Why would you want Gorilla Hair in your Landscape?!
With a name like “gorilla hair,” Washington (or Cascade) Cedar Mulch may not sound like the most desirable ground cover to utilize in your yard. However, this inexpensive product is a fantastic option to consider for any Colorado landscape for a variety of reasons:
- It helps maintain moisture for your plants, conserving water usage;
- It is biodegradable;
- It can be integrated into a larger xeriscape plan, bringing desirable variety to rock and planting areas;
- It creates an immediate “refreshed” look to your yard with minimal effort,
- AND it is less likely to blow away than other types of bark mulches, meaning you won’t have to refresh it as often, saving you time and money!
All of these benefits make gorilla hair mulch a smart choice for both residential and commercial landscape applications—but what is the best way to install it? If you have ever wondered whether or not you should put landscape fabric underneath mulch, you are not alone; in fact, it is one of the most common questions we get. Our rule of thumb is this:
- For areas where you will be installing rock or a larger types of bark mulch (such as a playground mulch) we highly recommend installing weed-barrier fabric underneath;
- For gorilla hair mulch areas specifically, we do NOT recommend installing weed-barrier fabric underneath.
Properly installed, landscape fabric provides a barrier that will help prevent weed growth in your landscaped rock and mulch areas. The reason for this distinction is that over time, gorilla hair mulch will biodegrade into a fine soil. As this happens, it creates a layer of fabric with a gradually accumulating layer of soil, allowing weeds to sprout and grow on top of the fabric (this will not happen as quickly or extensively for other mulches or rock). It can result in a big weed problem! Your better alternative is to keep your gorilla hair mulch thick, which provides a natural barrier that helps prevent weed growth. We recommend at least a three-inch layer of mulch for this purpose.
If you have additional questions regarding mulch or landscaping best-practices in general, feel free to give us a call, drop us a line via email, or send us a Facebook message. And if we can help you “dream it, design it, and scape it” to transform your property, contact us for a free estimate today!
