Landscape Maintenance: Should You Be Using a Different Mulch?

March 7, 2024January 23, 2020 by The Parke Company

Make Sure Your Nashville Home Has the Right Mulch

According to the experts at HGTV, one of the best things you can do for your landscape as it pertains to mulch is to simply try a new one! In fact, they also suggest that not having any form of mulch on your property can put you at a serious risk for erosion and sediment runoff.

If you’re already using mulch throughout your property, bravo! But your work shouldn’t stop there. Mulch is certainly not a one size fits all product and over time you may find that the mulch you chose just isn’t up to snuff.

Here is what you need to know to answer the FAQ: Should you be using a different mulch?

What to Consider with Mulch

Erosion and Damage

If you do use mulch and you’ve noticed erosion and soil damage in and around your plant beds or trees, this probably tells you that it’s time for a new mulch.

Depending on the type of mulch you’ve chosen, you may also notice damage to the quality of soil. Organic mulches continuously decompose which release nitrogen into the soil, providing nutrients to your trees and flowerbeds. If you are using inorganic mulch, the soil quality will likely stay the same or even worsen if it is already unhealthy because there are no nutrients being created by decomposition.

It stands to reason that–if you want to improve soil quality–you should certainly switch over to an organic mulch. Furthermore, if you find that your organic mulch isn’t yielding the results you seek, talk with a lawn maintenance and landscape professional, like the experts at The Parke Company, to determine precisely what kind of organic mulch will best serve the needs of your property.

Age

Like any living substance, organic mulch will change over time. You may find that the bright reds and rich browns of your mulch have faded into a lackluster grey. If this is the case, you may want to consider another type of mulch.

While most professionals agree that a dull looking mulch can still nurture the soil around it, it may be unsightly after 1-2 years (while still effective for 5-6). Depending on your preference, you may opt for an undyed mulch to save yourself from unsightly curb appeal or from having to replace the mulch every other year.

Along a similar vein, there are so many options for mulch (both organic and inorganic) that you can make this choice based on aesthetic preference as well. From nut shells, to wood chips, to seaweed, you can tailor your mulch to match the appearance of your property and any design you can dream up.

Chemical Content

According to a UMass report, there is definite cause for concern when it comes to the chemical makeup of some mulches.

Surprisingly, it is not inorganic mulches that are under scrutiny, but organic mulches sourced from ground-up trees.

As reported, some now-prohibited wood preservatives contained dangerous chemicals like arsenic, which can seriously compromise the health of your soil.

Especially in cases where the wood used for much comes from demolition or construction sites, “it has been found that some of the recycled waste wood used for making landscape mulch products is contaminated with various chemicals, such as creosote and CCA (chromated copper arsenate),” according to the UMass report.

In any case, you shouldn’t need to have a degree in biochemistry to choose a mulch for your yard, nor should you live in fear that you could be contaminating your property. The best step that you can take when you have lawn problems is to consult a professional for landscaping services.

From simple tasks like raking leaves, tree removal, or helping you select the perfect mulch, the landscaping professionals at The Parke Company have the experience and the skills to meet the unique needs of your property and bring your design dreams to life.

Give us a call (615-350-6033) or contact us online today to see how The Parke Company difference can work for you.

Tree Services: 3 Ways Tree Care Professionals Prevent Tree Decay

March 7, 2024January 13, 2020 by The Parke Company

Let The Parke Company Take Care of Tree Decay

Tree decay is detrimental for a number of reasons. On one hand, tree removals can be a costly, unwanted procedure. Especially if the tree has been on your property for some time, the last thing you may want is for your beloved arbor to be uprooted.

On the other hand, tree decay can pose a serious threat to the safety of your home. Damaged, unhealthy trees can be a hazard during storms and run the risk of falling on your home and causing injury to your family or your assets.

While it may be necessary in some cases to have a tree cut down, prevention is always a better option. Are you curious as to how the tree professionals at The Parke Company can help you prevent tree decay? Here are five ways they can do just that.

What to Look for When Handling Tree Decay

1. Tree Inventory

One of the most common reasons you may find decay in your trees is simply because their issues have gone unnoticed for an extensive period of time. Especially if you have a large property, trees in areas of your yard you don’t frequent, or you oversee a large municipal area your trees may be suffering from neglect.

A tree inventory is a calculated process conducted by a tree care professional to locate the trees on your property and take stock of their health. In this way, you can ensure that you are keenly aware of any potential health risks to your trees and can tackle problems quickly as they arise before your trees suffer decay.

While tree inventories are typically conducted for municipal projects, there can also be some value to conducting a smaller tree inventory of your personal property’s landscape. While the chances are that you don’t have trees you are unaware of, you may not necessarily know the intimate details of your trees’ health. A tree inventory yields that helpful data.

2. Pest Control

While woodland creatures are often cute and fluffy, they’re also called pests for a reason. Any animal that chooses to make your tree its home puts your landscape at risk for tree decay or advances any existing damage.

Talk with your landscaping professional about potential barriers for pest deterrence. They will be the most knowledgeable source to help you decide if you should establish a physical barrier, use repellents, or some combination of the two to best protect the health of your trees.

3. Brush Clearing

Another proactive way to care for the health of your trees and prevent decay is through frequent lawn maintenance and brush clearing. While dropping leaves and limbs can often be a sign that a tree is in poor health, those piles of brush and foliage also put your trees at risk for even more damage.

On one hand, piles of brush at the roots of trees are very attractive homes for rodents and other pests which, as previously mentioned, cause great damage to trees. On the other hand, these uncleared piles of brush can also be a source of trapped moisture, which increases the risk of fungus growth at the base of trees. In either case, without proper regular maintenance from a lawn care professional, trees may be at a greater risk for decay.

When it comes to landscaping services, the needs of your property extend further than just lawn maintenance and raking leaves. To ensure that your property stays safe and healthy, it is vital that you do everything within your power to maintain the health of your trees.

Lawn care and landscaping can seem like a complicated and overwhelming task, but the most important thing is that you don’t do it alone. The landscaping professionals at The Parke Company have the experience and the skills to meet the unique needs of your property and bring your design dreams to life.
Give us a call at (615) 350-6033 or contact us online today to see how The Parke Company difference can work for you.

How Are Landscaping Clippings Recycled and Reused?

March 7, 2024December 4, 2019 by The Parke Company

Make Your Landscaping Work Renewable

In the pursuit of creating a greener planet, how you care for your landscape has never been more important.

While a neighborhood fall cleanup and regular recycling are great ways to care for the needs of the Earth, your landscaping services can also play an instrumental role in helping you foster the health of the planet.

When most people complete landscaping project, the natural reaction is to bag up clippings and trimmings and leave them out for yard waste services to pick up. What you may not have realized, however, is that the leftovers from your latest landscaping endeavor can actually be reused in important ways.

When you’re completing your next landscaping project or hiring lawn services, keep these things in mind as you consider how your landscaping clippings can be recycled and reused.

Different Types of Landscaping Waste

Tree Waste

In most circumstances, large tree branches cannot be simply disposed of after tree removal. One thing that tree waste can be exceptionally useful for, however, is mulch.

This does mean that you will need to ensure your tree removal services will also involve a tree chipper as well.

When you’re arranging for a tree to be removed from a space on your property, the chips from that tree can be used to help foster growth for new plants around that area or to help bolster the flourishing of plants already there.

Especially as fall and winter rolls around, tree waste can also make excellent kindling and firewood. Depending on local laws, if you don’t have a fireplace (or just have a lot more wood than you would need) you can also loan out free firewood to friends, or try to turn your tree care into a small profit by selling your excess firewood.

Lawn Waste

Much like tree trimmings, lawn waste can also make excellent mulch. As long as your haven’t been having significant lawn problems, reusing lawn clippings to better the plant life of your property couldn’t be easier.

Simply avoid the temptation to bag up your grass clippings!

In the summer, you may want to rake or brush clippings to the margins of your lawn so that you avoid unsightly sunspots in your grass, but capitalizing on the benefits of reusing grass clippings is a low-maintenance way to go green with your landscaping services.

Garden Waste

One of the most beneficial ways to reuse and recycle landscaping clippings is through saving your garden waste. Composting is certainly not a new idea, but you may not have realized just how tremendous the benefits can be.

Not only does composting on your own property help you to make use of fruit and vegetable scraps and avoid sending them to a landfill, it also deeply enriches soil with vital nutrients. Plus, according to the EPA, composting these organic materials can even help reduce methane emissions that would normally arise in landfills and reduce your carbon footprint overall.

As more and more data on the current state of the environment is revealed, conscientious citizens understand that it is more important than ever to carefully tend to the environment. One simple way to do that is through reusing and recycling the landscaping clippings you’d normally bag up and toss out.

An even simpler way to go green is by having your landscaping service provider do it for you. Make your life simple by contacting the experienced professionals at The Parke Company, who have the know-how to properly care for the aesthetic and environmental quality of your property. Our experts have the exact skills necessary to best fulfill your landscaping dreams without harming the planet.
Give us a call (615-350-6033) or contact us online today to see how The Parke Company difference can work for you.

How Long Will My Home Landscaping Installation Take?

March 25, 2024December 2, 2019 by The Parke Company

Most homeowners know that there is no renovation completed without a little bit of mess. Any painting project will require some tarps thrown around your home. Tree removal projects will involve trucks around your home and quite a bit of debris cleaning and raking leaves.

Even so, no one wants tons of bulky equipment lying around their property and landscaping professionals milling about for weeks on end if it’s not absolutely necessary.

If you’re considering a new landscaping installation, expedience is a must. When you’re weighing your options for landscaping services, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Factors in How Long a Landscaping Installation Takes

Mutual Availability

Like any major project in your home or landscape, a new landscaping installation will take some planning and schedule shifting.

If your availability and your landscape service provider’s availability aren’t harmonious, you may be at a bit of a standstill. While not all landscaping projects require that you are present during their completion, if you’re someone who likes to closely monitor projects being completed on your property, mutual availability will be something to take into consideration.

You will also want to consider when your landscaping service provider is available to begin work on your desired landscaping project.

If the particular installation you desire is a hardscape like paving or a new pond, you will most likely need to wait until the next warm season to begin breaking ground on those projects. The same goes for certain seasonal plant softscapes.

Talk with your landscaping professionals about how their availability (and yours!) may affect the timeline of your next project.

Property Status

Starting your next landscaping installation project will also depend heavily on the current state of your property.

If you’ve already got lawn problems and are in dire need of lawn services, the basic needs of your property will need to get taken care of before you start adding “window dressing,” so to speak.

When you speak with your landscaping professional about what you envision for your property, ask them for an evaluation on the current state of your property. If they notice that your property needs a significant amount of basic care and lawn maintenance before new installations can be considered, you may be significantly extending the timeline of your next installation.

This may also cause your to reconsider the design of your project to better fit the current state of your property, for expediency’s sake.

Whatever you decide, it is vital that you have a professional take inventory of your property before you start planning big projects.

It would be devastating to start planning and designing a gorgeous gazebo, only to learn that several trees would need to be removed first, setting back your timeline significantly.

Project Magnitude

It goes without saying that a larger project will likely take more time. For most people, there is a particular design dream they have in mind and the timeline will simply have to work around that dream.

On the other hand, if you’re just looking to revitalize your property and can allow for some adaptability to your design ideas, you may be able to speed up the process of beautifying your home.

For those in a time crunch, speak to your landscaping design professionals about your low-maintenance options for beautifying your property. These experts may have great ideas for ways that you can improve the look and feel of your outdoor spaces that will save you time and money.

Regardless of how long it takes to complete your landscaping installation, the most important thing is that you don’t do it alone. The landscaping professionals at The Parke Company have the experience and the skills to meet the unique needs of your property and bring your design dreams to life.
Give us a call (615-350-6033) or contact us online today to see how The Parke Company difference can work for you.

How Often and How Much Should My Lawn Be Watered?

March 7, 2024November 18, 2019 by The Parke Company

Rainbow showing in a sprinkler watering a lawn

Regardless of the climate in which you live, letting natural rainfall be your lawn’s sole source of water is a recipe for lawn problems. If you want a lush, green lawn that is the envy of your neighborhood, you’ll need to water your lawn through other methods. Whether it is through an irrigation system, a tried-and-true sprinkler, or some other method, you’ll need to conduct some lawn maintenance if you want to keep your lawn looking vibrant and healthy.

In that case, you may then find yourself asking the same question many property owners are asking: How often and how much should my lawn be watered?

When you’re strategizing for your next landscaping project or hiring lawn services, you’ll want to consider these factors in your decision-making process.

Factors in How Your Lawn Should Be Watered?

Type of Grass

Every person has different tastes and dietary needs, and so do different types of grass. According to the lawn experts at Scott’s, keeping a newly-seeded lawn moist (but not drenched) is critical for maintaining your lawn’s health.

According to their lawn professionals, “You will likely need to mist the seeded area once or twice a day (possibly more if it’s hot and dry outside). Once the seeds start to germinate, continue to keep the top 2 inches of soil moist until the new grass reaches a mowing height of around 3 inches. After that, begin to cut back watering to twice per week and soak the soil deeper, about 6 to 8 inches, to encourage the grass roots to grow down deep into the soil.”

The specific breed of grass can also be an indicator of the quantity and frequency of water necessary to keep your lawn healthy.

Grasses like tall fescue have deep root systems that will hold up well during dry spells and require less frequent watering. On the other hand, breeds like Kentucky Bluegrass will lie dormant during dry seasons and perk back up when rain comes back.

If you didn’t personally seed the grass on your property, there is a good chance that you’re not even sure what type of grass your lawn is comprised of. In that case, call up the seasoned professionals at The Parke Company to get a proper evaluation of your property’s lawn and strategize how to best care for its health.

Climate

In most cases, it’s important to understand that an established lawn is fairly resilient. Lawns can turn grey or brown during a dry spell and go dormant, then revive when rain returns.

This may not be the case, however, if your grass is in constant turmoil. A typical, healthy lawn might be able to survive weeks without being watered, but if you live in a dry climate, in which your lawn is suffering months at a time without rain, your lawn is already at risk.

To determine if the climate of your region has gotten the best of your lawn, you can perform the “footprint test”. If you walk through your lawn and your footprints quickly disappear, you’re in luck! Your lawn has stayed hydrated. If your footprint remains, this means that your grass lacks the moisture to spring back into place.

Experts recommend that the “top 6 to 8 inches of soil (where most turfgrass roots grow) is wet. Most lawns need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week—either from rain or watering—to soak the soil that deeply. That amount of water can either be applied during a single watering or divided into two waterings during the week.”

If your climate does not naturally offer this much rainfall, you’ll need irrigation to compensate for the lack of moisture.

Figuring out exactly how much moisture your lawn is receiving is no simple task, and while there are hacks like “can tricks” and complicated math, you might want to save the science projects for another time.

For now, make your life simple. The same experienced professionals who can help you with lawn mowing and fall cleanup can also help ensure that your lawn is being watered properly for the specific needs of your property. Our experts have the exact skills necessary to evaluate your lawn’s current condition and strategize how to best fulfill your landscaping dreams.

Give us a call (615-350-6033) or contact us online today to see how The Parke Company difference can work for you.