River Rock Vs Mulch

Rock is more expensive than bark mulch.

River rock vs mulch.

Mulch is the cheapest of the three material options. Any type of decorative gravel can be used as groundcover including lava rock quartz granite pea gravel and river rock. Rock mulch is more expensive than wood mulch. 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.

Landscaping rock commonly referred to as river rock decorative gravel stone mulch or landscaping rock. So you may actually save money over time. 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. 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.

Harder to spring clean up beds. Since there is no replacement requirement river rock might cost more upfront but will not come with reoccurring annual costs. You don t need to replace it every year. Long lasting never needs replaced.

But remember it doesn t break down and disappear into the soil like bark mulch does. Mulch which is better in flower beds and around trees. I had seen some river rock flower beds online and thought they looked nice. Mulch also gets displaced easily by heavy rain and it isn t good on steep slopes.

Benefits of rock mulch. Pros and cons of organic mulch pros. Unlike mulch you never have to replace river rock. My step brother and i put in the landscaping with rocks instead of mulch last fall and it s been working well for us.

Once it is positioned and placed it s perfectly situated for all of time. This landscaping gravel can be anywhere from the size of a pea up to golf ball size. 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. Lesser prevention of weed germination.

Read on to learn the pros and cons of mulching with an organic mulch or an inorganic mulch like rocks. The rock can help slow down water from eroding parts of the landscape. Not ideal for really wet areas. Lower cost over time rock mulch is a one time expense.

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. If sustainability is your top concern consider using river rock on your property. Therefore it ends up a much cheaper option in the long run. It s the most sustainable of the three and is not likely not to be displaced by rain.

The cost of mulch versus river rock is significant river rock being up to 3x more expensive than mulch.