The Easy Way to A Green Lawn

Common issues that can hurt your lawn can be combated easily.  Knowing the right time to treat each problem can make maintaining your lawn simple.  Follow this simple process each year, and you'll have a great lawn.
Early Spring, start with a fertilizer that contains Crabgrass Preventer.  Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures are consistently 50 degrees and above.  It's therefore best to apply Crabgrass Preventer before the crabgrass starts to grow.
Thereafter, treat with fertilizer regularly.  Many fertilizers also have weed control or are enhanced with iron.  The best fertilizer is one that released nitrogen into the soil only as fast as the grass uses it.  Milorganite is an excellent slow release fertilizer, an organic fertilizer.  This is in contrast to the perhaps more familiar fertilizers that give a sudden burst of nitrogen, triggering rapid growth, and then washes away.  Excessive grass growth leaves grass vulnerable to disease and bug problems.  Milorganite contains mostly non-soluable nitrogen, and because it is an organic fertilizer, you don't have to worry about "burn-out" from too much fertilizer. 

Fertilizer with weed control can be used as needed to keep weeds from getting out of control.  However, with regular fertilizer treatment, you will have a thick lawn that will not allow weed seeds to get sunlight.  Fertilizer with iron will give your lawn a rich, green color.  Chelated iron is readily available to grass and doesn't stain concrete.

Make sure to mow with sharp blades.  Sharp blades will cut the grass rather than tear it, which makes the grass more susceptible to disease. 

If you have trouble growing grass under a pine tree, it is because the soil underneath is too acidic.  To lower the acidity, apply hydrated lime, such as Solucal.  If you have spotty areas, you may have a grub problem.  Do not treat for grubs if you don't have this problem.  This is treated far too often.  Grubs, in small quantities, are good for soil, as they aerate the lawn.  Many fertilizing companies treat for grubs when it's not needed, and then have to manually aerate their lawn to compensate. 

You can also consider in investing in a drought-tolerant, bug resistant, slow growing grass that does not need fertilizer.  Many advances have been made in grass seeds over the years, and it is possible to get a lawn that you can virtually forget about once established, such as a grass called Pearl's Premium.  The grass is expensive to buy, but will save you in the long run. 

Crushed Stone Quick Reference

Many get confused over what type of crushed stone to use when, so I thought I'd add a cheat sheet of what type to use when. 

In order of most crushed to least:

Stone Dust: Finely crushed granite is used as a base and compacts well.  Often is placed on top of Crusher Run to level out the base before applying concrete, asphalt, etc.

Crusher Run/Crush and Run/Perk Pack: Mix of Pea Stone and Stone Dust.  This is often used as a base, as it compacts well.  A base is needed, because the soil in your ground is susceptible to movement over time.  The base will reduce the impact of this movement on the foundation or concrete, which can crack.

Pea Stone: Pea-sized stone.  Can be crushed or rounded stone.  Popular for stone driveways, under decks and in playgrounds.

3/4 Inch Stone: Commonly crushed bluestone.  Popularly used for decoration on stone driveways, or as a base for concrete pavement, asphalt and interlocking walls.  Also used for irrigation in French Drains.

Playgrounds - Organic vs. Rubber Mulch

There are so many choices when it comes to choosing a base for playgrounds.  Play sand, peastone, and wood chips only name a few.  So which is the best one to pick? 

The number one recommended base at Organic Mulch & Landscape Supply is the Playground-Certified Mulch.  This mulch has been tested to be free of metals and chemicals, and is certified to be greatly shock absorbent, so that any child's fall will be cushioned.  It is used by many schools and child care centers, because of its certification, but it is also wheelchair accessible, comfortable for bare feet and made of 100% hardwood.  This mulch will not attract bugs, and is triple ground, so it should not cause splinters.  A thin, fresh layer of mulch should be reapplied after a few years, as the mulch compacts.

Wood chips differ from Playground-Certified mulch in that they are not shock absorbent nor are they certified.  The mulch larger wood pieces also mean that it cannot be wheelchair accessible.  Finally if choosing wood chips, be careful of where they are purchased from.  Wood chips can come with whatever went through the wood chipper, meaning twigs, leaves, and sap may be among the items you find in your wood chips.

Rubber mulch is becoming an increasingly popular base for playgrounds, because it is also shock-absorbent and is marketed as "maintenance-free."  However rubber mulch, like Playground-Certified Hardwood Mulch, should be reapplied after a few years, as the mulch compacts. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and buyers should pay attention as the mulch can be uncomfortable on bare feet.  Finally, as the rubber breaks down, it releases chemicals from the rubber and dye into the soil, so if you are like most homeowners, who will eventually turn the kids' playground area into a garden or part of the lawn, rubber mulch is not recommended.

Play sand is good to use on playgrounds if you do not have a swing set, as sand is not good for shock absorbency.  It is a great choice for those who want the area to double as a sand box.  One thing to keep in mind, is that play sand can be messier than play mulches. 

Pea stone is also used on playgrounds and is another good choice if you are not concerned about a child falling.  Pea stone should not need any reapplication and won't stick to children's clothes like play sand.

Parents also ask if they need to use any base at all, because, after all, we never had playground bases growing up.  The reason for the emergence of playground bases is partially for the convenience and partially for the safety.  The majority of childhood injury occurs from playgrounds, either at home or in public.  Playground bases also keep the play area maintenance-free.  If you choose to leave grass around your playground, consider that you will have to mow the grass around and under the swing set, slide, etc. and you will need to maneuver your lawn mower around any dividers you put up.  If you choose to leave dirt around your playground, consider that after and during inclement weather, you could have muddy shoes and clothes. 

Playground bases are certainly not necessary, but will definitely keep your playground maintenance-free and could also give you a little piece of mind.  Which type is right for you depends on what you need in terms of your play area.

The Best Thing for Your Landscape

Homeowners frequently ask: "What is the best thing to add to my landscape?"  But the difficulty, and perhaps the beauty of landscaping is that there is no one answer to that question.  The one thing that does remain the same is that a professionally designed landscape will add real value to your property.  The outside of your home is where you should make a good first impression.  Your landscape is also the view from the inside of your home, so the better the view, the nicer the inside will seem as well.

Property appraisers recommend investing 10% of the value of your home in a well-designed landscape, which in turn will increase the value of your home 10 - 20%!

So what exactly is needed to get a good-looking landscape?  It all depends on your particular home and current landscape.  The idea is to bring contrast between your home and your landscape, while creating a nice flow between the two.  That can be achieved by any variety of items, such as trees, plants, paths, decks or fountains.  One trend is to mirror your indoor living room with an outdoor living space.  The best thing about landscape improvements is that they don't need to be completed all at once.  Feel free to break a large project into smaller projects spread over the course of several years.  Just make sure that each project is done with the bigger picture in mind. 

So what one thing will work for your home?  There's no one item that will do it. But there's no reason to think that just because it's outside of your home, that it won't add value to your property, so don't feel like this is the area of your home to pinch pennies.

The Bigger the Company, the Bigger the Scam

Why is it that well-known chains seem to provide increasingly worse quality for smaller quantities and then charge a premium, just because you know the store name?  It seems to me, that the better known a store is, the more their reputation would be on the line.  But that never is the case.  In the case of landscape supply, a large chain supply store is now offering a mulch from a well-known grass seed company, which is in their words the "finest quality mulch."  The mulch is color enhanced, likely meaning that it is chemically dyed, which will add chemicals to your soil.  It is finely ground, which they have then marketed as a product that "will save you money." The fact is that larger mulch may block water to some parts of soil, but it should not significantly block water from getting to the soil, unless you lay the mulch at a great depth, which will prevent plants from growing altogether.  They also recommend laying their mulch at a 3" depth, which will suffocate plants in plant beds (2" is the recommended depth of mulch, 4" or more if you want nothing to grow).  However, it's to their benefit to recommend more than necessary, because then you would need to buy anywhere from 30% to 50% more mulch for the same square footage.  It is true that finely ground, soft mulch is better quality because it is easier to handle, and looks nicer, but don't let them trick you into believing it will do anything for your water bill.  These days, companies are looking for more ways to market to people looking to go green.  But the best way to attract customers looking for organic products, is to actually have organic products.  This must be a strange concept for the big companies that feel the need to stock the same products, but market them as green.   

The Difference Between Good Mulch and Bad Mulch

Mulch supply companies often talk about how amazing their mulch is.  But what does that really mean?  What's the difference between good mulch and bad mulch and how can you really tell if mulch is good?  I want to go into depth with the different types of mulches to see what makes a mulch good, so that you aren't finding yourself mulching the same spot time and time again.

Hemlock Mulch is one of the most abused terms in the mulch world.  True Hemlock Mulch is not actually be made of bark, but of hardwood Hemlock.  The distinct brown color should have a reddish tint, but many bad mulches have dyed and over dyed the mulch so that people now associate Hemlock with a fake orange-red color.  The easiest way to tell if Hemlock mulch is chemically dyed is to grab a handful of the mulch.  If your hand is left a reddish color, that's an indication that the mulch is going to fade very quickly.  As the dyed mulch breaks down, the chemicals in the dye will be absorbed by the soil underneath, harming your plants, so it is important to ensure that the Hemlock is not dyed.  Good Hemlock Mulch should also be soft to the touch.

Black Mulch is another mulch made of hard wood and not bark.  Black Mulch gets its color from the wood breaking down over a long period of time.  To create Black Mulch more quickly, some manufacturers will add Pine Bark Mulch to their Black Mulch and dye the mulch to make it black.  This method will make the Black Mulch extremely susceptible to fading.  After the mulch sits under the sun and in the rain for a few weeks, you will notice that the mulch starts to become bleached white.  To ensure that you're getting top-quality Black Mulch, check that the mulch is not inorganically dyed.  Like Hemlock Mulch, good Black Mulch should be soft to the touch.

Playground Mulch can be made with many different types of materials.  Rubber mulch is a popular choice, as it is soft and made of recycled tires.  However, the rubber is extremely flammable, so many homeowners choose not to use it.  An organic playground mulch is similar to the Hemlock and Black Mulch.  Make sure to purchase Playground Certified Mulch that has been tested for any harmful chemicals, and its softness has been tested to break a child's fall from certain heights. 

Pine Bark Mulch is generally a cheaper mulch.  As Pine Bark breaks down, it better enriches the soil and so it is good for plant beds.  Even good Pine Bark will not last as long as Hemlock and Black Mulches which will last one or two years.  Bark Mulch is lighter than the mulches made of hard wood, so it will wash away and move more easily.  Pine Bark Mulch is more acidic than hard wood mulches, which can be good for some soils.  For this reason, it is also said to repel bugs, but don't be fooled into thinking that the difference is noticeable.  The mulch should have a dark brown color and will not be completely uniform throughout. 

To conclude, good mulch may be more expensive, but will save you money in the long run, because you will only have to mulch once rather than returning time and time again to the same area.  Especially in plant beds, it is important to avoid cheap mulch, because dyes and chemicals can harm the soil underneath as it breaks down. 

Types of Mulch

So you, like millions of other homeowners and business owners have decided to add mulch to your landscape.  Mulch is useful for many purposes, but there are so many types of mulch that you can use, that it's difficult to decide which type is best for you.

Mulch can essentially be any material that is placed over soil, and I hope to address the most often used products on the market.  Mulch can be used to prevent weed growth, reduce erosion, and enrich the soil.  One of the most common types of mulch is bark mulch.  Bark mulch is shredded bark that decomposes over time, enriching the soil underneath the mulch with nutrients and it lasts a very long time.  Generally, you will want a 2" layer of mulch for plant beds, but for beds that you do not want any plants to grow, you can lay a 4" layer to ensure that weeds don't grow.  Bark mulch naturally comes in a wide variety of colors, but some manufacturers will add dye to enhance the color of the mulch.

There are two problems with dyed mulch:

1. The color quickly fades, so dyed mulch needs to be applied more often than natural mulch
2. As the mulch breaks down, the chemicals in the dye are added to the soil

Therefore, it is essential to get organic, natural mulch that enhances your soil rather than harms it.

Wood chips can also be used as mulch, which is as beneficial as bark mulch.  However,  they may move with rain, so they should not be used on hills, or near drainage.  It is also therefore difficult to get the clean lines of mulch that many landscapers use with chips. 

Another popular mulch to reduce weeds is fabric covering.  This fabric covering will allow sunlight and water to get through, but reduces weeds.  This is generally a cheaper alternative to mulch, but persistent weeds will still get through, and if you place mulch on top of it, weeds will just grow on top of the fabric.  This causes a useless  mess which is costly to remove. 

Cocoa mulch is another popular mulch type.  This mulch however is extremely odorous and very poisonous to dogs.  Cocoa mulch is made from cocoa bean shells, whose smells attracts dogs to eat it, but contains the same toxins as chocolate.

Rubber mulch is a popular mulch for childrens' play areas, known as playground mulch.  It is made from recycled tires and will not harm children when falling or playing.  There has been concern, however, that as the rubber breaks down, it leaks harmful ingredients into the soil.  There is also concern of the high combustibility of rubber, which is a concern with having a highly-combustible material in your backyard, that could attract a forest fire into your home.  If having a safe play area is a concern, there are soft, natural mulches that are certified safe for children and pets.

Pine needles can also be used as a mulch, which is a cheap method of mulching.  It is not long-lasting, but a 4" layer will keep weeds from growing.  

Finally, stone can also be used as mulch.  They are extremely long-lasting and beautiful.  Smaller stones are generally used.

Therefore, it is recommended to use either natural, organic (non-dyed) bark mulch or stone as a long-lasting, beneficial mulch type.