As a professional landscaper, a few corrections. You can do a drip system with or without rocks. Blowing "leaves out" can be done with wood mulch as well if you aren't a goober. You shouldn't be choosing plants that require constant irrigation, and instead plants for your climate. Rock "mulch" increases water need/usage, and increases the feeling of heat in your yard/property, by worsening the heat island effect. TLDR: Stay in your lane.

@M30263

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. You will be extremely limited on what u can plant when using rocks. Rocks will literally cook the plants.

@Rosicrisp

Жыл бұрын

Also a landscaper so a couple things to add he said “add more evergreens” that for the average homeowner usually turns into an added expense unless you plant accordingly and keep the natural look or homeowners trim themselves (but eventually they get over trimming) and in my opinion rock filled beds look so bland and add no curb appeal unless you’re in the west/ southwest…sure you might have to mulch every 1-2 years but it just looks so much better and clients love that fresh manicured look

@angeloflores2614

Жыл бұрын

Yea and when you water your mulch its moist stay longer and you will feel cooler in your surroundings especialy your plants

@jenjenny9968

Жыл бұрын

Rocks probably not a good idea in florida. Good thing i seen this comment of yours

@plantguy902

Жыл бұрын

Step 1. Right plant right place. Step 2. Build your soils organic matter for better water retention. Step 3. Dont use just evergreens. Step 4. Read a book or 2

things i wish were practiced more in landscaping: incorporating plants native to the area. invasives are a huge detriment for the environment, and introducing native plants to your yard can be beautiful and improve the biodiversity of your area, too! also, mulch can be inconvenient when it comes to keeping a neat and tidy yard, but it can be great for creating a habitat for beneficial insects and animals. it'll also supply nutrients to the plants, keeping them healthy! edit: man i was so trigger happy writing this reply, i didn't read the rest of the comments. it's super exciting to see the majority of people commenting similar things. it seems people are becoming more nature-conscious. the earth is gonna heal, guys. im starting to believe it.

@mesta9997

11 ай бұрын

no it won't... HOA-holes will make sure of this.

Plant native things so that you don't need to worry about irrigation or chemicals, use mulch and leave the leaves there, just maintain the mulch with a few bags every couple months during spring and summer. Plant things that are useful for wildlife or yourself, fruit vegetables herbs etc.

I'm a gardener, and I HIGHLY advise against rocks in garden beds. The rocks soak up heat from the sun in summer and then radiate the heat into the plant roots. MULCH is the way to go %100.

@thegoldenland

Жыл бұрын

I use mulch but too much weeds grow on mulch. what should I do?

@MilesSherry

3 ай бұрын

Weeds will also grow through rock. Putting down a good layer of mulch can help deter weeds.

@molly5292

3 ай бұрын

Not only that; you'll be forever digging up those damn rocks! 🥺

@alexkunnen

2 ай бұрын

@@thegoldenlandthicker mulch

@molly5292

Ай бұрын

And they get buried in the grass and they are there forever! 🤮

A lot of plants don't do well with rock because it makes the roots hotter and doesn't hold the moisture as well.

@dewainkoester1026

Жыл бұрын

Yep!

@staceygrant4096

Жыл бұрын

Funny you should make that comment. I saw another video and they said the same thing about the rocks. They had mulch in the bed and then rocks between the flower bed and grass. I liked that.

@xbebe

2 ай бұрын

You guys all think Vegas and Arizona don’t have plants and irrigation huh

I hate rocks for landscaping because if you try to pull out weeds it’s harder then with the mulch also I love the mulch because it decomposes and adds nutrients back to the soil for the plants and if you can’t blow the leaves off the mulch beds you should leave them there cause they’ll also do the same thing with adding nutrients to the soil

@ciaran6309

5 ай бұрын

U should put down mypex before u put down rocks,it keeps down the weeds

@spoilthasoil

3 ай бұрын

Yeah, mulch is the best thing you can do to improve your soil and nourish your plants. It creates a habitable environment for microorganisms too and keeps the roots cooler. Drip systems can magnify salt accumulation in areas with hard water. Micro sprays are best at dispersing water over a wider area without wasting water. Drip systems aren't all they are made up to be and they clog often. Rocks aren't always the best because they still get buried with small particles over time and they make fertilizing much harder, specially if you are using organic fertilizers and using drip systems. And weed fabric is the worst thing you can possible use. It's the worst lie about weed control. It pollutes the soil and over time, debris builds up and weeds come back anyway while at the same time you just neglected the soil below the weed fabric. Next time try looking under weed fabric and look at how depleted the soil becomes.

@7Inkredible7

3 ай бұрын

​@@ciaran6309weed fabrics are junk. It's better just to drop pre-emergent every 2-3 months. 5-10 minutes and weeds are a thing of the past.

I dunno… i like the fella that promotes native vegetation for landscaping…

It's just me, but I find rocks look too industrial!

My experience is that the gravel, or rocks fills in with dirt, then what. It is very,very hard to remove, food for thought.

First tip... don't follow this guy's advice!

Use Native plants!!!

@liamsmith6102

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. My number one pet peeve of homes is all evergreen foundations. What a turn off if you were a bird or bee, nothing to eat, no bright color, no nothing! Your home landscaping is your opportunity as a home owner to feed the bees insects and birds while you get to Marvel at their beauty from the porch🤦 imagine making your landscaping sterile to where no life wants to be around you. Your journey of gardening begins right outside your window.

@atomicshark9466

Жыл бұрын

@@liamsmith6102 Excatly!! 💯%

@theweirdospfan.28

11 ай бұрын

Not every plant has to be native😂

Native species and drought tolerant plants are the best!

@lomalindagabriel2253

Ай бұрын

I agree❤

@Deborah-yz5co

15 күн бұрын

Florida wisdom.

Rocks aren't good for your plants or the soil mulch while it's annoying to replace is much better. I get not being able to blow the leaves off as well but you can just let the leaves decompose with the mulch

Rocks look v clean but building soil over time with appropriate mulching and composting can really make your land a place you’ll love even more! Happy dirt=happy pollinators you’ll love having around like bumblebees, butterflies, song birds, etc

Professional landscaper here and I disagree. I prefer mulch over rock because it holds moisture for the plants and can easily refreshed to look good as new each year. Drips are good but do have their own issues, for example harder to notice and troubleshoot when there is an issue or malfunction. Using all evergreens just doesn't look good, no variety and they often look scummy after some years or a particularly bad season. Use them selectively, not exclusively.

@samlocoaa1726

3 ай бұрын

Not after a week or two those mulch just don't look as good after that, but with rocks you get the same look everytime

@TheEpochCompanion

3 ай бұрын

@@samlocoaa1726 Mulch looks good well after a couple weeks. If you refresh it in the Spring it will look good throughout the summer. It will degrade and fill with debris, but then next Spring you can refresh and it's good as new. Rock gets dirty and fills with debris and you don't have the option to refresh it. Once it is dirty and loses it's fresh look, you have to replace it, which is a gigantic pain compared to pouring some bags of mulch down.

Comments from the professional landscaper are right on. Buy plants that don’t need too much water. And a drip system is prone to problems, often having to be replaced yearly because of wear and tear, clogging up and squirrels eating it. So, if you want a drip system, you might be well advised to get proficient in replacing it. And, the rock comments, about heat and not good for plants, is also spot on.

Let's be honest here, all these tips only benefit the landscaper in doing his job, NOT the homeowner....

I have rocks and I hate it, they are baking the trees in hot summer, fertilizing the shrubs got harder, and the weeds are still showing up.

I have stones. They sink into the soil, and you will still pull weeds. I had heavy duty lanscape fabric. Last owners put it in. Still had weeds. So you will still be mulching and still adding rocks.

Pine bark nuggets are not mulch. Neither is shredded wooden pallets dyed some unnatural color. Neither is stone. Nor pine needles. They are bedding material. Which may allow planting of hardy drought tolerant shrubs. Mulch is shredded hardwood bark. Which can decompose to be beneficial to the soil. It holds moisture and regulates temperature.

We have no bushes nor green shrubs in front of our home. We have mostly perennial flowers and some flowers my wife buys yearly. We also have two large pots on each side of the walkway just before the main entrance filled with various flowers. We love this alternative.

Rocks transmit heat and kill shrubbery etc.

@FrostyTheSnowman12321

5 ай бұрын

It’s not as much of it transferring heat as it is, It throws the pH levels WAY OFF! Rock 🪨 is SUPER ACIDIC! And you BETTER hope you don’t already have an Acidic Leaning Soil Type like Red Clay, the Rock only worsens your problem!

Yeah but mulch looks better even though it's a pain to maintain. Rocks only look good if you're in a desert climate.

I think it’s all about preference and the maintenance the yard will need. Some people want to spend as little time possible and others enjoy working in the yard.

When you use mulch, not those fluffy pine nuggets, the leaves just blend in and there's no need to blow them. It's a nightmare blowing pine needles out of those rocks too.

Landscape with native plants. Use leaves as mulch then you don't have to worry about blowing leaves out. Mow less, bee more.

@theweirdospfan.28

11 ай бұрын

Most native plants aren’t good landscaping plants tho. Just plant low maintenance plants that aren’t invasive

I would highly recommend planting natives!

Mulch, trees, or large bushes right up against your house are a great way to guarantee that you have foundation issues at some point in the future. Take it from someone who bought a house that had previously collapsed from tree roots cracking the foundation.

Rocks are a lot more work to maintain. You have to be on top of the weeds like immediately. Mulch… once every two years I spread another layer. That’s it

I reside in a desert region, so I just go into the backlands and transplant native shrubs and trees around my house. From yucca,cactus, cedar trees, oak. They are adept and conserves our water.

When I owned my townhouse, I used the rocks, about 8" perimeter around the deck and 4' on the one side next to the other townhouse fence. Brown mulch everywhere else, topped off every year minimally.

I strongly disagree with you about the rocks. They are difficult to plant more and different plants once they're in. They harbor insects, and the plants get no nutrients from them.

I agree heartily with all that you said EXCEPT rock mulch. Soil-killing, heat-islands. Of course, where I live, it's 100°F+ 5 months of every year -- and, like Las Vegas, our town, St. George, has ENTIRELY too much rock. It makes it more unpleasant to live here, for people, wildlife, pets, and PLANTS. And, whatever blower people here are using, the blown-in debris does NOT easily "blow out", so we have hot, uncomfortable-to-walk-on rock, and our soil is DYING. And, the NOISE pollution, all the time, from our landscaper's (HOA development. Detached home (condo) with "common area" right up to my house walls. Yech.), landscaper's equipment destroys quality of life. On any given day, somewhere within earshot, someone(s) is using polluting, noxious motored blowers, mowers, + trimmers. Not good. St. George Utah has a poor sense of outdoor living. It's like, all they do here is walk golf courses, then scurry between rock landscaped beds.

Using rock as mulch causes soil to get extremely hot when the sun is baking your rocks. This is a killer of plants. A better idea is actual plant based groundcovers or wood mulch.

I’ve used rocks over black plastic and have never had ANY of the “problems” mentioned here! None!

@cipherklosenuf9242

Жыл бұрын

Your comment doesn’t include how you maintain that for years. Are you suggesting that the other people are disingenuous? (And Some of the comments are about the look or about how the landscape makes them feel. That’s aesthetics.) Any landscape decision has pros and cons. What you consider pros for river rock on black plastic, others consider cons …and they have reasons for that consideration.

@ryannblake2851

2 ай бұрын

@@cipherklosenuf9242 Very well said.

Nice tips. What drip system (brand)do you recommend? Where did you get yours?

Agree 100%. I found out the hard way as well. I keep saying Next house I build will have only evergreen plants and trees and no stinking bermuda grass that is impossible to keep from spreading into all your flower beds. I hate it with a passion.

“Blow the leaves(mulch) off the mulch” This is America

And make use of native species as much as possible.

From personal experience rocks also blow with the leaves as well and leaves a hard mess to clean up after. Also natural color mulch is great because you can tell the difference between the leaves and the mulch

Make sure to choose what’s best for your region. Especially make sure you know what plants can go where you might end up planting stuff that dies within weeks. This means that maybe evergreens aren’t always the best. Also with evergreens just because they don’t drop all their leaves doesn’t mean they don’t drop anything. They drop old leaves and create thick leaf litter if not taken out routinely. If you become lazy you’ll have a a rock mess with tiny leaves.

In the Vegas area the rock mulch cooks your plants. Use wood or pine needles if you want happy plants.

I hate rocks in planting beds. No matter what you do, they end up in the grass and become missiles when the mower hits them. Also, eventuallydirt accumulates between them and weeds grow. Mulch is way better.

I hate rocks, lol. Most of my yard was rock and weeds are difficult to manage. And they make the plants so hot.

Tip 2 sounds good. Rocks instead of mulch looks good but serves less function than wood mulch. Maple keys do take some effort can be lightly blown out of wood mulch without losing too much

Native plants are are great for native pollinators. Wild Ones is a native plant group. They have chapters across the US and videos on KZread. Also, instead of chemical drenched grass, learn to grow some of your own food.

I hate hate and hate landscaping next to the house. So many problems come from it. First off your overhang should be 4 foot instead of 2 foot and you should have a 4 foot sidewalk all the way around. Not gravel, not grass and not landscaping. Now that you have concrete around your house protecting the foundation and preventing water from saturating the area you can plant flower/garden beds away from the house along the fence line/property line. WIth that sidewalk you now have the ability to expand a patio or add a side walk anywhere you want. Just make sure the sidewalk grades away from the house and you compact the correct way around the foundation and if you were smart you would rebar in to the foundation to support the sidewalk around the house. You could also do a monolithic pour if your area suits it.

Plum slate mulch, alot nicer than wood chips

Plant native plants, be less concerned about the perceived "mess" ,and stop trying to force a plant culture that is just not natural to your environment, and quit demonizing bugs... stay in your environments natural lane... you'll be much more successful...

You will have more weeds with rock. Also, white rock starts to look dirty and ugly after some rain or snow. Finally, It's much cheaper to replace mulch than rock.

This is a great example why you don’t hire a builder or lawn person to do gardens. Gardening is a serious profession and can be done terribly costing you more in the long run and with poor results. As a gardener I would not recommend rocks for all of the reasons stated by everyone else on this thread, I also would never recommend landscape fabric except under hardscaping like flagstone walkways. The one thing I would recommend is low maintenance, hiring gardeners to mulch and weed can be very expensive or time consuming if you do it yourself. Larger ornamental shrubs, perrenials or grasses planted at appropriate distance from the house can add a lot of interest and are easy to mulch around with minimal maintenance. Viburnum, spirea, hyrangea, hasta are all great low maintenance flowering plants

Tips for landscaping from a contractor, not a landscaper

Rock weight pushes down on the basement walls and footing.

Yeah nice add rocks that store heat instead of mulch that protects the dort underneath it

With wood chips or mulch, leave the leaves in and just cover them up with new chips or mulch. Rocks are hotter around the plants in the summer. Weeds can grow in-between the rocks making it harder to pull out. Mulch or wood chips improve the soil making healthier plants.

I really hate rocks. We have rocks, too. There are SO MANY slugs, that I can not grow any veggies. But now we cant change it anymore.

Mulch is much more beneficial for the plants than rocks

Dude your grass is soooo crispy damn bruh

its a pain to move the rocks when you install landscape lighting, don't ask how I know lol

Thank you !!

I prefer mulch..so much easier than rock. Easy to remove leaves from and more organic. Rocks are fine if you don't have trees and someone else to clean the debris out. Too much hardscaping.

If leaves goes in the beds with mulch you can just leave em and they will decompose 😂

Roses bloom literally all year except winter.. get yourself some nice rose bushes.. double knockouts.

This is why Landscapers should take some kind of horticulture class . Mulch can be blown out too and by far has more pros compared to rocks that have many cons . Depending on the plant you don’t always need irrigation. Most people in the comments have it right more than this guy

Rocks are a big no. And never have plant beds up against the house. Not good for your foundation.

Drip systems last about a year. If they don’t freeze Don’t know if you’re a good builder or not, but you are really not a smart landscaper.

How about using NATIVE species that way it promotes not only a better liking landscape but also better supports the local ecosystem

When the mulch decomposes weeds can grow on top of the mulch. How fo you prevent that

I can agree with rock instead of mulch. As a landscaper, drip or personal irrigation is fine. But the original must have not been planned correctly. No reason any irrigation should be spraying the house. Water is the worst enemy and best friend to landscape

Uhhh rock mulch is for pathways! Lol

I disagree with the rocks. My rocks collect all sort of debris and leaves that do not blow away

Why evergreens? Is that due to climate and wanting year round green? I’m in zone 7b and have year round green. Or is there another reason?? (I do not like them or shrubs with thorns)

I feel like he made this video to get people to react …..😂 Those tiny drip systems are horrible and imo meant to water plants in pots …. They get clogged very easily Also I love Pine bark , smells good good color and cheap I also love installing rock but it starts at 400/yd & up as opposed to mulch around 120/yd Man I need to start making KZread content lol

Hi i am an architectural visualizer &3d artist my services 1.landscape design 2.backyard design 3.pool design 4.garden design 5.pergola, gazebo, fire pit, deck,patio etc i want work with your team

Rocks >>>>> mulch

your mulch areas would look better with edging. not a pro just a diy homeowner 😎

Please, no one listen to this guy's advice. Rocks make absolutely terrible mulch. Leaves don't stick anymore than wood mulch. Wood mulch also feeds the soil and plants as it decays. Wood mulch is cooler and keeps more water in the soil. You don't need an irrigation system in a perennial bed, at all. Such a waste.

Ehat do you do for a job this is inspiring

Rocks limit your gardening. It’s much harder to move rocks and possibly a barrier to plant flowers. I prefer peat moss as a mulch. It will break with any remaining leaves adding valuable nutrients to the soil. I can see that you are more of landscaper than a gardener. Homes without flowers seem incomplete. There are several annuals ( planted each spring) by seed in mass like zinnias and marigolds. Both are deer resistant and minimal care for the season. As you can see, I’m a gardener. Flowers of different species and color fill my yard.

Where is that? Texas? Where water costs more than power for some people?

Drip systems or soaker hoses are nice but remember to only leave them for a year or so until your plants are established. We waited a few years to pull the hoses out and they grew into the plants and were difficult to pull out.

Though Rocks looks good, when the Sun shines on them, they will becomes very hot & burns your Bushes. Dangerous for creating fire.

Tip 4 rip out all bed and install grass lol

Or just do native plants and mulch Easy

Use native plants to support native wildlife, including bees, butterflies, etc.

Never use rock unless you live out west in an arid environment. Wind will still deposit soil and weed seeds in rock and in 5 years rock looks like crap. Seriously hire a qualified landscape designer to improve your property and a guy driving around with a trailer from Home Depot doesn’t qualify For some reason everyone thinks they are a landscaper. I’ve never had someone tell me they were performing open heart surgery on their grandmother because they watched a YT

As a landscaper, I’m just…exasperated by this. Everything you said was wrong. Please stay in your lane, Mr. Contractor. 🤦‍♂️

Maybe just plant native species just a thought you’re a young guy there must be some ecofriendlyness about you

Which evergreens ?

Plant native flora. Eliminate non native. Get a burn done, no lawns. No leaf blowers.

small pebble rocks don’t stay looking good for very long and are extremely expensive and laborious to add more later.

How about planting the perennials native to your region so the pollinators aren't wiped off the face of America? You have a food desert going on:(

Stop with evergreens. Use indigenous planting.

Get as many native plants in your yard as possible. Avoid non-native invasive plants.

Rock makes it harder to weed . Because years later weed city!

Rocks are no good in environments with trees. Monoculture sucks anyway.

landscaper here - tip #1 don’t follow these tips

Make sure the rocks are big enough we made the mistake of small rocks and they blow with the leaves

@cipherklosenuf9242

Жыл бұрын

True, though walking on the large rocks is treacherous. The blower works great on dust and dry debris but that same dust is also constantly seeping into the rock. Eventually weeds will grow between those crevices and by the time they really emerge it’s too late to blow. So, you’ll spray. Now you have lots of dead weeds and their roots. And the “weed barrier” is now helping the weeds …but that’s another story. The poison you spray will seep in or evaporate out and the weeds will re-emerge. Forests are literally plant ecosystems overgrowing lava flows. The best place for River rock is in a river.

Why evergreens?

Rocks are SHIT bro. "But if i out down fabric and then rocks nothing will grow there" WRONG!