River Rock Vs Mulch

Lesser prevention of weed germination.

River rock vs mulch.

You don t need to replace it every year. Not ideal for really wet areas. It s the most sustainable of the three and is not likely not to be displaced by rain. If sustainability is your top concern consider using river rock on your property.

One of the changes we made was to replace all the mulch around the patio with river rocks and possibly all the flower beds with rocks instead of mulch. This landscaping gravel can be anywhere from the size of a pea up to golf ball size. I knew from experience in our past house that flower bed rocks would keep stay much better than mulch so we decided to go for it. Lower cost over time rock mulch is a one time expense.

But while the upfront cost difference is apparent it s important to remember that even though mulch is much more affordable initially it will need to be freshened up regularly meaning you ll invest just as much over a few years. The rock can help slow down water from eroding parts of the landscape. I had seen some river rock flower beds online and thought they looked nice. Harder to spring clean up beds.

Therefore it ends up a much cheaper option in the long run. Mulch which is better in flower beds and around trees. But remember it doesn t break down and disappear into the soil like bark mulch does. My step brother and i put in the landscaping with rocks instead of mulch last fall and it s been working well for us.

Any type of decorative gravel can be used as groundcover including lava rock quartz granite pea gravel and river rock. The cost of mulch versus river rock is significant river rock being up to 3x more expensive than mulch. Mulch also gets displaced easily by heavy rain and it isn t good on steep slopes. At about three to six times the cost of organic mulches such as cypress pine bark or.

Mulch is the cheapest of the three material options. Benefits of rock mulch. Unlike mulch you never have to replace river rock. Mulch can nearly double how fast trees and plants grow according to this study.

Once it is positioned and placed it s perfectly situated for all of time. Rock mulch is more expensive than wood mulch. Long lasting never needs replaced. The price of rock mulch varies depending on the type and size but generally costs two to three times more than an application of mulch.

Read on to learn the pros and cons of mulching with an organic mulch or an inorganic mulch like rocks. Since there is no replacement requirement river rock might cost more upfront but will not come with reoccurring annual costs. Pros and cons of organic mulch pros. Landscaping rock commonly referred to as river rock decorative gravel stone mulch or landscaping rock.

Rock is more expensive than bark mulch.