If you do a search of this forum for "gravel" and "stone mulch" you'll find a lot of threads where this topic was discussed.

I don't see any way that brick chips will look "natural". The color is too red, and the texture is wrong. You will also find in time that it creates its own maintenance problems.

Well established groundcover that is dense enough to suppress weeds, or a lawn that is mowed once a week are the easiest to maintain, IMO.

I think it sounds like a really bad idea.

Ugly. Will do nothing for the soil. Won't keep weeds down effectively. Will be much more difficult and high maintenance than reapplying some shredded bark once a year.

Yes, I have a thought.

Do. not. do. this.

I also have some reasons! ;~)

1) Invariably, dirt and debris are going to settle into your mulch. It WILL grow weeds. no matter what you do. It won't be pleasant to weed...brick chips are prickly.

2) If you ever change your landscaping you will have to remove the brick mulch. It will be a PITA to do so.

3) Some of the brick mulch WILL work it's way into your soil. It will remain sharp little pieces of brick. While this might deter voles in the area, it won't be pleasant to work in. Hardwood mulch, when it works it's way into the soil turns into...soil.

4) Eventually you will no longer own this weekender. Subsequent owners will curse you as they remove your weedy, ingrained, pointy perma-mulch. Trust me on this. I've removed several tons of white landscape rock...and I have at LEAST a ton or two more to go.

5) I don't think it's going to give you the look you want. Fresh mulch is brown, sure, but it lies on the earth looking fairly soft and organic. Crunched up brick, even if you find brown brick, will look...like crunched up brick.

OK--so the reason number 4 is the MAIN reason for my rant. Yeah, it's personal.

melanie

PS--typed this up before I left for work this morning...came home and realized I'd not hit "submit"...so now I am. If the above have been covered...mea culpa!

Yuck.

JMHO, VW

Not to pile on...but really, I can think of nothing worse to garden in than the area of sharp brick bits that will inevitably get into your soil. Would give new meaning to the phrase "working your fingers to the bone"!

Instead of looking to the mulch to control the weeds, you might consider getting a product called "Preen" which is what I use in my yard. I'm not sure all the ingredients, but corn gluten is one of them. It inhibits the sprouting of weed seeds. You just shake it over the garden to spread it. It has worked very well for me, and I'm gone for long periods of time. I sprinkle it over the soil before I add the mulch. You can also sprinkle it on last years' mulch before you add this years. It makes the weeds much more managable. Also laying down landscape fabric could help. But anything non-organic (meaning stones, gravel, brick chips), is acually MORE work than the organic mulches. Organic in this case meaning plant-derived, coming from something that was once alive.

Some evil previous owners of our home had put red lava rock everywhere. We curse them every time we dig, pull weeds, weed, etc. Fortunately after three years of serious landscaping most is gone but a little red rock reared it's ugly, sharp head a few days ago in my front bed.

Please don't do it. Red is ugly in a a garden as a mulch. Red rocks, red mulch and red bricks all look unnnatural. It will cause years of being cursed by the next owners or maintainers of the property.

Well I am here to tell you, brick mulch chips are not as bad as you all say- I just purchased a house with brick chip mulch and till now I had the same opinion as many of you but I will be using more of it as I expand the garden.

Michael, please report back after you have lived there a few years to let us know if you still feel the same way. Fresh stone mulch is lovely, and folks often freshen things up when selling, but I would love to know how it is several years down the line.

I filled with brick chips then mixed solite in . It added some black grey and brown. I love it and weed mat was installed first so weeds are no issue

Never heard of Solite before you mentioned it- very interesting and will consider doing the same. Thanks!

Michaelwesolowski and HU- 4090, neither of you say where you are. If you live in a dry area, gravel mulches may be reasonable, but for many areas they are a poor choice. Weed mat doesn’t help here at all. The weeds just grow into the landscape fabric.

We inherited a house with overgrown gardens and brick mulch. We are paying a fortune to remove it. It's almost impossible to weed (which are EVERYWHERE) or get a shovel in to move it and do further gardening. I do not recommend.