# Mulch



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Can I mulch under my overhangs? Is there any sort of danger associated with that? (I know I would have to pay attention to the type of mulch...)


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

So...some pros and cons...
Depending on how thick you apply and how "fresh" it is...
Creates heat = combustion.
Can have bugs regardless of processed {colored} mulch.
Decomposes and can smell...
Can invite termites, yes they do come visiting because the ground is kept moist underneath...
Can hide critters in it...

Now with that said...
Mulch can improve a homes looks.
Mulch can help to keep shrubs from drying out..
Mulch can keep weeds down.
Mulch can, well it can do many things.

For me with where we live...
Mulch sadly is inviting a place to harbor insects that are harmful to home construction...not only termites but wood boring beetle things.
Mulch is just to nice a place for a snake to make a home in so not allowed with the amount of venomous critters we have.
Mulch invites spiders, again in our area a large problem with Brown Recluse and Black Widow so no-go.
By my barn or anyplace my horses might step I will not chance impaling a body part with a wood shard innocently stepped on or rolled on...
I would _not_ put mulch under overhangs or anyplace else in my area...
For us there is to much risk more from critters undesirable in my opinion.
It looks really pretty, it does.
But the possible combustion from sun exposure _{sounds like hay}_, break-down and rotting bringing in termites or other damaging insects, attracting snakes to my homes walls is just not worth it to me. 

I've seen people use small rocks instead of wood mulch in different sizes, types and varieties and it look really nice...
I've also seen others use tinted concrete...yes it had dye mixed in when put down...different look for sure but it did what the people wanted to accomplish with accenting certain parts of the landscape.

 True stories...
There is a mulch business not far from our home. Piles, yes there are piles but the heat they produce and steam sent skyward is incredible and does spontaneously combust calling the FD to drown the pile as the bulldozers rip it apart. 
 It is not uncommon that fresh mulch can combust even in a few inches thick under the right conditions..
 Another true story...
I worked at a barn on LI that had fresh mulch delivered. My boss spread it around the barns, along the walkways and dirt parking lot...it looked nice* at first.* _Fresh truckloads stink when decomposing. _Just beware...it also brought incredible amounts of bugs, spiders to the barns with bites and welts on people and horses...bugs got into everything :evil:
 Fresh mulch no way no how...even that processed stuff makes me very leery. 
 Not even the rubber stuff would I trust. :frown_color:

Where and why were those trees taken down and where they diseased that you could now bring to your home and grounds...it happens.

 So with all that,...
_"Can I mulch under my overhangs?"_
Sure but why would you and what do you gain?

_sorry, would you expect any other length of response from me. :|.._
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I was thinking blue stone would be the smarter way to go. Husband keeps talking mulch but I think I agree with the above.... 

Suggestions on other materials?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I love the look of blue stone but if the horses will have access to those areas......
Caution on the size if your horses wear shoes...they can wedge and cause serious bruising, cuts if not caught fast enough.
Speak with your supply yard before you decide on the exact product.
Some stone/rock is cheaper than others and that depends upon your location.

Beach rock/stones are also pretty but again...those hooves are to be considered.
Stone/rock can come in many graduated sizes so just a different size may be all you need too.
Putting down a weed barrier cloth would allow drainage yet keep the weeds away for longer.
Depending upon your area laws for weed killer you might also pretreat the ground before laying in the barriers and rock/stone.
Enjoy your project...

Oh...wheelbarrow loads are heavier than you realize.._like *really* heavy._
Caution no one injure their back moving the stuff around.
Even using a farm tractor.._it is heavy_.
Many shovel fulls versus big shovels and hurt backs. 
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I had no idea mulch , simple mulch, had such potential for danger.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

One thing HLG left out was that if mulch gets wet it is just mud and muck.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> I had no idea mulch , simple mulch, had such potential for danger.



_It's all rotting, decomposing material..._
Depending upon stage of decomposing it is in will depend upon the dangers you can be faced with.


I was in the fire-service many years ago...
I began to learn when we got called to tree-trimmers lots for fires...
Then had a tree-trimmers truck bed catch fire from the load of "mulch" left on board that combusted...:|
Leaves composted can do the same thing..._spontaneous combust._
But they do more of a smoulder than outright burn I had experience of...and _stink_ as they smoulder.
Hence the turning of _any_ compost pile is advised. :smile:
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Organic materials decompose. Truth. 

The larger the surface area of the mulch the less likely it will be ignite.
For a mulch to ignite the internal temperature of the PILE needs to reach 180F. The pile would be within the range of 20-40% moisture and conditions would be dry with no turning of the piles to release the heat built up. Size and type of the mulch material is also a factor. Smaller sizes and materials with high resin content are more likely to combust when kept in piles. 3-6 inches spread evenly over soil is not going to catch fire UNLESS you add something already burning to it (cigarette butts). For this reason if your building is made of combustible material (anything not concrete or brick) there should be an 18" buffer zone of rock or gravel or even cement. Mulch placement for commercial or multi family dwellings is regulated by law in many areas for this reason. Especially those in wild fire prone zones. 



Most commercially sold mulches are not mixed woods and are sold by size and type of shred. I won't say all because I am sure there are those that do even though this practice would open companies up to liability issues. Mulch that is free for the taking and mixed source will always have a higher risk especially if you keep it in a pile while waiting for it to be spread. Usually this is the mulch offered (or sold) by tree companies and utility services either free or for a small fee as it saves them the cost of dumping or storing and maintaining to prevent fire and risking the loss of their facilities.


As for problems with decomposition and smells - that all depends on what is under the mulch and again the type and size of the mulch shreds and whether it is in a PILE or spread. Reasonable thickness of 3-6 inches means more frequent application but controls rate of decomposition. 



As for animals ( mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and spiders) living in mulch again it depends on thickness, moisture level, size of mulch and type of mulch. There are plants you wouldn't want in quantity or grown closely together for the same reasons. For every insect or spider in your mulch there is another out to eat it. Can thicker applications, piles or even open (stored) bags become havens for all things that you wish to not supply a habitat for? YES. The answer is maintenance. Spiders like dark, out of the way and off the beaten path for their webs so in the house if you are opening things like stored clothing, drawers you seldom go into, closets that stay closed or even that guest bed that you put fresh sheets on when your last guest left and then had no other occupant for weeks or usually months at at time - you need to go in prepared for the possibility that their will be new residents not of your choosing. In a barn there are all sorts of places they can and do hide. Most your horse is more likely to come in contact with than you. But again, maintenance. Sweep or blow your barn regularly and use a broom on walls and around fittings, stall fronts, in and around storage areas. It is a major pain and takes work to make your environment inhospitable to these creatures. Get lazy or don't pay attention to every potential hidey hole and they move in. 



Termites are pervasive and mulch against any decomposable material (wood based) is an open invitation for them to set up house. In some areas you don't even need the mulch to invite them. Just the wood based building material (especially if it contacts the ground) though even that is just a facilitator and not necessary.


If the mulch will be used in an area the horses will have access to then it needs to be horse friendly whether wood, rock, rubber or plastic.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

SO....

First things first... we need drain tiles to get ride of the mud. I then need to build up the area that has been beat down by the horses stomping. THEN... I am thinking blue stone. If I take a wheel barrel out to clean the poop every day it shouldn't be too bad. 

I'm trying to cut down on mud and flies. So mulch has definitely been ruled out. 

(re- the wheel barrel being heavy... GIRRRRRLLLL - I have a tractor and a dumptruck. insert head shake and nail wave)


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

1. Fire departments do NOT like mulch around buildings -- perish the thought you'd need to call them.

2. Mulch decomposes, stinks, draws bugs.

3. No to mulch

****

I put Visqueen down ( super heavy plastic in a roll that goes under homes with crawl spaces), along the barn, running up the side of the barn foundation about 2 inches to 4 inches. Since I never could get my hands on a dump load of white rock, I just used the 1/4-down (limestone crush) and set out animal statues. 

I did that six years ago and it is just now needing re-done. The Visqueen held up great, all I have to do is pick up the statues, put fresh crush down, and rake out

I can get a pic this AM, so you can see what putting some kind of stone down looks like after six years of almost zero maintenance; by "almost" I mean pulling up the occasional errant weed that tries to sneak up between the Visqueen and the barn foundation, or picking up manure as that seems to be Joker's favorite area to leave some 

*****
Oopsie, did you mean where the horses walk?

Still "no" to the mulch.

I have crush under the overhang too. Water has never been an issue because the barn has gutters and down spouts. The only time there's water under the overhang is when we dump water tubs to clean them or I bath a horse.

If you have mud every time it rains, the prudent thing would be to dig out all the topsoil, put big driveway base stone down and a heavy layer of whatever your version of limestone crush would be, if you don't have limestone.

You would have to be careful what size stone you use as the final layer so as not to sore the horses or have them get stones wedged in the collateral grooves.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

yes where they walk. Blue stone is sounding more and more the way to go... (or crush or whatever you want to call it)


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