Education

Why are you hearing so much about mulch this time of year?

There are a couple different reasons but mainly, weeds.  Nobody likes them and they are hard to keep out of the flower beds.  

Here are a couple of helpful tricks for your mulching process and some ways to improve the lawn too.  

1. Use good mulch.  Most local nurseries have a great selection of high quality mulch. Most of these companies will deliver it right to your doorstep at a pretty good price. Most of them can also help you with measurements and/or estimates on how much you would need.  Who doesn’t like supporting they’re local nurseries instead of the big box stores?
2. Edges, edges, edges. We can’t stress enough how important it is to have a defined edge between your mulch beds and your turf.  These edges will help keep weeds out of the lawn and also help with proper drainage. We recommend edges to be at least 2 to 4 inches deep.
3. Using pre-emergent 2 to 3 times a year can greatly reduce the amount of weeds that you see in your beds. All of these nurseries have it available in many different size options. We would recommend putting down pre-emergents once in the early spring, once in late spring, and once in late fall.  By doing this, you can greatly reduce the amount of weeds in your flower beds, which reduces the chances that those weeds could reach your lawn.
4. Maybe hold off an extra 2 weeks.  Most people want to get their flowerbeds looking sharp for the spring but that can sometimes have an adverse reaction. Oftentimes, trees are sprouting new growth that comes with a lot of debris and undesirable objects in the mulch. We recommend waiting till the very end of April or even mid May to mulch. This will also help avoid April showers that can wash away some of the color.
5. Lastly, if you’re not up for the task, please reach out to a local landscaper in your area. If you cannot find one please give us a call and we have many different companies that we can recommend in the Tri-County area.