Mulch Questions

[SkyRider]

I need some mulch, or something, to put on top of my black fabric weed preventer to protect it from the sun. Questions:

1) Where can I get mulch at a reasonable price or free?
2) Are all mulch the same or are there different grades?
3) What is the life expectancy of mulch?
4) What happens when mulch dies? Does it simply bio-degrade into the ground?

 

[picketfence]

1. mulch can be bought by the yard if you have a truck.
2.there are many different types
3.it will rot over time
4.mulch is already dead and will rot into the ground

All mulch is organic material. Usually cedar,pine and other wood chips or bark chips.It can also be in a finer shredded form and composted form. For your purpose straw makes a great a cheap mulch. But you are looking for weed abatement, not mulch per say.The best method is also the cheapest,but the ugliest.The key to this method is keeping light out and this works much better that fabric and mulch. A layer of cardboard with some weight to hold it down, or newspaper and then cardboard as extra protection.You neighbors may hate you but it works