How Thick Should You Lay Landscape Rock?

Landscape rocks are a great way to give your landscape beds in Colorado a facelift. When installing them, you'll want to ensure you lay down the right thickness of rocks. The ideal thickness of a rock ground cover in your landscape beds should be about two to three inches. This is thick enough to cover the soil and provide the intended health benefits, like suppressing weed growth, combatting soil erosion, and more. It's also important to leave about an inch around the base of the plants to avoid smothering them and creating a moist environment for diseases to develop. Rocks don't need to be replenished as often as mulch; you can refresh them whenever their color begins to fade and look lackluster.

A layer of landscape rocks should be about two to three inches thick.

Your landscape beds should be covered with a rock ground cover that is about two to three inches thick. Landscape rocks provide a nice, finishing look for your landscape beds, making them more polished and manicured. A two to three-inch layer of landscape rocks is just enough to spruce up the aesthetic of your landscape. It's not too thin that the soil will be visible but not too thick that it will look excessive.

More than aesthetics, installing the right thickness of landscape rocks ensures the ground cover provides the intended health benefits for your plants. These benefits include regulating soil temperature, suppressing weeds, preventing erosion, and retaining moisture. When the layer of rocks is too thin, weeds can easily grow, and moisture in the soil can easily evaporate due to the sun's heat. When it is too thick, your plants are at risk of being smothered and won't be able to absorb enough sunlight for optimal growth.

Leave a one-inch space around the base of your plants and the rocks to avoid smothering them.

When installing landscape rocks, it's vital to leave about an inch around the base of your plants. This space gives your plants breathing room, otherwise, they risk getting smothered. Placing the rocks right at the base of your plants prevents proper air circulation and oxygen from being absorbed, creating an environment with excessive moisture where diseases can develop and thrive, such as root rot.

How often should landscape rocks be replenished?

You can replenish your landscape rocks whenever their color starts to fade or look worn down. One of the best things about using rocks for landscaping is that they don't decompose, which means the ground cover won't thin quickly, and you don't have to replenish it as often as mulch!

Generally, the timing for replenishment of your landscape rocks will vary. Exposure to sun and rain can affect the appearance of your rocks, so it's best to check them from time to time to ensure they still look good in your landscape. If they're looking a bit unkempt, it's time to refresh them.

Schedule our rock installation service today by giving us a call!

One way to elevate the visual appeal of your landscape is to install rocks. Their natural beauty provides a good contrast to the colors of your plants while helping them stay healthy. Here at Mesa Turf Masters, we offer our rock installation service to property owners in Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, CO, and surrounding areas. You can choose from our wide selection of landscape rocks, which come in various colors and sizes! Our team will also use the right amount of rocks to ensure we achieve the ideal thickness and give you great results for your landscape. Call us today at (970) 434-5440 to schedule our rock installation service!