River Rock Vs Mulch

Long lasting never needs replaced.

River rock vs mulch.

Unlike mulch you never have to replace river rock. The cost of mulch versus river rock is significant river rock being up to 3x more expensive than mulch. 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. It sells for about 4 to 5 per bag at a big box store but keep in mind that bags of rock mulch only contain about 0 5 cubic feet of material four times less than a bag of wood mulch.

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. Lesser prevention of weed germination. I had seen some river rock flower beds online and thought they looked nice. You don t need to replace it every year.

It s the most sustainable of the three and is not likely not to be displaced by rain. Mulch can nearly double how fast trees and plants grow according to this study. At about three to six times the cost of organic mulches such as cypress pine bark or. Any type of decorative gravel can be used as groundcover including lava rock quartz granite pea gravel and river rock.

Read on to learn the pros and cons of mulching with an organic mulch or an inorganic mulch like rocks. 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. 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.

The rock can help slow down water from eroding parts of the landscape. Pros and cons of organic mulch pros. Harder to spring clean up beds. Benefits of rock mulch.

Lower cost over time rock mulch is a one time expense. River rock is considerably more expensive than organic mulches such as shredded bark wood chips or compost. So you may actually save money over time. 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.

If sustainability is your top concern consider using river rock on your property. Once it is positioned and placed it s perfectly situated for all of time. My step brother and i put in the landscaping with rocks instead of mulch last fall and it s been working well for us. Since there is no replacement requirement river rock might cost more upfront but will not come with reoccurring annual costs.

Rock mulch is more expensive than wood mulch. This landscaping gravel can be anywhere from the size of a pea up to golf ball size. Mulch is the cheapest of the three material options. Not ideal for really wet areas.

Therefore it ends up a much cheaper option in the long run.