Get matched with top mulch and topsoil pros in Philippi, WV

Topsoil should go down first. If the topsoil is next to your house, make sure the grade slopes away from the house to keep water from pooling against your foundation and possibly leaking into your basement or crawl space. Don’t cover your decorative landscape mulch with topsoil as that defeats the purpose of laying down the mulch. If you’re trying to create a certain soil composition to improve plant growth, you’ll likely want compost mixed into the topsoil instead of mulch. Over time, any decorative wood mulch will simply decompose under the topsoil.

Mulch is best used in garden beds and yards, not in your driveway as pothole filler. It is meant to stimulate plant growth. Upon repeated pressure, it turns into compost, which also serves as fertilizer for weeds to take over. The roots will then break into your driveway, leading to more material loss and structural collapses.

Pea gravel consists of many small, rounded stones that, unsurprisingly, kind of resemble peas. They range in size from 1/8 to 3/8 of an inch. Higher-end products might be a little more uniform and have fewer jagged rocks in the mix.

While they’re popular and have a lot of pros, the cons of river rocks include the following:

• River rocks don’t break down or provide nutrients to plants. 

• These stones can get hot and scorch nearby plants. 

• River stones may heat the surrounding soil to inhospitable temperatures. 

• Rocks can block rainwater from seeping into the ground if installations are too thick or tightly packed.

Most downsides occur when using river rock as mulch in gardens and flower beds. However, you can still incorporate river rocks into your landscape as long as you use them in the correct ways.