Landscape block & mulch

[ashley_phil]

so we're going to redo the landscaping at our house and do it up right so to speak this time.

I'm going to need roughly 250 sandcastle 12" block and 70 or so pieces of edging along with 8.5 cubic yards of mulch.

Anybody know a mulch service that does the blow in service in the unversity area of charlotte?

Also anybody know anyone other than borg to buy the block?

thanks in advance for your help.

phil

[DaveO]

I sure could help you out in the Triangle area, but....

Check either Belgard's website www.belgard.biz or Keystone http://www.keystonewalls.com/ or Versa-lok http://www.versa-lok.com/ to find a distributor near to you. Their block material is much nicer and more professional looking than anything that you can get at the BORG For 8 yards of mulch I wouldn't consider having it blown, unless the access to the area is very difficult. Most of the blowing companies have a pretty large minimum amount. Plus the quality of the mulch that is blown isn't as good as the mulch bought in bulk from a landscape supply company. It is more finely shredded to be able to be blown easily and will break down quicker. I would recommend using a standard triple shred hardwood mulch as your best choice. 8 yards should only take an afternoon to spread.

Dave

[ashley_phil]

thanks for the advice and good to know about the mulch. I can get a full sized pick-up I guess it'll take 5 - 6 loads.

[DaveO]

You should be able to get about 3 cubic yards in a standard 8' full-size pick-up bed, probably 4 if it is mounded well and you have a tarp. Many mulch companies will deliver 10 cyd. loads for free. Share with your neighbor, or put it down extra thick in areas without a lot of plants to use up the extra.
Dave

[ashley_phil]

yeah if they'll do 10 for free i'll definitely do that. good point.

[Jon]

some cubic yards are bigger than others. I know of one place that there bucket is about 3/4 yard and they call it one yard the place I go has a big bucket its actually more than a yard. So what Im saying is look at the bucket they use.

[ashley_phil]

so i've been looking around for mulch today. i find that Tarheel bark sells hardwood mulch for $ 19.50 per yard and the city of charlotee sells hardwood mulch for $ 4.60 per yard.

Could the Tarheel Bark posibbly be that much better?

[sapwood]

Phil,
I've gotten mulch from Durham and Orange counties (free to very cheap). Since some of it comes from their collection centers it contains "foreign" material . . . read trash Generally, mulch from commercial distributors is cleaner and properly graded as hardwood, cedar, etc. Triple run mulch is finer and more uniform, but decomposes faster. Double run is less uniform but tends to last longer.

JMTCW,
Roger

[ashley_phil]

yeah i figure the county mulch will have dirt and such in it, but i'm thinking for the money it's the way to go.

[sapwood]

Originally Posted by ashley_phil

yeah i figure the county mulch will have dirt and such in it, but i'm thinking for the money it's the way to go.

Dirt is fine. It's the plastic, slivers of metal, etc., that create a problem. However, I would do it again. It just takes a little extra time to cull the bad stuff.

Roger

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by ashley_phil

so i've been looking around for mulch today. i find that Tarheel bark sells hardwood mulch for $ 19.50 per yard and the city of charlotee sells hardwood mulch for $ 4.60 per yard.

Could the Tarheel Bark posibbly be that much better?

Could plywood from the Worth Group (Raleigh Hardwood) or NC Hardwood Store be better than what you can get at the BORG????

Yes they are both mulch, but one is filled with crap (ground up yard waste) and stinks (lack of maintenance to turn the piles resulting in anaerobic fermentation), and the other is good quality.
For the amount that you need I would get the quality stuff. Just my personal opinion
Dave

[McRabbet]

I've used both types and the key is where you plan to put it. If it is out in the open at the front of your home for ornamental beds, then use the good quality landscaping mulch. On the other hand, if you are trying to suppress weed growth in a "natural" area of trees and shrubs, then the City of Charlotte stuff may suffice. Back when I lived in Durham, we had a large natural grove in front of our home that I wanted to look decent and free of weeds. The City of Durham had free mulch available that residents could load themselves and I got 12 loads with my Ranger pickup and spread it to about 3 inches thick. I had a minor amount of "yard" debris to pull out; major drawback is the amount of coarser material and mixed wood types. But it was free. I also invested in two dump truck loads of triple ground material for our more ornamental area coverage.

Rob

[Jon]

I have known of people getting that fre mulch and getting poison ivy Dont get the cheap mulch

[DaveO]

Rob, I 100% agree with what you just said I like to use leaf compost for large natural areas. It's free here in Raleigh, and actually helps the soil as it breaks down.
Dave