there:

HDX 32 oz. Weed and Grass Killer Concentrate-77740 - The Home Depot


If you do go with pine straw, you will still have to spray for weeds. If you stay on top of the weed control, there is very little effort involved.

Originally Posted by Acinonyx

We bought a home in the Village of Collier. Our shrub beds are mulched with red stone that I gather was a standard by the developer. We get a lot of weeds and such growing through it. One landscaper said the stones should be removed and replaced with the pine straw mulch the developer uses all over the place.

I know the pine straw needs to be applied annually. If we were to do this, do the red stones need to be removed before another mulch is put down?

Thx in advance!

[ednetdl]

bought a battery powered sprayer (rechargeable lithium ion battery), and it makes the spraying easier, but does cost a little more. I have also used a product called Preen which helps keep the weeds from germinating, but you will still get weeds.

[JohnN]

it's Florida, you'll get weeds whether it's stone or pine mulch. The weed barrier under stone doesn't do much, because dirt and debris blow atop it and weeds take. I've had mulch for years and years, I think it's a pain, I prefer the rock. Whatever you do, don't think you won't have weeds.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Regardless of what prior posters have said, there is nothing good about using stones in place of mulch, unless you simply like the look of them.
Yes -- they do "bake" the plants and also the soil. The only reason plants survive is because they are getting enough water.
Newspaper and mulch break down and add nutrients to the soil.

Be very careful about using herbicides to kill weeds. Have you heard about the issues and the lawsuits stemming from the use of them?



If you like the look of your stones, you might as well keep them since you already have them.
Just remember to fertilize your plants, shrubs and trees and to give them enough water.
No matter what you do, you will always have weeds. It's a fact of life!

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by Acinonyx

We bought a home in the Village of Collier. Our shrub beds are mulched with red stone that I gather was a standard by the developer. We get a lot of weeds and such growing through it. One landscaper said the stones should be removed and replaced with the pine straw mulch the developer uses all over the place.

I know the pine straw needs to be applied annually. If we were to do this, do the red stones need to be removed before another mulch is put down?

Thx in advance!

From my reading and experience.
Re: Pine straw-which is what we have
It is a natural and renewable substance thus it is favored by such groups as the COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
The cooperative extension will discourage the use of such products as Cyprus which is rot resistant and probably less costly then pine straw. It is being or has been over harvested and so is discouraged by the COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
Pine Straw-pine needles that naturally fall from the trees,
will decompose, rot, and become sorely needed in Florida, organic matter. All you need to do is add more on thin spots. We have 5000 sq ft of lawn with beds all around our home. I add roughly 3-4 bails of pine straw each year and they cost about $3.00 a bail.
RE: Landscape fabric
REMINDER-we do not have it so I declare my prejudice.
It does block a percentage of the water from rain or sprinklers. To plant anything, a bush, annuals etc, you need to cut a hole in the fabric. You cannot or should not go right up to the stem of any plant. It does not last forever. As stated by others, the weeds refuse to cooperate. They are resourceful and stubborn. There are seeds already in your."soil." the birds, wind, and your and your neighbors lawn,"care" people drop in more. Oh and your grass St Augustine, Zoyzia both send out runners which can travel great distances.

You will have more weeds without landscape fabric but they are far easier to pull out. With landscape fabric you need to pull weeds by hand-you cannot use tools. If, you do they will obviously tear and pull up the fabric.

PRODUCTS SUCH AS PREEN-it kills ALL seeds as they start to germinate. I don't know but based on my experience it is never 100% efficient. So, you still end up pulling weeds.
If, I recall, Preen is supposed to work for two months. Perhaps, they claim three. Nature is a miracle. Different weeds or plants, grow from seeds at different times. Thus,
assuming 100% effective, which it is not, you will still need to pull the weeds that started growing before you applied the Preen or the ones that will grow after the Preen looses it's effectiveness. Oh, and such products do not control plants that grow from stylons-runners from your grass for example.

IN ANSWER TO THE POSTED QUESTION-I would either resort to hand weeding the rocks or I would REMOVE both the rocks and the landscape fabric and apply the Pine Straw or Cypress mulch. As I said previously, I would lean toward the pine straw.

My view EASY is good. If, you choose to fight with nature-YOU ARE WAY OUTCLASSED.

[Mrs. Robinson]

Originally Posted by suesiegel

From my reading and experience.
Re: Pine straw-which is what we have
It is a natural and renewable substance thus it is favored by such groups as the COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
The cooperative extension will discourage the use of such products as Cyprus which is rot resistant and probably less costly then pine straw. It is being or has been over harvested and so is discouraged by the COOPERATIVE EXTENSION.
Pine Straw-pine needles that naturally fall from the trees,
will decompose, rot, and become sorely needed in Florida, organic matter. All you need to do is add more on thin spots. We have 5000 sq ft of lawn with beds all around our home. I add roughly 3-4 bails of pine straw each year and they cost about $3.00 a bail.
RE: Landscape fabric
REMINDER-we do not have it so I declare my prejudice.
It does block a percentage of the water from rain or sprinklers. To plant anything, a bush, annuals etc, you need to cut a hole in the fabric. You cannot or should not go right up to the stem of any plant. It does not last forever. As stated by others, the weeds refuse to cooperate. They are resourceful and stubborn. There are seeds already in your."soil." the birds, wind, and your and your neighbors lawn,"care" people drop in more. Oh and your grass St Augustine, Zoyzia both send out runners which can travel great distances.

You will have more weeds without landscape fabric but they are far easier to pull out. With landscape fabric you need to pull weeds by hand-you cannot use tools. If, you do they will obviously tear and pull up the fabric.

PRODUCTS SUCH AS PREEN-it kills ALL seeds as they start to germinate. I don't know but based on my experience it is never 100% efficient. So, you still end up pulling weeds.
If, I recall, Preen is supposed to work for two months. Perhaps, they claim three. Nature is a miracle. Different weeds or plants, grow from seeds at different times. Thus,
assuming 100% effective, which it is not, you will still need to pull the weeds that started growing before you applied the Preen or the ones that will grow after the Preen looses it's effectiveness. Oh, and such products do not control plants that grow from stylons-runners from your grass for example.

IN ANSWER TO THE POSTED QUESTION-I would either resort to hand weeding the rocks or I would REMOVE both the rocks and the landscape fabric and apply the Pine Straw or Cypress mulch. As I said previously, I would lean toward the pine straw.

My view EASY is good. If, you choose to fight with nature-YOU ARE WAY OUTCLASSED.

You are correct that cypresses have been over harvested, unfortunately. It is more expensive than pine straw but it does break down -- not as quickly as pine bark, as a comparison, however.

Melaleuca is an excellent mulch, but for whatever the reason, I cannot find in this area.

[Acinonyx]

I did not know what to expect by way of responses to my OP about stone mulch and pine straw. I could not be more delighted with so many, very thoughtful and insightful bits of wisdom and advice! Thank you so much!

The inevitability of weeding seems pretty clear, regardless of other choices made. Best for me to accept that!

You folks are simply terrific!