Someone mentioned that before I lay down yard fabric and mulch across my yard, I have to take off a top layer?

Question

of dirt....I don't think it's necessary.The mulch may be a tad higher than my sidewalk/ stepping stones etc. and I don't think it will wash away from that...??? I know if U can't see my yard it's almost impossible to figure out, but I'm just wonderig if people usually take away a bunch of dirt first.....(?)

Answer 1

If the mulch is higher than the sidewalk and/or stepping stones, it will constantly be all over the sidewalk and stepping stones (particularly after a rain). You probably should remove about an inch or two of dirt to create a low area where the mulch goes so that the level of the mulch is at least at the same height as the sidewalk/stones, if not a little lower.

Answer 2

If you are putting it near the foundation of your house, then it would be necessary to take away a layer of dirt because you don't want that being piled too high against your foundation. Around sidewalks and stepping stones it wouldn't be needed, but it would make it look nicer and stay off of the stones/sidewalk better if they sat higher than the mulch.

Answer 3

I would lay one down for two reasons. First, to stop and prevent the weeds from growing and also if you are on a hill, the landscape cloth will keep the mulch from washing away. And it also help to hide the puddles you can get from all the rain. After you put the mulch down, use a product called Triple Strike. You can get it from any place that sells yard/gardening supplies. It helps to kill grass, weeds and small bushes that can come up in the beds. Don't spray it on the grass if you want it to live-IT WILL KILL. I live in GA and we use pine straw in all our beds because it is the cheapest and it doesn't turn into compost as quickly as mulch. Once you have whatever you are going to use, when and if weeds come up, you can spray the weeds anytime. You won't have to pull them up because the mulch will hide them.