Prepare your lawn for spring by removing debris such as leaves, twigs, dead plants, and other undesirables that have accumulated over the winter. Drainage areas are typically where this debris gathers. By clearing these,  you ensure that the rains of spring will run off adequately. Rakes and air blowers work well for this job.

In the spring, it’s important to mow your grass early and often. Once you let the grass grow too high and then give it a trim, it stunts the roots so they cannot reproduce properly – leaving you with thinner, weaker grass. By mowing every five days for the first few weeks of the season, this ensures a thicker, fuller lawn.

Weeds that grow in spring have shallow roots, pulling them now will be the easiest. Once you have the lawn cleared up of debris and trimmed the grass, you’ll need to edge out your beds, cut back the shrubs and replace or add mulch to those areas as well. You’ll want to add mulch to protect your beds now before the heat of summer sets in. We suggest adding a depth of about 3 to 4 inches of mulch for this process. Adding a layer of mulch on a planting bed helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and help control soil temperature.

If you have a layer of mulch from previous years, you can simply refresh the bed with a thin 1- to 1½-inch layer. When you apply mulch, it restores the color, improves drainage, and helps protect your lawn against erosion.

If you have never laid mulch down, you will need a thicker layer of mulch to properly insulate plants and create that moisture and heat barrier. We suggest up to 4 inches of mulch will be the max. If you lay too much mulch you could prevent nutrients from reaching plant roots.

Use wood chips on muddy walk ways or to create walkways in your garden.

Here at Mavroff, we sell, deliver and install to all of southeastern Wisconsin with FREE delivery to select service areas. Mavroff Inc. specializes in wholesale loads for contractors and residential deliveries. You can also stop in for free samples or pick-up orders! We offer 18 varieties of mulch including large pine bark nuggets, shredded hemlock, western red cedar, playground wood chips,  brown enviro-colorized mulch and much more! Topsoil is also available!

As the weather begins to get colder, the ground temperatures begin to change. Did you know that rapid freezing and thawing can cause problems to some garden plants and can invite unwanted pests into your garden?

Here are some tips to help you prepare your garden for fall and winter.

FALL CLEAN UP

Remove old plants and over growth. This is important since old decaying plants can produce fungus. Removing the plants also removes insect eggs or unwanted pests that could hide in the stalks and leaves during winter.

Fall is also a good time to clear out any invasive weeds in your garden. This will help eliminate their return in spring.

APPLY MULCH

Applying mulch in the winter has some of the same benefits as applying mulch in the summer months. As the mulch breaks down in the winter months, the nutrients are absorbed into the ground creating a nutrient rich soil for spring!

 The mulch helps regulate the temperature of the soil and moisture by insulating the plants. This is especially important for winter crops like garlic, onions, and asparagus which need to establish roots in the winter.

Applying mulch to your garden pathways not only makes your garden look neat and tidy, it also helps controls soil erosion, water runoff and keeps the mud to a minimum.

What’s the big deal with certified playground wood chips and is it really better than other playground surfaces that have been used for decades? YES! So much better! The iPhone isn’t the only thing that’s been upgrading, mulch has too, specifically, mulch for children’s playgrounds to ensure the safest possible environment, way safer than other surfaces that used to be used.

So, what’s so great about the certified playground mulch? What makes it so much better and improved?

1. It’s tumbled. So what? Well actually this process reduces the risk of splinters simultaneously making the material less sharp
2. Helps to absorb shock! According to a report put out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission just about 60% of injuries sustained on playgrounds across America were the direct result of a fall to the ground. Better safe than sorry is what I always say. Extra cushion for my clumsy child? Yes please!
3. Specifically designed for this type of environment- to be around children, outside, in communities
4. Meets ASTM standards for size, impact attenuation, and flammability rate- all good things here!

Playgrounds are an essential part of childhood development which is why it is essential to ensure your playground is surrounded by the safest mulch, Mavroff’s Certified Playground Mulch. Mavroff knows the importance of fun and safety which is why we take the utmost care in our certified playground.