What do you have under your swing set?

[TKDmom]

When we installed our swing set, we ripped out all the grass and placed mulch under and around it. Many of my friends just have grass under their swing set, but I was hoping the mulch would reduce the amount of weed whacking dh would have to do. I'm regretting that decision now. The last batch of mulch we put in is too rough--some of those pieces of mulch are huge and it hurts to walk on them barefoot. And now the area under the swing set is full of weeds, too.

 

It's time to re-mulch, but I was wondering what other options we have. What do you use? What are the pros/cons? If you do use mulch, is there a specific type/brand that works well blocking weeds and that is soft enough for little, bare feet?

Edited July 28, 2012 by bonniebeth4
typo

[Whereneverever]

We just have grass. I'd like the fancy rubber mulch, but it's so expensive!!

[Cindy in FL.]

We've always had mulch under ours and haven't had problems with weeds. Yes, the mulch is not the most comfortable on bare feet, but my guys just put on shoes if it bothered them (which wasn't often).

 

Cindy

[Dory]

We put the same thing that I put in my riding arena. It's a mixture of sand, top soil, mulch, and peat moss. It's fairly spongy without being too spongy and I put landscaping mesh under it to keep the weeds from sprouting up.

[TKDmom]

We just have grass. I'd like the fancy rubber mulch, but it's so expensive!!

 

I've thought about rubber mulch too, but whenever we go to the local park that has rubber mulch, the kids track rubber mulch into the car and the house,and it turns their feet black if they take off their shoes. I don't really want rubber mulch all over my house, but maybe I should at least price it. Remulching every year or two can get expensive, too.

[TKDmom]

We put the same thing that I put in my riding arena. It's a mixture of sand, top soil, mulch, and peat moss. It's fairly spongy without being too spongy and I put landscaping mesh under it to keep the weeds from sprouting up.

 

Ooh, that sounds neat. Do you get it premixed? or do you have a link with ratios of what to put in?

[Calm37]

Just set it on the grass.

[Dory]

Ooh, that sounds neat. Do you get it premixed? or do you have a link with ratios of what to put in?

 

Oh dear! I knew someone would ask me this some day. Soil breaks down over time so I just add whatever it seems to need. If it's too slick, I add peat moss. If it is too spongy and wet, I add top soil. If is getting too compact and hard, I add mulch of some sort. Something gets added every few years. It never stays really wet, rarely gets hard and dry, and feels fine to walk on.

 

For the initial amount that I put in, I started with a small bucket and added a little at a time until I knew how much of each it needed to feel good and then used those amounts in larger form for the arena. I can't remember the ratios now though.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Dory

[redsquirrel]

We just anchored it in the grass.

[lea1]

Ours is just sitting on the grass lawn.

[TKDmom]

Oh dear! I knew someone would ask me this some day

:D

. Soil breaks down over time so I just add whatever it seems to need. If it's too slick, I add peat moss. If it is too spongy and wet, I add top soil. If is getting too compact and hard, I add mulch of some sort. Something gets added every few years. It never stays really wet, rarely gets hard and dry, and feels fine to walk on.

 

For the initial amount that I put in, I started with a small bucket and added a little at a time until I knew how much of each it needed to feel good and then used those amounts in larger form for the arena. I can't remember the ratios now though.

 

That's helpful. Maybe I'll get a bag of each and experiment. I really don't want to try to scrape out all the mulch we have and replant the grass. But maybe I could rake out some of the mulch, put down weed control fabric, mix the mulch with other stuff to soften it up, and spread it back over the fabric.

[daffodil]

Grass.

[Lori D.]

Okay, I must be of the "walk to school uphill 5 miles each way in a blizzard" generation, BUT... growing up, we had a metal swing set and jungle gym and an all-gravel yard to prevent weeds. We were always swinging and jumping off, climbing all over, and you just hung on. The few times anyone fell they got a mildly scraped knee or elbow, when in for a band-aid and came back out for more play. And we ran barefoot all the time. I think you just learn to deal with whatever is there. ;)

 

For our boys we put in river-bed sand under the swings, but it would get hard and compacted so fast that DH made a 2.5' square "sieve" out of wood for the frame and screen from Home Depot and every few months we'd run the sand through the sieve to break it up again. Ug! That was back-breaking yard work, and I finally gave up after 2-3 years, so mostly, it was just hard compacted sand and no weeds ever tried growing up through that.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[TKDmom]

Okay, I must be of the "walk to school uphill 5 miles each way in a blizzard" generation, BUT... growing up, we had a metal swing set and jungle gym and an all-gravel yard to prevent weeds. We were always swinging and jumping off, climbing all over, and you just hung on. The few times anyone fell they got a mildly scraped knee or elbow, when in for a band-aid and came back out for more play. And we ran barefoot all the time. I think you just learn to deal with whatever is there. ;)

 

 

:D

 

I should clarify...it's ME that can't stand walking on that mulch. ;) They seem to do okay with it, but they also seem to be avoiding playing on the swing set. I don't know if it's the heat or the awful weedy mulch that's keeping them away from it. I'm also tired of trying to pull splinters out of their feet when they do go out.

 

Last week ds7 scraped his face up when he accidentally flipped over on his swing at summer camp. It's been a joy to explain to every. single. person. we meet why his face is all scraped up. :glare: Anyway, it's been on my mind that I'd like to have something safer under the swing set.

[Dory]

:D

 

 

That's helpful. Maybe I'll get a bag of each and experiment. I really don't want to try to scrape out all the mulch we have and replant the grass. But maybe I could rake out some of the mulch, put down weed control fabric, mix the mulch with other stuff to soften it up, and spread it back over the fabric.

 

I don't know if this would work, but it popped into my mind so I thought I'd share. If you put the edging around the play space the weeds shouldn't be trying to creep in. If you already have weeds trying to creep in despite the mulch I'd put down cardboard over the mulch and then put your other soils on top of the cardboard. The cardboard would kill the weeds, and as it degrades it would allow the mulch and the other soil to mix together again. Sounds long but it would probably be less work.

[GraciebytheBay]

Just grass. The mulch at the park hurt my kiddos legs if they fell, so I felt like a little weed whacking would be worth it. They are getting so old now that we're talking about taking the swingset out. :001_unsure:

[ktgrok]

I'd be tempted to do sand. You could put cardboard under it to stop the weeds.

[acablue]

I've heard good things about rubber mulch, but we've been using pea gravel for four years and haven't had any problems.

[Caitilin]

Dirt/grass.

[Hilltop]

We have pea gravel under our set. We've had it for 5 years and haven't had any problems. The other option we considered was rubber mulch, but it was too expensive at the time.

[JudoMom]

Grass under the swings and sand under the slide/monkey bars/climbing wall.

[TKDmom]

I'd be tempted to do sand. You could put cardboard under it to stop the weeds.

 

That's another idea I've been toying with--there's a sand box under part of the swingset and most of it sneaks out into the mulch anyways. When we built our raised garden beds, I put down thick layers of wet newspaper right over our grass before adding the garden bed dirt, and I was amazed at how well it blocked the grass and weeds.

[TKDmom]

I don't know if this would work, but it popped into my mind so I thought I'd share. If you put the edging around the play space the weeds shouldn't be trying to creep in. If you already have weeds trying to creep in despite the mulch I'd put down cardboard over the mulch and then put your other soils on top of the cardboard. The cardboard would kill the weeds, and as it degrades it would allow the mulch and the other soil to mix together again. Sounds long but it would probably be less work.

 

I hink most of our weeds are airborne (like dandelions). At least all the really annoying weeds seem to be airborne. They just pop up in the middle of the mulch rather than creeping in from the sides. I really like the soft, bouncy texture of horse arenas, but it would probably be more fertile for weeds. :tongue_smilie:

[Dory]

I hink most of our weeds are airborne (like dandelions). At least all the really annoying weeds seem to be airborne. They just pop up in the middle of the mulch rather than creeping in from the sides. I really like the soft, bouncy texture of horse arenas, but it would probably be more fertile for weeds. :tongue_smilie:

 

Just spray it down a couple times a year with vinegar. That kills the weeds, evaporates back into the air in a couple days and isn't harmful to the kids or pets. I spray vinegar around the buildings here to catch anything I can't keep up with, with my weeding. Also, the really high end arenas use Arena moist to keep it bouncy.

[kewb]

When we had a swingset there was grass underneath.

[TexasRachel]

We have sand, but they delivered the wrong kind. You need play sand, not regular sand. The play sand doesn't compact so much. But both DSs love the sand and play with it a lot. More so than the actual swing set.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Pea gravel. We have to keep a litter box on the porch for outdoor cat to keep her out of it. But at least her presence in the yard seems to keep all the other neighborhood cats from coming in and using it.

[TKDmom]

I've heard good things about rubber mulch, but we've been using pea gravel for four years and haven't had any problems.

 

We have pea gravel under our set. We've had it for 5 years and haven't had any problems. The other option we considered was rubber mulch, but it was too expensive at the time.

 

For those of you who use pea gravel, have you ever had kids do face plants into it? Does the pea gravel do much damage? Does it get too hot to walk on in the summer-time?

 

DS's recent face plant was not the first our family has had on the swings, and now that dd2 can swing herself, I'm sure it won't be the last.

 

Pea gravel would be a better texture than mulch, and I'm sure it would keep weeds out, but I'm a little concerned about safety...

[LisainOhio]

We have a large playset with a very high deck and bar that the swings hang from. We have pea gravel. We have definitely had kids face plant into it when flipping off the trapeze and no scrapes or cuts at all. We're very pleased with the pea gravel! It's smooth to walk on, doesn't get hot and the kids love to dig in with shovels, buckets and trucks.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Yes, the smoothness does seem to prevent scrapes, etc. and we don't have many weeds find their way through. I find ours gets hot, but we live in an area with very hot summers. Overall we've been very happy with it and it was a very inexpensive option. And I agree that the kids love to dig/play in the gravel as much as they play on the playset itself (which is why I don't mind the litter box!) ;)

[TKDmom]

We have a large playset with a very high deck and bar that the swings hang from. We have pea gravel. We have definitely had kids face plant into it when flipping off the trapeze and no scrapes or cuts at all. We're very pleased with the pea gravel! It's smooth to walk on, doesn't get hot and the kids love to dig in with shovels, buckets and trucks.

 

I'm off to research prices! :auto:

[TKDmom]

Yes, the smoothness does seem to prevent scrapes, etc. and we don't have many weeds find their way through. I find ours gets hot, but we live in an area with very hot summers. Overall we've been very happy with it and it was a very inexpensive option. And I agree that the kids love to dig/play in the gravel as much as they play on the playset itself (which is why I don't mind the litter box!) ;)

 

Our summers don't have as high temps as yours do, but the humidity makes it so that nothing ever cools off, and our play area isn't shaded at all. Really the kids don't go out much in the summers, because it's just too miserable, so I probably shouldn't worry too much about the gravel heating up.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Our summers don't have as high temps as yours do, but the humidity makes it so that nothing ever cools off, and our play area isn't shaded at all. Really the kids don't go out much in the summers, because it's just too miserable, so I probably shouldn't worry too much about the gravel heating up.

 

Yeah, ours gets more use during the cooler times of day and a lot more in the spring and fall :) my kids learn fast to throw on a pair of crocs or flip flops when it's hot!

[Dory]

I've heard good things about rubber mulch, but we've been using pea gravel for four years and haven't had any problems.

 

I had thought of using rubber mulch here until the playgrounds in our town started using them. We find rubber everywhere after we have been there. I find little pieces all through the house all the time that they carried home on their clothes. The people in town are pushing for the town to take it back out.

[acablue]

I had thought of using rubber mulch here until the playgrounds in our town started using them. We find rubber everywhere after we have been there. I find little pieces all through the house all the time that they carried home on their clothes. The people in town are pushing for the town to take it back out.

Ah, we've never been to a playground that has rubber mulch, but a few families around here had it installed this summer and seem to like it.

 

As for face plants, my kids always jump (or fall) down instead of climbing and have never had any cuts or scrapes from the pea gravel.

[TranquilMind]

When we installed our swing set, we ripped out all the grass and placed mulch under and around it. Many of my friends just have grass under their swing set, but I was hoping the mulch would reduce the amount of weed whacking dh would have to do. I'm regretting that decision now. The last batch of mulch we put in is too rough--some of those pieces of mulch are huge and it hurts to walk on them barefoot. And now the area under the swing set is full of weeds, too.

 

It's time to remulch, but I was wondering what other options we have. What do you use? What are the pros/cons? If you do use mulch, is ther a specific type/brand that works well blocking weeds and that is soft enough for little, bare feet?

Rubber mulch smells like petroleum, but you could use that. We just had grass and everyone was fine.

[Tap]

At our old house we used landscape fabric and had 'tumbled cedar chips'. They are like little chunks of bark but don't have as many silvers. Never had a weed issue.

 

At our house now we have fabric/tumbled chips under the pick nic table and in the sand box part. Under the swings/slide we have grass.

[Tap]

I personally don't like pea gravel because it can get stuck in the treads of shoes and scratch the wood floors (neighbor has it and regrets it).

 

I also don't like how hot it gets and that it keeps the heat in longer.

 

It can be rough on the lawn mower since it never stays in place.

[Melissa in Australia]

our whole property is sand, not soil, covered with grass, but still sand. So we have sand :001_smile:

[Melissa in Australia]

our whole property is sand, not soil, covered with grass, but still sand. So we have sand

[Laura Corin]

I'd put a weed barrier fabric under the mulch.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

I'd put a weed barrier fabric under the mulch.

 

Laura

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Ours is just on the grass, too. Of course, much of the grass is worn down to dirt because they play on it so much.

[TKDmom]

our whole property is sand, not soil, covered with grass, but still sand. So we have sand :001_smile:

 

:) I can relate. We live in a coastal area, so we have very sandy soil (or maybe it's very dirty sand) mixed with seashell pieces. The kids seem to think that any spot in the lawn where the grass is dying should be a sandbox. :tongue_smilie:

[Veritaserum]

We have landscaping fabric and a thick layer of wood chips under our playset.

[TKDmom]

At our old house we used landscape fabric and had 'tumbled cedar chips'. They are like little chunks of bark but don't have as many silvers. Never had a weed issue.

 

At our house now we have fabric/tumbled chips under the pick nic table and in the sand box part. Under the swings/slide we have grass.

 

I'll look into those. Are they anything like pine bark mulch? We have some pine bark mulch around our blueberry bushes, but it doesn't seem like a good texture to use under a swing set.

 

In all my research, I've discovered that there is special playground mulch that is shredded so that it's softer and mats up to stay in place. So many options...

[Veritaserum]

I'll look into those. Are they anything like pine bark mulch? We have some pine bark mulch around our blueberry bushes, but it doesn't seem like a good texture to use under a swing set.

 

In all my research, I've discovered that there is special playground mulch that is shredded so that it's softer and mats up to stay in place. So many options...

 

That's what we bought. A local nursery sells it. The kids haven't complained about it, so it must be ok stuff for feet. :)

[besroma]

We have had mulch, pea gravel, and grass with dirt where they wear the grass away from playing on it so much.

 

The grass/dirt combo is the best for us.

[hollyh]

We put weed barrier under rubber mulch from costco a few months ago. We love it. It's beautiful, has saved many falls and the sprinklers don't ruin the wood playset. It took us about a year to decide. Some mulch gets tracked in the house but it's not so much that I care. Muddy grass feet bother me a whole lot more!!