questions about mulch and grass
Two questions, and let me say thank you so much to everyone for your continued help.
First is about mulch. Our backyard has some areas without grass which I wanted to eventually have gardens, but for the time being I wanted to cover it with mulch to prevent weeds from growing. I’ve decided on a wood mulch, but am not sure where to go from there. I've been reading a lot about mulch but am still having trouble deciding.
I’ve read cedar mulch is the best for repelling insects, but that it turns gray faster than other mulches (I don’t love the color of dead gray mulch), but then I’ve read other things that say that the anti-insect benefits of cedar only are there while the oils remain in the wood, which according to the article wasn’t long. Cypress mulch seemed like cedar for it’s anti-insect properties and it’s supposed to retain it’s color longer, but then I’ve read things like how cypress mulch is terrible because cypress trees are becoming extinct or some insanity because people are cutting them down too much for mulch.
I liked the idea of cocoa hulls, but then I’ve been reading about how they get moldy (no thank you!).
What do you think of dyed mulch? I think it’s usually made from pine, but I do really like how the dark brown dyed mulch looks (some things I’ve read say that dyed mulch is the worst.thing.ever.). I wish they had dyed cedar mulch available in my area, since that seems the best of both worlds, but it doesn’t seem to be in the stores.
I feel like deciding on a mulch is a big decision since you’re kind of stuck with the decision you make for the future…
The second question. My front lawn is a wreck. I know nothing about grass, but I’ll throw in a couple pics below. There are bare, weedy patches, should I spray with some kind of herbicide before planting grass seed (if that’s the thing to do I wonder how long to wait before it washes away). I also have different types of grass it seems. The first is bushier, but maybe there are just patches of healthier grass and it will even out when it’s mowed? The second grass type has thicker blades. Should I try to pull that type up or kill it before putting grass seed down?
I'm in zone 5a, south of Chicago.
front lawn:
is this a different type of grass or just healthy patches?
mystery grass patches
more mystery grass
dead, weedy patch
First is about mulch. Our backyard has some areas without grass which I wanted to eventually have gardens, but for the time being I wanted to cover it with mulch to prevent weeds from growing. I’ve decided on a wood mulch, but am not sure where to go from there. I've been reading a lot about mulch but am still having trouble deciding.
I’ve read cedar mulch is the best for repelling insects, but that it turns gray faster than other mulches (I don’t love the color of dead gray mulch), but then I’ve read other things that say that the anti-insect benefits of cedar only are there while the oils remain in the wood, which according to the article wasn’t long. Cypress mulch seemed like cedar for it’s anti-insect properties and it’s supposed to retain it’s color longer, but then I’ve read things like how cypress mulch is terrible because cypress trees are becoming extinct or some insanity because people are cutting them down too much for mulch.
I liked the idea of cocoa hulls, but then I’ve been reading about how they get moldy (no thank you!).
What do you think of dyed mulch? I think it’s usually made from pine, but I do really like how the dark brown dyed mulch looks (some things I’ve read say that dyed mulch is the worst.thing.ever.). I wish they had dyed cedar mulch available in my area, since that seems the best of both worlds, but it doesn’t seem to be in the stores.
I feel like deciding on a mulch is a big decision since you’re kind of stuck with the decision you make for the future…
The second question. My front lawn is a wreck. I know nothing about grass, but I’ll throw in a couple pics below. There are bare, weedy patches, should I spray with some kind of herbicide before planting grass seed (if that’s the thing to do I wonder how long to wait before it washes away). I also have different types of grass it seems. The first is bushier, but maybe there are just patches of healthier grass and it will even out when it’s mowed? The second grass type has thicker blades. Should I try to pull that type up or kill it before putting grass seed down?
I'm in zone 5a, south of Chicago.
front lawn:
is this a different type of grass or just healthy patches?
mystery grass patches
more mystery grass
dead, weedy patch