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To Mulch or Not To Mulch?
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DEBBIE1957
Just Arrived
Joined: 07 Jun 2008
Location: Indiana
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:39 am Post subject: To Mulch or Not To Mulch? |
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My apologies if this topic is a rehashing of a previous topic. My co-workers have warned me that mulch shouldn't be used up next to the house because of termites.
If this is true, I don't know what to use??  Advice? Ideas?
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toni
Mistress of Garden Junque
 Moderator
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Location: North Texas (Map)
Posts: 5015
PlantStew: 520 |
| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:11 am Post subject: |
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You can have mulch up against the concrete foundation of your house as long as it doesn't come in contact any of the wood exterior.
You can remove some of the soil along the foundation to expose more of the foundation if necessary or place a row of bricks along the foundation and mulch up to the bricks but do not cover them.
Soil also should not be in contact with the wood exterior of your home, so make sure the soil has not been mounded up against the foundation in an effort to hide it.
_________________
"Blossom by blossom the spring begins."
Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909)
"A little Madness in the spring, is wholesome even for the King."
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
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cajunbelle
Daylily Diva
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
Location: zone 8b Louisiana (Map)
Posts: 2972
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| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:27 am Post subject: |
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Our insurance at our church covers termite damage. It has a concrete foundation and is a brick building. We made two flower beds on either side of the entrance. It was soon after that that they came to check the building to renew the insurance, they would not renew with the dirt and mulch up against the building. We had to have a 6" wide and 4" deep trench dug and bricks placed against the back of the bed to hold the soil in. Just something to consider.
_________________
Sharon
Phil. 4:13
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toni
Mistress of Garden Junque
Moderator
Joined: 07 Jan 2006
Location: North Texas (Map)
Posts: 5015
PlantStew: 520 |
| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:45 am Post subject: |
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Debbie, are termites a big problem in Indiana? You could call a termite inspector to find out what the precautions should be for your area.
When I lived in Florida, the precautions were much like Sharon described for Louisana. But up here the inspector we had out a couple of years ago told us about the row of bricks along the foundation to keep the mulch a little further away and it wasn't part of our homeowners insurance inspection. I think it mostly depends on what part of the country you live in.
_________________
"Blossom by blossom the spring begins."
Algernon Swinburne (1837-1909)
"A little Madness in the spring, is wholesome even for the King."
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
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Purpura
Just Arrived
Joined: 24 May 2008
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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wanna know if they are a problem in your area? put some wood in your backyard for a few months then lift it....they are a problem here
ate my doghouse
ants and termites fight.....
dig up an ant bed and set it beside any termites you might find ....
maybe I get more bored than most 
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mary02
Just Arrived
Joined: 29 Jun 2008
Location: lowcountry SC and Northeast Pa.
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:29 am Post subject: |
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Hey that doghouse being eaten by termites struck my funnybone. i think i remember a cartoon where termites ate everything, including a doghouse. What did the poor dog think?
I have so much mulch in two gardens, i've heard it all from pest control people to landscapers. I ignore what the mulch salespeople tell me.
The consensus seems to be, and 2 termite inspector guys verified it- that since termites like tunneling through large pieces of wood, that the mulch is of no value to the termite if something bigger can be munched on. like a deck. Or a doghouse.
I use wood mulches in the south and no problems. In some places in the south, it is recommended that you don't have mulch all the way up to the frame of the house. Especially if you have a cedar-shake or wood frame exposed on your house that's not treated with pesticide, that would be a bad thing. If you have a dyed mulch, it's very unpalatable.
you can lay bricks or pavers on the ground against the house as a barrier between the mulch and the house and keep the mulch within it.
_________________
http://www.eyecandee.com/gardening/xeriscapist.htm
"In the Garden, my soul is sunshine"
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