Blog

Are you Ready For Spring?

Springtime has arrived in Western Pennsylvania, and with the onset of spring comes planting season. A beautifully landscaped yard enhances the curb appeal of your home as well as adding to its value, but it’s also important to consider the health of your plants. And that’s where mulching comes in.

The Importance of Mulching

While mulch is generally considered a decorative material, many don’t realize the benefits that it provides to your plants and trees. In addition to providing a protective layer, mulching has many benefits to enrich and protect your soil, and provide a better environment for growing, including:

• Mulch insulates your soil, providing a “buffer” from extreme heat and cold temperatures.
• Mulch reduces soil compaction, which can occur from heavy rain.
• Mulch retains water, conserving moisture and helps keep the roots of the plant or tree moist.
• Mulch serves as a protection for soil erosion.
• Mulch helps to maintain a more even soil temperature.
• Mulch helps to prevent weed growth, preventing root competition.

Mulching Options

When buying mulch, there are many options available, red mulch, black mulch and brown mulch, from fine to coarse ground. A better understanding of each option is important when choosing which mulch is right for you.

Ground Mulch – Mulch is available in three types of grounds: single ground, double ground and triple ground. The difference in ground is in the shredding; single ground tends to have long strands and is more coarse. Double ground consists of smaller pieces that are easier to spread, while triple ground is the most compact type of mulch. The finer the shred, the more closely the mulch locks together keeping it in place.

It is important to understand that the finer the shred of mulch, the less time it takes to decompose, meaning that they may need reapplied more often than a coarser mulch. All types of grounds of mulch are equally useful for maintaining healthy soil that is retains moisture, as well as providing an attractive landscape.

Mulch Colors – The most common mulch colors are red, black, and brown, or chocolate. They color mulch that you choose depends on the overall look that you want to achieve. Colored mulch is the obvious choice for enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your overall landscape. While colored mulch can make the colors of your flowers, plants and foliage stand out, the color will eventually fade and need to be replaced more often than natural mulch.

Buying Mulch

The recommended amount of mulch is a 2 to 3 inch layer to your garden and landscaping in the spring for adequate water retention, as well as in the fall for protecting the soil during the winter months. While there are many home improvement stores that offer “deals” on mulch during planting season, your best option is buying bulk mulch. Having bulk mulch delivered directly to your home saves you the time, money and hassle of lugging heavy bags back and forth as well as the guesswork as to how much you really need.

McClymonds Supply & Transit has been supplying homeowners and landscaping companies with bulk landscaping materials since 1945. A leader in the Pennsylvania dry bulk commodity hauling industry, McClymonds Supply & Transit can help you choose the right materials for your landscaping needs, whether it be mulch, gravel or limestone. Their Landscape Material Calculator can help you determine the right amount that you need, saving you excess waste or extra trips to the store.

Contact the experts at McClymonds Supply & Transit for more information on how to get bulk landscaping materials delivered directly to your home. Their commitment to their customers and providing quality products ensures that you will be getting the best materials that meet your unique needs, hassle-free!