Jhelva
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Mulch or Rocks along foundation -termite concern

The house I'm about to buy needs some landscaping changes, the first project I want to work on is one side of the house where there is currently river rocks, but tons of weeds growing thru. I've been thinking about replacing it with mulch until I read about not being good because of pest issues... help!!!!

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rainbowgardener
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What pest issues are you worried about?

The rocks are a big pain, just because of what you have noticed. The weeds grow through them, but are more difficult to pull out by the roots, because of the rocks in the way. They provide no benefit to the soil.

Jhelva
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I'm worried about termites.
Someone recommended I use rubber mulch??? Doesn't sound good to me...
And the rocks, they do look like a pain and useless thing to deal with.

Thank you so much for your response

imafan26
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Round up on the weeds growing through the rocks. Water and wait for more weeds to come up and Round Up again. Repeat until you don't really see much weeds coming up. Then use Preen to prevent any new seeds that blow in from germinating.
The weeds are not really growing on the rocks but in the soil trapped between the rocks. Washing the rocks out would be a bigger pain.

Mulching does not stop some weeds, you still will have to pull the weeds that grow on the mulch.

Termites are a problem. You don't want contact between the wood and the ground so you have to be carefull to not cover the foundation. My termite guy recommended no plants within 18 inches of the foundation. Inspect the foundation monthly. Try to keep the foundation moisture even. If you have gutters then make sure you use extensions so the water doen't get dumped right next to the foundation. Grading should be away from the foundation. Paint your house every 5-8 years. Paint isn't very good now it doesn't last a long time. Painting and caulking seals up the breathing holes and entrances. Termite treatment every three years alternating tenting with ground treatment. My house was built when chlordane was still being used. I have only had dry wood termites not ground termites so I have to tent every time. Oh, yeah, when the termites are swarming turn off the lights and go to bed early. The termites will go to the houses with the lights on. Avoid woody plants near your home, termites will eat them too.

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applestar
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Some FUN tips from imafan 8)


I was curious about this though --
imafan26 wrote:Termites are a problem. You don't want contact between the wood and the ground so you have to be carefull to not cover the foundation. My termite guy recommended no plants within 18 inches of the foundation.
If no plants, what do you put there? Not bare soil, I assume. Pavers or concrete sidewalk? Some kind of mulch like the OP has but no plants?

I remember someone saying they have no roof gutters and the recommendation was to put a dry rock bed along the roof drip line. Probably not the case here. I suppose if you are regularly spraying along the foundation for termites, using herbicides in the no-plant-zone won't be that different.

Don't plant any edibles nearby, would be my conclusion.

imafan26
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Yes, no edibles within 10 ft if the house is ground treated. Basements here are rare. Most construction is a concrete slab on grade. The concrete is about 4 inches thick. Then the sill is on top of that and the walls are attached to the sill. Grading should be away from the house so water does not puddle near the foundation. You want to be able to walk around the house and easily see the foundation so you can look for tubes.

Our houses have 3ft eaves, mainly because of the sun, so the drip line is three feet out. As long as the grade is higher toward the house the rain should stay in the yard. Where a lot of water comes off corners in the roof is where you want to try to get water away quickly.

Another reason not to plant anything next to the foundation is because roots can pry into the small cracks in the foundation and give the ants and termites a way in. My house is single wall construction built in 1972. The walls are redwood but if the grass gets too tall near the foundation, It gets under my wall boards and I find it growing behind the bedroom toilet.

Most people put concrete sidewalks around the house. Some DIY people will not tilt the walkway 1/4 inch away and pour the cement right up to the outside wall. That promotes rot in this environment. The sidewalk also increases the price for ground treatment since the termite companies charge for each hole they have to drill.

Since the end of the use of chlordane around 1985, the termite treatments have gotten less effective. Chlordane could last 35 years but todays treatment only kills what is there, the termites can move in the next day. Tenting will kill roaches and house geckos but the ants are crawling on the beams a half hour after the tent is removed so it does not kill them.

Mock orange, roses, hibiscus and other woody plants are used as hedges on the perimeter of a house but most houses do not have foundation plantings, just grass. Termites will eat through soft wood. Termites infested my mom's avocado and a large ficus bonsai. Some houses only have grass and not much else.

Termites are hard to control since a single colony can have multiple queens and spread for miles. Unless all of the houses on a block treat their homes at the same time, they just move over to the next house. I remember after the house was treated the termites moved over and ate 11 of my roses. I have replaced molding in one bedroom three times and the last time I painted the house, a couple of rafters had to be repaired.

Jhelva
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Very useful information. Thanks imafan

jeff84
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I hope I never have to deal with those evil little bugs. only encountered one time on my property in a rotting tree stump which I promptly doused with flammable liquid and burned. never have seen them in any structure fingers crossed I never do. I get a termite inspection every 5 years and have never had one find any signs of termites. and none of my neighbors have ever had them in their homes. however, there is a wooded area nearby and if any of us in the neighborhood ever do have an infestation. I am sure that will be the source.

my theory is that they wont move on to the homes because there is no need as they have plenty of wood in the woods. and there are manicured lawns between the homes and the wooded area.
Last edited by jeff84 on Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

imafan26
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We have two main kinds of termites. The Formoson ground termite which is the most destructive and the fying drywood termites. In a warm climate, nothing kills them. In cold climates they would not survive.

On warm nights the ants and termites will swarm around lites and mate. The queens will then go looking for a new home. They like fruitwood, and soft woods like pine. They don't bother redwood or other hardwoods much. They will eat furniture in the homes, they are not fussy. Most homes here are made with treated lumber, but the finishes like moldings, windows and doors are not treated and that is also where moisture will collect so that is where they do most of the damage. They will eat a molding right up to the paint to the point that you can break the paint with your finger. Anything screwed into a wall gives them an entry point like a floodlight or hose hanger or picture attached to a wall.

I finally got some of the weeds taken out in the front so I could actually see the fence and the fencepost is almost completely gone and the ants are nesting in it. The fence is probably 10-15 years old. Another thing to add to my to do list. The water faucet was anchored by screws to the post and between being next to the water from the faucet and the holes for the screws. I am not sure if it was termites or ants that did the damage. The ants are there now, but they could have moved in after they kicked the termites out or they could have damaged the post if they are carpenter ants.



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