Dennis,

I can't comment on the stones but I also live in a fairly termite infested area.

You could use cypress pine chips if it is available over your way, the termites don't like it that much.

Rick

Hi Dennis,

That's a very good question. I have often wondered about mulching around broms, also to keep the weeds out, but nary a word read or spoken on mulch + broms that I know of - not even a warning NOT to mulch around broms.
I assume those broms which are true epiphytes might not like their roots being smothered? I hadn't considered the temperature aspect causing burning in summer - wouldn't it keep the roots cooler? - but thought it might help raise the temperature around the roots in winter.

I have successfully grown some broms planted IN coarse blue metal in built-up garden beds, which also acted as a weed suppressant. The broms actually thrive in it, and someone told me the blue metal is full of beneficial minerals....and I doubt your termites would go for it. Rick's idea of termite-unfriendly cypress pine chips sounds like a good idea as well.
I'd also be keen to hear of any others' experience with mulching of broms.

...and that's a great alcantarea specimen there!

Cheers,
Kerry

Hi Guys

Rick: I am not sure that we get cypress pine chips here, but if its the pine bark that forms a large part of a more course potting mix then I think we do...hmmmm thanks for that.

Kerry: Is blue metal a bluish/grey stone "chip"? If so then I have used that in my mixes and you are correct the broms love it! I assume stone would heat up to a higher temp than the atmospheric temp, causing the air at ground level to be much hotter. That worries me because it may well cook the broms! Oh and thanks for the compliment re. the Alcantarea!

Hi Dennis, yes I agree, that's a very nice Alcantarea...& it will love a good stone mulch!

The best Alcantarea (& many other broms) I've seen around here have been grown in, or surrounded by rocks or stones. It is a great way of moderating the soil temperature, as well as slowing moisture loss.

I just took this photo a few hours ago to show off the Dypsis, not the stone mulch...but you can get the idea. A number of river stones have been spread around & under this clump of Neo compacta as a mulch to stop the weeds. You can also make out a few of the larger river boulders that have been placed around the Alcantarea. This 'mulch' has been in place for over a year now...last summer there were times when the stones got so hot I'm sure I could've fried an egg on them...but no sign of burning was seen on any of the broms. Our max summer temp would be about 28C, so maybe if yours gets much above this it would be wise to give the stone much a trial run before using around all your plants.

{{gwi:493059}}

Hi all,

Are we talking about red gum, pine chips etc? If so, all of the broms that i have in the ground are planted in chips - some of them are directly planted in the ground and some are in pots that have been sunk into the chips. Have not had any problems except for birds scratching the mulch into the broms (the hose does an excellent job of moving the chips!).

As for pebbles, i use cactus pebbles on some of the broms that are planted in ornamental pots - they make it easier to dunk the whole pot in a bucket of water without displacing any of the coconut husk/soil mix that i use.

I can't see why you couldn't sink your pots in mounds of gravel (it would have good drainage, keep roots warm in winter and cooler in summer, is termite resistant!! and discourage birds altho i hear that scoria [volcanic rocks] gets easily scratched about by birds).

Given that your broms are not sitting in the sun during the hottest part of the day during summer, the soil should actually be cooler rather than heated up - this is presuming that your rock chips are not literally sitting on the ground - you should use a minimum of 5 or six inches in depth. Also, consider the smallish root mass as compared to the plant mass and i would think that the roots would be well protected from any increase in surface temperature.
(This last bit is me thinking out aloud......

I would give it a go - make yourself a mound or two and plant it out with a couple of broms that you wont slash your wrists over if they cark it. See what happens :-) There are lots of differnt rocks that are used as mulch - granite chips, quartz chips, river pebbles (I think they might be environmentally unfriendly for the river concerned!), Scoria (red or black volcanic rock chips) or larger rocks placed close to each other with the gaps filled in with soil or smaller rocks..........experiment - it is so much fun :-))

cheers,
ozvon

Hi Dennis,I do use some stone pebbles around my brom, so far so good. In some area, I try to use glass pebbles. MAnage to get a picture for the stone pebbles.
{{gwi:493060}}

We use mulch in huge quantities and I've never heard of that being a termite attractant. So using a bit on broms shouldn't make any difference. Many people pot their broms in pure mulch and that seems to work just fine. I tend to top dress my terrestrials with some fine fir bark and all others with lava rock. The top dressing is mostly used to keep heavy rain from washing away the potting mix on newly potted pups.

The only way I can see the large stones hurting the broms as mulch would be if they are planted in a poorly draining area. The large stones will keep the water from evaporating as fast as it should.

Hi guys!

Thanks for all the replies!

Andrew: thats a nice Dypo baronii you have there! I have a few seedlings growing nicely at the mo. We get very hot here in summer....some days in the past few years have been up to and over 35c and those days did plenty damage to even sun hardy broms. I like the look of those larger pebbles oh and the Alcan to the left of your pic!

Ozvon: I think we are...pine chips. I need to do an experiment as you say. See what gets cooked and if any cark then it was in the name of science! But what to use?

Han: Thats a great selection of broms there!

Thanks all!

Dennis

Dennis,

if you are concerned about the heat, consider only white pebbles, they reflect better. I also think the bigger the pebbles and the thicker the mulch, the better the insulation will be.

Tomas

It makes a big difference how close together they are planted, Dennis, as well as if there are any trees or other taller plants around. I always tell people to plant epiphytic broms in rocks rather than right in the ground. We do a lot of that in Hawaii. Our volcanic "moss rock" is black and porous and works very well for that, but obviously a single lone brom in the middle of a big expanse of rock in full sun is going to cook a lot more than a grouping planted leaf-to-leaf, and a treefern or palm nearby is going to make a difference too.

Hi

Tomas: I love those white pebbles! They are expensive out this side.

Ja that is a valid point Lisa. I am a bit of a "jungle" planter and have lots of palms to shade the broms...I used to plant palms now I only plant palms to protect the broms!

Well, I was thinking about the quartz pebbles, not exactly white but still clear colors reflect heat well. They are used as building material for concrete here, very cheap. I suppose you have them too.
Tomas