what type of mulch/rock to use in yard that has many trees that lose LOTS of acorns,

[trying]

Would anyone have recommendations for what type of mulch/rock to use in yard that has many trees that lose LOTS of acorns, hickory nuts, leaves and small twigs?

I can't seem to come up with any ground cover to edge the house and garage that would allow me to rake up all the debris that falls from the trees each fall.

Anything too light gets raked up when I try to rake out the leaves, acorns, and hickory nuts...anything large (river stone) has so many voids between the stone that the debris gets lodged and won't rake out.

What should I do?

Thank you!

[sheshovel]

Buy a backpack blower and blow the debri right out of stone.Can't really rake mulch much at all.

[weekendDIY]

What is a good model to purchase for a homeowner? I always thought about getting one but know much about them.

[Critical Care]

The blower idea works well, but you really need a backpack blower with enough umph to blow the debris out of the rock - if you go that route. And, if you choose your rock and it's size carefully, you won't have that problem with stuff working down into it.

I recently put down some 3/4 or one inch minus chipped road base. This stuff is great. What I used is not round but is much more flat, and when put down it forms a very solid non-moving surface. You can easily blow stuff off of it, could probably even sweep it, and can easily push any wheeled object over it.

[sheshovel]

I like Echo but Stihl makes a good back pac blower too.The lighter the better

[Critical Care]

Both Stihl and Echo have been good blowers for me. Quite a few people mention Redmax as being good. Of course the backpack blowers are going to weigh more than the handheld ones, but you won't get as tired with the extra weight on your back versus less weight in your hand.