"The Mulching Mind"

Starting the Year Off on the Right Foot!

We here at EnviroColor pride ourself on delivering a first rate product and customer service. It gives us no greater pleasure than to hear positive feedback from our clients. Last week we were totally impressed with a blog post from one of our customers.

Howard Brothers/True Value did a product spotlight (totally unbeknownst to us) about our solution on January 25, 2012. I wanted to give them a BIG thank you and let them know we appreciate the positive review.

If EnviroColor can help bring your pine straw or mulch back to life, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We not only sell the product for the DYI, but we also offer the complete service for larger customers.

Thanks for your continued support,

 

Bob Russo

President, EnviroColor USA

Save money grow from a seed

I was on to something when I said I was going to start my garden with seeds and watch it grow! Although I just wanted to do it for my enjoyment, there are other reasons why starting a "brand new" garden could be beneficial to you and your pockets.

Not only can you  have the pride and joy of watching your seeds mature before your very own eyes, like a proud parent. You can save some green in the process! Ain't life grand?!

The experts over at HGTV  explain to you why  seed growing gardens are best value for your wallet!

In many parts of the country, seeds have been flying off the shelves. And why not? Even if you've never relished the idea of growing your own vegetables, you might be swayed by the economics of it. Consider this: A $3 packet of seeds can yield 5 pounds of lettuce, 8 pounds of green beans, 20 pounds of carrots or 120 summer squash.

Depending on the variety and the care it receives, one tomato plant can yield more than 10 pounds of fruit, and in a packet of seeds, there are some 30 potential little tomato plants — plenty enough to swap with other gardeners. Or, the 24 or so little transplants you can't use could be sold at spring plant sales given by garden clubs. Either way, the math looks good.

Starting your garden from seed beats paying $2 or more per transplant at the garden center. Plus, you can get much more variety (transplants are usually limited to a few varieties of a very few vegetables).

How to fertilize your lawn

Remember last time I told you, "what makes grass green"? Well here's a a quick video from Home Depot about what makes your grass greener and weed free! 

His first tip caught my attention. "Fertilizer creates dense turf.Dense turf crowds out most weeds."

I don't know about you but that's enought for me to run-not walk- to buy some fertilizer. Weeds are THE WORST!

Watch the video, I promise you'll learn something.

What makes grass green?

Fourth grade science class was—let's just say it was a long, long, LONG time ago. I was talking with a landscaper friend of mine about the condition of one of his clients' lawn. The grass was brown and ugly. Thinking aloud, he was brainstorming reasons, why he why he thought it was so unhealthy and we came up with lots of reasons and elements that could turn the grass brown. Then as a question to himself, he muttered under his breath “I wonder what makes grass green?”

I didn’t answer him. He wasn’t really talking to me. And the fact that I did'nt know the answer off the top of my head, gave me pause too.

That seemingly simple question stayed on my mind for about 2 or 3 days before I started to do a little research. My first and only resource I checked was my little sister, she’s in the 5^th grade. (yeah, the theme music from the game show plays in my head too)

The first thing she said to me was “Do you know what chlorophyll and photosynthesis is?” "Well of course I do", I lied, "But why don’t you tell me what it is and I’ll tell you if you’re right” I had to try and save face.  Once upon a time, way back when I knew what chlorophyll was so technically, I wasn’t lying. Here are the cliff notes of her mini lecture. "Chlorophyll does not absorb the green spectrum of light so thats reflected back to your eyes which gives grass the nice green color.Then there’s photosynthesis. Photosyntesis “is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds using the energy of sunlight.

So there you have it folks! Combine chlorophyll with the process of photosynthesis and you get green grass. Now take this information and impress a kid! Just end the conversation before they ask you why the sky is blue! THAT deserves a separate blog post.

This little seed of mine

Flower buying is great past time for me!  I can spend hours in  Pike Nursery browsing and probably annoying the sales associate by asking 3000 questions per flower.  Looking at fully or partially developed plants is great but nothing beats watching a flower grow from a seed.

It’s amazing actually! To watch something so small and ambiguous turn into something so beautiful and delicate as an African Violet , a white tulip, or something massive like a pecan tree! It’s been a while since I’ve attempted to use my (semi) green thumb. Remember I'm a beginner, but I’m always willing to learn. Although,I do have some past memories to pull from. As a child my grandmother helped me to grow plants. I’ve noticed now with my little sister that it instills a sense of pride and accomplishment. Caring for your own little plant and making sure that it gets everything it needs, teaches responsibility. And the fact that it’s just plain fascinating to watch is icing on the cake!

Since it’s been a long time since I’ve planted a seed, I’ve been reading a couple articles about how to get started.  I stumbled across this article on the Home Depot Garden Club and wanted to share with you just in case you need a refresher course, like me.  Click here to read more.

I don't want to kill you, but....

Gasp! I didn't know such a plant existed. I'm new to this whole "green thumb" thing, anyway. In fact, my thumb isn't even green, it’s sort of a pale shade of yellow right now. I'm improving and that's what all that matters right?

While surfing the net, I came across this article, a list, of plants that you can't kill. Surely there must be some fine print written at the bottom. I mean, that’s a pretty bold statement. I CAN’T kill them? The author clearly hasn’t met me yet. I’m almost tempted to prove them wrong. But I won’t.

These plants can survive in the worst conditions. Forgot to water them for a few days? No problem. Little to no sunlight? It's ok. They'll survive. Why can't all plants be this resilient? Sure would've saved me a lot of potting soil. LOL

I thought the only plants you really couldn't kill were cacti. I have been proven wrong and I am not surprised-at all. For those other " pale yellow" thumbs out there, here's a list of plants that you can’t kill.

1. Golden Pothos Vine
2. Spider plants
3. Snake plants and mother in laws tongue (funny name)
4. Dracaena species
5. Succulents and Cacti
6. Bromeliads
7. Lucky Bamboo

For a more in depth discussion of the plants..check this out.

Garden Party

I’d like to have a garden party this year at my Grandmother’s house just for the family to get together and enjoy one another. This will be a first for me and the family so, in order to get some ideas of what a garden party should consist of, I, of course, googled it. Not surprisingly, I found tons of information!

Tablescapes, flowers, lawn cutting techniques, activities and best of all the menu! I love to cook and I’d like to impress with little effort. Here’s a video I found on Youtube from the CBS Early Show. I’m going to try to make the curry chicken salad and the lemon pie.

Do you have any suggestions or ideas that you have used for a garden party?

Essential landscaping tools for beginners

Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land. Contrary to popular relief, you don’t need to have a “green thumb” to spruce up your lawn. The right tools, and a little imagination can be your guide.

I can’t teach you how to use your imagination, you should’ve mastered that skill in kindergarten, but I can give you a little insight on what it takes to be the best gardener/landscaper you can be. I’ve compiled a list of the 5 basic tools that EVERY gardener/landscaper/homeowner should have.

1. Gloves—Yes gloves are number one on the list. I know one of the joys of gardening is digging into the earth and getting your hands dirty but sometimes you want to avoid the calluses and gloves allow you to do that.
2. Gardening Hoe—This tool is essential for breaking into hard dirt, and removing stubborn weeds. It’s also used to create shallow trenches for planning seeds and bulbs.
3. Shovel—A shovel can be used like a gardening hoe in some instances but it’s mostly used to move loose material like sand and/or gravel.
4. Rake—A rake is used for leveling soil, removing dead grass from lawns and collecting leaves in a pile. Also if you are like my Mom, you can use the rake to make perfect straight lines in the dirt that only last until a strong gust of wind comes through.
5. Garden Hose—After you planted your garden of flowers and/or vegetables you want to make sure the dirt is wet enough for the roots receive enough moisture. I recommend getting a really long hose, so you can reach your entire lawn

That completes my list of essential tools for every gardener/landscaper. What are some of your must have tools? Leave your comments, suggestions, questions in the comment section!

--Erica Williams

What I learned on the golf course.

Hi Everyone

My name is Erica Williams and I’ll be a guest blogger here on the “Mulching Mind”. Like many of you I’m a beginner gardener and new to the world of landscaping. I’m learning techniques and valuable information little by little, like how different grass is used for different parts of the golf course. Did you know that?  I’ll be sharing my beginners knowledge with you. Hopefully we can learn more about landscaping and mulching together. Feel free to leave your questions and/or concerns in the comments section. If I don’t know the answer, trust me I’ll find it. Hope to see you again here on  The Mulching Mind.

What I learned on the golf course.
I’m not much of a golfer but that doesn’t stop me from going to the local golf course. I’m not worried about the score, I don’t even know how to keep score, but I am intrigued with who’s cutting the grass. Aren’t you? Have you ever taken a look around as you were setting up and noticed how perfectly manicured the lawn is? Just me?
I’m not one to be kept in the dark for long, I ask questions. So I did a little digging, and after a few bribes -I learned a few lessons. Lucky for you, I’m won’t be stingy-this time. I’ll share with you the really simple lessons about how the golf course keeps their lawn in top shape.It takes a lot of work and a team of people.Ok maybe that’s not really a secret but, I had to ask. I never saw anyone actually doing any lawn work the times I went, so I had to know.

1. It’s really simple to mow the lines in the grass.First, begin mowing the lawn in a perfectly straight line. Turn around at the end of that line being sure not to affect the pattern. Next, mow another line directly beside the first in the OPPOSITE direction. Continue in this manner until complete.
   
   
2. Avoid mowing a wet lawn.Wet lawn equals grass clipping everywhere except the bag.
   
   
3. Fertilizer, Fertilizer, fertilizer. Fertilizer is like hair conditioner. It protects and treats the roots. Don’t skimp on the quality of fertilizer. But the best quality of fertilizer you can afford. Do your research on the best kind of fertilizer for the type of grass you have. Fertilizer can mean the difference between a bad looking lawn to a breathtakingly beautiful lawn.
   
   
4. Consistency is key. Once you’ve developed a working routine for keeping your lawn in the best shape, stick with it. Be diligent and vigilant.
   

Pretty simple right? Just follow these simple steps and you can have a lawn as beautiful as your local golf course. Just don’t go ruining your lawn by playing golf on it!    
 

 

Here a Mulch, There a Mulch, Everywhere a Mulch, Mulch

Mulch can consist of a variety of materials, and by definition, it does a number of things. First and foremost, it’s a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture. Mulch also helps to reduce erosion, suppress weed germination and growth, and provide nutrients to the soil as it decays.

Got all that?

In simpler terms, mulch is whatever you put down to protect plant roots. Mulch can be made of many things. There’s rubber mulch, made from shredded tires. Plastic sheeting acts as mulch. Even landscaping rock and gravel can serve as mulch. But at the top of the mulch heap are the environmentally friendly bark mulch and pine straw.

Bark mulch retains moisture longer than most other mulches, but decays quicker. So it’s good for returning lots of nutrients to the soil in the short term, and will save you some watering. For cities with water restrictions, bark mulch or wood chips are the way to go. Wood mulches also help to keep plant roots cool. Temperatures in the south and western states can be scorching. So while you’re trying not to break a sweat, mulching your outdoor plants will cool them off, too.

Pine needles or pine straw, as it’s called in the south, are commonly used as mulch in parts of the country where long-needle pine trees are prevalent. Pine straw also retains moisture which means a lower water bill. Also, a layer of pine straw about 3 to 4 inches thick can practically eliminate the growth of weeds—Bonus!

What other materials have you used or seen used for mulch?