Posted by Erica Williams on Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 01:43 PM
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?
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Feb 03, 2010 @ 10:18 AM
When dealing with questions like this one, I prefer to defer answers to the agronomical and horticultural experts. I searched and searched and went Ivy League this time and found some great, basic facts for nearly every mulching situation. Whether you need mulch to replenish nutrients in the soil, help in a vegetable garden or just looking to spruce up your curb appeal read what the Department of Horticulture at Cornell has to say. I feel this is one of the most comprehensive and informative pieces I have come across while learning about mulch and its various functions. If you have found other educational sources you would like to share, please link in your comments. I hope this is as useful to you as is to us at EnviroColor®.
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 @ 10:34 AM
Doing research for EnviroColor's 4EverGreen I came across this on the HGTV website. This is great advice from Master Gardner Paul James. I added my thoughts in between. I hope to hear your ideas too.
There are usually two reasons for the two-toned lawn, says master gardener Paul James. "One is that many homeowners desperately want a green lawn year-round so they over-seed warm-season Bermuda or zoysia lawns, which go brown during the winter months due to dormancy, with a cool-season grass that stays green throughout the winter months. In nearly all cases, reseeding must be done every year, and unless the seed is spread uniformly, a two-toned lawn is inevitable."
If you reseed on a regular basis and at the right time for your area, you can achieve the uniformity you desire. Bear in mind, though, that with this kind of lawn, you may extend the mowing season by at least few weeks and you'll have to continue watering for perhaps a few months.
This extra water usage and mowing can come at high expense. Some areas under drought restrictions may not be able to water at all.
The other reason for a two-toned lawn has to do with growing conditions, especially in landscapes with lots of mature trees. Throughout the country and in older neighborhoods in particular, parts of the lawn may be in full sun, while parts may be in the shade cast by large trees. This creates a real problem because warm-season grasses like to grow in full sun and don't like to be in the shade, and cool-season grasses love the shade, but they don't really like growing in the blazing sun. As a result, people wind up with two-toned lawn.
In this type of situation, there is no easy solution, says James. "You can open up the canopies of the trees by removing several of the large branches to let more of the light in, you can limb up the trees to achieve essentially the same effect, or you can forget trying to grow grass under the trees all together and opt instead for rugged, shade-tolerant ground cover, or maybe just a bunch of mulch," he says. "And in fact, that's often the best solution, especially since all the water and nutrients are quickly sucked right out of the soil by the dense tree roots, making it next to impossible to grow grass beneath them anyway."
Using mulch under these tree canopies provides a great looking, cost effective solution to this dilemma. Make sure you mulch all the way to the trees drip line. And remember from previous articles, no mulch volcanoes!
Plus, we at EnviroColor offer 4EverGreen grass and lawn painting colorant as well as Sierra Red, Black Forest and Cocoa Brown mulch dyes.
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Dec 23, 2009 @ 01:21 PM
For Christians all over the world this is a special time of the year as they are celebrating the birth of their Savior. We here at EnviroColor® wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the obligatory Happy New Year too!
We are excited about what the new year has in store for our brand and for all the individuals who are searching for the perfect solutions to their ground cover needs. As was mentioned last week we are perfecting our 4EverGreen grass colorant. This new product is the perfect item for the lawn fanatic who desires the "perfect" looking yard. As always we are striving to provide the end user the best top spray solutions for mulch, pine straw and now grass.
Sales pitch is over, seriously, we want our subscribers, readers and patrons to have a splendid holiday season. May you cherish the moments made this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from EnviroColor®.
Peace to all!
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 @ 10:19 AM
Great stuff posted by the Christian Science Moniter. Enjoy, and don't form mulch volcanos! If you want to know more look here...
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 12:43 PM
These are some great ideas to deal with the issues slopes create in our care of our lawns and gardens. Mr. Fech points out some great ways to deal with water, fertilizer and ground cover. To learn more follow here...index.html
As you can see pine straw is used widely in the southeast because it can stay in place better than wood mulch.
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Tue, Sep 22, 2009 @ 11:19 AM
Mulch Madness
What is mulch? Mulch is a product used to cover the soil. It is often composed of tree bark, needles, wood, leaves, or grass. Sometimes mulch is made from gravel or pebbles or other inorganic materials such as recycled tires. Spreading mulch over planting beds helps conserve water and provides a beautiful uniform texture and color. Mulch is an essential component of any Florida-Friendly Landscape.
Why Use Mulch?
Mulch not only beautifies a garden, it benefits your plants and soil. Mulch protects plants' roots from extremes of heat and cold, by creating a buffer between the soil and the air. It keeps soil moist longer after irrigation, giving roots extra time to soak up the water. This saves you water and money.
In areas of deep shade, where turf and ornamentals won't thrive, consider mulch as a Florida-Friendly alternative to leaving the ground bare. Mulch can also be used as an attractive groundcover where it's difficult to mow or irrigate. And mulch doesn't just help your plants: it can add nutrients to the soil as its organic components decompose, increasing soil's fertility and improving its aeration, structure, and drainage. Mulch can even help reduce erosion and protect plants from certain diseases.
mulch_madness.shtml
Posted by Sean Kennedy on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 @ 11:08 AM
Question: what is more valuable to your property, a thick layer of pine straw or great color all season long maximizing your dollars spent on your ground cover?
This is highly subjective and every opinion is valid. Commercially, property owners and managers are realizing that laying pine straw every six months keeps a nice thick layer of ground cover, but the color seems to last 60 days or so. Most are searching for alternatives to keep the curb appeal popping all season long while reducing their expenses in this economic climate. The future for commercial ground cover is coverage, color and value, not bale counts or yards. Differentiate your property now! Let the EnviroColor® service team help.
What is your preference?
