One Size Doesn’t Always Fit; Choosing The Right Ground Covering For Your Home
Once your trees and shrubs are in the ground, it may feel like your landscaping is done, with ground covering choices seeming like an afterthought. It’s not just an arbitrary choice but a significant factor that will contribute to how long your landscaping ground covering lasts and how much you spend on installing (or re-installing) it. There’s no best one-size-fits-all ground covering for every yard. Depending on your current landscaping situation and how you use your backyard, you may need different covering for different areas. You wouldn’t put gravel under a playset where kids can fall on hot, sharp rocks. Likewise, you wouldn’t put an organic mulch that’s going to break down quickly and have to be replaced around a permanent stone or water feature in your yard.
When choosing ground covering, consider terrain, weather, usage, soil needs, budget & appearance. What kind of land are you using ground covering on? If it’s a sloping yard that’s going to see tons of rain, pine straw or shredded bark might not be your best choice for a ground covering because it’s going to wash away. In this case, some kind of low-maintenance ground cover plant would be your ideal choice. Let’s look at the different types of ground coverings available, and the pros and cons of each.
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We will break down ground covering into two types -- organic and inorganic. Organic ground coverings include all types of mulch, which basically just means any material you spread on the ground to cover the soil. One isn’t inherently better than the other -- it’s all about how you want to use it!
Organic Ground Covering
Organic Mulch options include composted straw, grass clippings, pine needles, sawdust, shredded leaves or bark, and certain low-maintenance plant varieties.
When to Use Organic Ground Coverings:
When your plants need extra nutrition. As organic mulch degrades, it releases nutrients into the soil and doubles how fast plants and trees grow.
When you can’t water your plants everyday. Mulch reduces evaporation around plants.
When your yard is weed-prone. Ground cover stops 50% of weeds from sprouting.
When you need good temperature regulation. Mulch helps keep plants warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.
When your soil is prone to compaction and erosion. Organic mulch reduces erosion 85% and reduces compaction because people are less likely to walk on mulched areas.
When Not to Use Organic Ground Coverings:
When you want to set it and forget it. Organic mulches degrade over 1-3 years and require nearly annual replacement and maintenance.
When you have temperamental plant species. It’s easy to overload mulch, and a layer of more than 2-3 inches stresses out plants.
If it’s not the right time. If you mulch too early, you will have late blooms because the ground will be slow to warm. If you mulch too late, you will still encourage weed growth because weeds will have already germinated in the soil.
When it’s a sloping area that’s prone to heavy rain. Wood can float, so bark mulch is easily dislodged on areas that aren’t perfectly flat.
If your yard is prone to insects and termites. Organic mulches are perfect safe havens for these pests.
If you live in a very humid, wet climate. Organic mulches, especially grass clippings, attract mold.
Inorganic Ground Covering
Inorganic Ground Covering includes plastic, rubber, rocks, gravel, and landscape fabric.
When to Use Inorganic Ground Covering:
When you need something low maintenance. Except for landscape fabric, most inorganic ground coverings almost never need replacing.
When you need something low cost. Because they’re so long-lasting, the expense over time is less for inorganic ground coverings.
If you live in a wildfire-prone area. Most inorganic ground coverings are fireproof.
If you live in a very windy area. Inorganic ground coverings are better at preventing soil erosion from the elements than organic ground coverings.
If you have a cactus or rock garden. Sometimes the aesthetic of your space just calls for gravel, not grass clippings or bark mulch!
When Not to Use Inorganic Ground Covering:
If you live in a high-temperature climate. Some inorganic ground coverings become very hot which can stress out plants. (As well as humans if you have to walk on it!)
You live in an area with poor soil quality. Inorganic mulches won’t eventually degrade and contribute to soil health.
You have problems controlling the pH of your soil. Most trees and plants prefer acidic soil, and rocks create an alkaline environment.
You have a bad back. Moving inorganic materials such as gravel or landscape fabric by hand is tedious and time-consuming.
This can seem like an overwhelming array of options. Acre Landscaping can help you with the specific factors you are dealing with in your yard to find the perfect ground covering for your situation. Give us a call today!
