It is now a well-known fact that carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming. Following the legislation, sawmills were forbidden to dispose of their waste material in this way. So, they had to find another way of disposing of their unwanted wood and bark chippings. It was the National Forest Service who came up with the solution. They had performed extensive research, and discovered that the chippings created a good growing environment, when spread over the ground, for the plants in the forest.

What Does Mulching Do?

Mulching is literally the process of covering soil with a protective cover. This can be made from a number of different types of organic materials, particularly wood chippings. More recently synthetic covers have been developed. Gardeners, and agriculturists, discovered that mulching could help adjust the temperature of the soil throughout the seasons. During the warmer months it would help keep the soil cool, and it would help the soil retain what heat it has during the colder months, and prevent, or delay, the soil freezing.  This would create a far more even temperature in the soil throughout the seasons.

Mulching also helps the soil to retain more water as it reduces the amount lost through evaporation. This could also help with erosion control, as the water seeps through gradually, and does not wash away the mulch material as easily as it does the soil underneath. As the mulch material breaks down over time it adds extra nutrients to the soil, providing a far more suitable soil for growing plants and flowers. As well as this, it reflects the sunlight upwards which benefits the plants that are growing. Any fruits and vegetables that are ground lying, from these plants, also have a cleaner and drier surface to rest on. This prevents them from rotting before they reach full maturity and are harvested.

However, by far the main reason that gardener’s today are mulching is because it prevents weeds from growing. During the 80’s, gardening became far more popular, but people didn’t have the time to spend weeding their flower beds. Spreading a layer of mulch around the plants meant that it reduced the amount of weeding that needed doing dramatically. It also gained popularity for its aesthetic properties. People thought it made their garden look better. This led to the development of colored mulch material, which could match a garden’s theme. The range of organic material that was used for mulching also grew to include differently scented products, not simply bark chippings. For example, pine needles, and even crushed cocoa shells add a new fragrance to gardens. Sheets of organic mulch are also available now. These are specifically designed to be used to cover soil used for growing crops. It is completely biodegradable.

What about synthetic mulch?

There are a number of different types of synthetic mulch available. However, these are not biodegradable, and do not add any nutrients to the soil underneath. They are primarily used for growing crops under.  The most common types are either rubber or plastic sheeting. The idea is that holes are cut in the sheeting for the plants to grow through, reducing the amount of weeds that appear. Another material that can be used as mulch is rock, gravel and slate. This is an extension of people wanting the mulching process to enhance their garden, as well as keep the weeds at bay. This type of mulch is best suited to colder climates, as the rocks retain heat. Again, the rocks can be bought in different colors, particularly slate. It is available in gray, plum, black and other colors to compliment the rest of the garden.

A good source of home grown Mulch or Compost, also called Humus, is your old leaf pile and shredded small branches, if properly turned over periodically. The application can repair an of balanced ph level of your soil and stimulate tremendous growth of your plant material.

]]> http://www.mulch-it-now.com/where-how-should-mulch-be-applied/feed 0 http://www.mulch-it-now.com/playground-safety-constuction-materials http://www.mulch-it-now.com/playground-safety-constuction-materials#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:20:56 +0000 admin http://www.mulch-it-now.com/?p=78 We install all kinds of playground safety surfaces. These surfaces can be: rubber mulch and dust free wood fiber, shredded rubber or rubberized crumbs and are used in the landscape and playground construction. To aide the environment we can install recycled rubber mulch. Rubber mulch applied to a playground adds to the safety of your child. Installing other playground flooring can be explored. There are several products on the market if regular, natural fibers are not desirable.

We can install the various products on walking path, nature and jogging trails. Rubber mulch can be used in landscape projects do to the facts that it is available in various colors. Children low to play on natural, dust free surfaces. Schools, equestrian arenas, race tracks, athletic fields, sports arenas and public parks are using rubber and dust free wooden fiber mulches. When constructing a playground area at a daycare center, we at www.mulch-it-now.com take into consideration, that a well layed out playing area with dust free playground materials can help prevent injuries, indoor and outdoors. Other areas that rubber mulch or other natural, dust free wood fiber products can be used are restaurants, rehab centers, church outdoor activity areas, fitness centers and sports facilities.

Using properly processed tire products is a way to aide the recycling trust and is environmentally very conscientious. Rubber mulch and compost are used in the topdressing (for more information see www.topdressing.biz) process to relief undesirable soil compactation levels, help improve root growth, maintain proper moisture levels in the turf surface and oxygenation process. Home owners and lawn care professionals, if you need the proper equipment to topdress you lawn, please click here: www.earthandturf.com

We love to recommend and install dust free natural fiber (of rubber and wood fiber origin) around swing sets, slides. These dust free products are very resilient and aide in the prevention of injuries to the kids, athletes, horses and racing dogs, such as greyhounds. For commercial applicationswww.earthandturf.com
has the proper equipment to apply the dust free rubber or natural wood fiber product.

For more information please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Is available and can be installed around your playground set after the set has been installed with minimum problems. Play ground mulch can be of natural, dust free or rubber origin. Playground mulch should be installed during a dry period and preemergent weed killer can be applied. The application of this playground mulch will make your children’s playing area much safer.

Please, sign up for our 2007 Mulching discount. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it We will find for YOU the closest Mulch provider and installer in your area.

Schedule your Spring Clean up and Mulching work. Additional discounts can be gained by referring other customers to us. Discounts will only be given once the work at the referral customer is completed.

First, you need to think about how much work you actually want doing. You may only want to hire someone to spread mulch in a few specific sections, or over a far larger area. If you know exactly where you want the mulch spreading, then you may only need to hire a laborer who you can instruct easily and just allow them to get on with the job in hand. This is perfect if you do not have a lot of fragile plants that need to be avoided, or need the mulch spread with particular care around them. If this is the case, then you could even consider hiring neighborhood kids who want to make a few bucks, and are not afraid of hard work. If you are around to keep an eye on them while they work, then this is the perfect solution. There are also plenty of laborers for hire who are hard workers that could do the job for you. For this type of one-off, basic mulch spreading you do not need to hire a professional gardener.

For large areas that need mulching, you may be thinking about hiring a mulch blowing service. These literally spray the mulch over the area using special equipment, rather than old-fashioned manual methods. The advantage of this, obviously, is that a large area can be covered in a much shorter space of time. However, the downside is that any fragile plants or new shoots may also be covered. The services tend not to employ gardening experts, but merely people who can operate the machinery.

Professional gardeners or landscape companies are only really required if you have a very complex garden, and need someone with a good knowledge of mulching to help advise you. This includes the type of mulch to use, and the amount required. However, they are often extremely expensive, and may not consider doing one-off installations. They may want to be involved in every aspect of your gardening, not just mulching. This will, of course, work to your advantage as they can discuss the best types of mulch, and also help you to obtain it. Once the mulch has been laid, they will also return at regular intervals to help maintain it. This involves turning wood chips, to prevent any pests from using it as a new home, and also replacing mulch where necessary.

Another point that you need to consider is what type of mulch you are going to use, and where you are getting it from. Some companies will offer to provide the mulch for you, as well as actually laying it down. This is perfect if you are unable to collect the mulch from a local supplier, or have a lack of space to store it. The main issue that needs to be addressed here is where the mulch is being sourced from. You want to make sure that it is the most suitable for your needs, but also want to be aware that it has originated from sustainable forests, for example. Many states have guidelines for suppliers to follow. You can check these out on the Internet. Any reputable mulch supplier will be able to discuss this with you, and will be aware of where the products they use have been sourced originally.

As with any other service, you should obtain references from any professional gardener or landscaper before you hire them for your mulching needs. Mulch It Now has been in business since 1984 and can eiter help you with your annual mulching installation or find a suitable mulch installer within whatever distance  you want to search for one. However, this is not as easy when you are using basic laborers, but you may be able to get recommendations from your neighbors. If you only have a relatively small area that needs a one-off spread of mulch, it is worth checking with other people in your neighborhood who want similar work done and seeing if you can club together to hire a laborer for a day. This is ideal if your gardens are only going to take a couple of hours each as laborers prefer to charge a daily rate.  

we are offering for the next 7 days a

MULCHING SPECIAL FOR THE

VIVA CINCO DE MAYO

a 30% dsicount.

to qualify for this huge discount you must write us an e-mail, containing your first name and a valid e-mail

Some of our competition state that they can provide mulch products & installation services for homeowners & contractors” so you do not have to do the hard work themselves. But they don’t state any of the negative points of what that so called time and effort saving application method entails.

They continue with the suggestion: “Put your wheel barrows away and let us take all the “work” out of yard work and mulching. They neglect to state, how detrimental the force of blowing wood fiber in and around plants and flower is. We have attended several trade shows and demonstrations on actual customers and have come to the conclusion that mulching with blowers is environmentally not a very responsible action.

Blowing mulch creates also excessive amounts of dust. Therefore customers, their neighbors, home owners up and down the road who are allergic to dust will not have a good day or two when a company blows, rather than wheelbarrows in the mulch. So maybe one can spend more time doing what you want to do, as they say. But such as replacing plants and flowers that got damaged by the forced air delivery, nursing your dust allergies are not very constructive.

Until some mechanical device can be developed that easily and mechanically can deliver mulch closer to the area where it is needed, we have to continue to use the wheelbarrow. A Pennsylvania company who presently builds very efficient small topdressing equipment www.earthandturf.com has a small mulcher under study.

Our competition goes on to say that mulch and soil products give you a beautiful weed free yard that our neighbors will all be talking about and we agree.

Mulch and Mulching Installation Now For Less!

Free edging and spring bed cleaning if you order now!

A 25% discount on any mulching installation, if you e-mail us your order today.

this offer is valid until  1 March 2010.

write to sales@mulch-it-now.com

Mulch & Mulching application and installation, natural and dust-free fiber, erosion control, evaporation control, injuries prevention and  beautification of your landscape design are our ultimate goal.

Did you know Mulch acts as a Natural weed killer?

But let’s look at the basics first.

When & How Should Mulch be applied?

• Apply annually or as needed Mulch or compost/humus before planting, in early spring, summer to conserve moisture, feed plants and prevent weed seeds from sprouting.
• You can also apply a preemergent weed killer at this time, to make the weeding chore almost non existent.
• You can apply mulch year round if you just made a new bed.
• Apply mulch in fall to protect soil from erosion, it will smother the weeds and retain warmth. Remove weeds and grass before spreading mulches.