1. Natural Mulch Decomposes

Well, technically, rubber can too. But it takes a very, very long time. Natural mulch will decompose within the year, ensuring your garden gets a steady supply of nutrients during the growing season. Rubber on the other hand, pollutes your soil.

2. Natural Mulch has Nutrients

Piggybacking off our last reason, natural mulch actually nourishes your garden. There is no nutritional benefit of adding rubber to your soil, so why bother? Mulch may as well be multi-purpose and, therefore, provide plants with food while also preserving moisture levels and offering protection.

3. Pollution & Fire Hazards

Heavy metals and various inorganic compounds (including combustible materials) exist in rubber due to the manufacturing processes. Therefore, in addition to not adding any nutrients, rubber also adds pollutants, toxins and fire hazards to your garden, which hurts more than it helps.

4. Natural Mulch Has no Additives

Some organic mulches may have stabilizers and chemical additives, but when you go all-natural, you can rest assured your garden is safe from these.

5. Versatile Uses

Natural mulch can be used in any type of garden. Conversely, rubber mulch is restricted to aesthetic gardens due to its makeup.

Summary

View our infographic to read a summary on why natural mulch is a better option than rubber mulch in five important categories.

There you have it. Natural wood mulch is safer, prettier and more versatile than rubber mulch. Having the right mulch can go a long way towards making your garden long-lasting and beautiful too.

Shop our 2024 Mulch Collection Today

At Grand River Natural Stone we exclusively carry natural mulch because we believe it’s a superior product which delivers great results for homeowners and contractors. For all you mulching questions and needs, feel free to contact us today. We have the products and expertise to help you make the best decision for your garden or landscaping.

Related Topics:

• How To Buy Good Quality Mulch & When Is The Best Time To Buy It 
• Should You Mulch in the Fall?
  
• Why It’s Important to Mulch One Last Time Before Winter Arrives

The post 5 Reasons Why Natural Mulch is Better Than Rubber Mulch appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

In the spring and summer, we use mulch to retain moisture in the soil, keep the weeds at bay and add a beautiful, consistent texture to our landscaping. In the winter, mulch takes on a whole new role in keeping our gardens healthy. Here’s why you should mulch before winter sets in.

Mulch to Regulate Soil Temperature

Once the ground freezes, your garden plants go into a dormant mode where they save energy and wait for the sun to return in the spring. However, the winter sun is intense and can heat up the first few inches of soil by mid-day. This can trick newly planted plants into thinking spring is coming.

They’ll expend energy, but their new shoots will be frozen by nightfall, and they’ll be less healthy or even dead come springtime. The same can happen to bulbs, crowns, and the surface roots of any plant.

One last layer of mulch in the fall will keep the ground from heating under the winter sun. The mulch will insulate the shallow parts of the plants from the heat, so they don’t sense spring is arriving until it really does.

Protect Against Freeze/Thaw Cycles

The warm noon soil presents other disadvantages for plants, giving you reasons to spread mulch in the late fall. Constant thawing and refreezing causes “heaving,” a process where the soil expands, contracts and unsettles the plant’s roots.

When their roots don’t have a proper grip on the soil, plants can slowly be pushed higher up in the soil, exposing their crown and roots to colder temperatures and even, in some cases, to the harsh winter wind. This process can damage and even kill plants.

A layer of mulch makes heaving less likely and ensures that even if the plant’s roots and crown do peek above the soil level, they’ll still be somewhat protected by the mulch.

If you notice some plants have been pushed upwards over the winter, you can always add another inch or so of mulch to protect them.

 Winter Mulch Choices

Now that you understand the value of winter mulch, you may be wondering if you should invest in mulch designed for winter, or if your spring and summertime mulch is enough. The good news is that the same mulch you use throughout the year is perfect for winter too.

Grand River Natural Stone offers several mulch varieties that you can use in the winter:

• Cedar
• Pine
• Economy Mix
• Black Dyed
• Red Dyed

Removing Winter Mulch Once Spring Arrives

Winter mulch plays a crucial role in maintaining soil moisture levels during the colder months, and it should be applied generously enough to effectively keep moisture from evaporating out of the ground. However, as spring approaches, it becomes essential to allow rainwater to penetrate the soil once again. Therefore, it is advisable to remove your winter mulch at the end of the winter season. If you prefer not to remove it entirely, you can also break up any clumps that may have formed due to ice and wind. This will ensure that water can easily reach the soil, promoting healthy growth for your plants as they awaken from their winter dormancy and prepare for the growing season ahead.

Contact Us to Find The Supplies You Need

Winter will be here before you know it. Make sure your gardens are protected with fresh mulch from one of our Grand River Natural Stone locations. See what we have to offer online today!

Related Topics:

• Should You Mulch in the Fall?
• 5 Reasons Why Natural Mulch is Better Than Rubber Mulch
• When To Buy Topsoil & Mulch, and How To Know Yours Is Good

The post Why It’s Important to Mulch One Last Time Before Winter Arrives appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

Here are 7 Lawn Care Tips to Prepare for Fall 

1. Overseed Your Lawn

Overseeding in late summer helps thicken your lawn and restore its lush appearance. This process fills in any thin spots and can help your lawn outcompete any pesky weeds.

2. Spread Fresh Fertilizer

Fertilizing your lawn provides it with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Applying a slow-release granular fertilizer in late summer can nourish your grass and promote healthier growth.

3. Modify Your Watering Schedule

As summer winds down, the need for watering decreases. Adjust your watering schedule to early morning sessions, which allow the lawn to absorb moisture without unnecessary evaporation.

4. Adjust Your Lawnmower Blades

Start dropping your lawnmower blades as fall starts to set in. Shorter grass resists snow mould and makes cleaning up leaves easier.

5. Aerate Your Lawn

Aerating in late summer ensures your grass gets ample oxygen, water, and nutrients. This can help promote a healthier, greener lawn that’s more resistant to pests and disease.

6. Control Thatch Growth

Thatch can prevent water, nutrients, and air from reaching the soil. Regularly dethatch your lawn to maintain its health.

7. Weed Your Lawn

Late summer is the perfect time to get rid of those pesky weeds. By pulling weeds now, you can prevent them from spreading seeds and taking over your lawn in the spring.

We’ve got you covered

Whether you need landscaping supplies like:

• 1. Fresh topsoil
• 2. New mulch
• 3. Strong aggregates

Or just helpful advice and guidance, Grand River Natural Stone has the products and information you want.

Just tell us what you’re looking for, and our team will get back to you – FAST – with the answers you need.

The post 7 Late Summer Lawn Care Tips (Infographic) appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

You can do a lot to build a more environmentally friendly garden.

• Use local plants.
• Stick to the rules and don’t use banned pesticides.
• Coat your topsoil with mulch.

The biggest impact, however, comes from using less water to maintain your garden.

That means planting drought tolerant plants so you can use less water without losing the colour and enjoyment your garden brings.

Drought tolerant plants still need to establish themselves in your garden, so water them like any other plant in the first season. Their roots will grow larger and deeper than other plant varieties, and a well-established drought tolerant plant will do better with much, much less next year.

The best drought tolerant plants for Ontario

Ontario is home to lots of colourful, drought tolerant shrubs, perennials, grasses, vines and trees.

In no particular order, your low-water garden will still enjoy colour and variety, and draw bees and birds, with these plants.

Shrubs like…

• Tamarisk
• Ninebark
• Dwarf Burning Bush
• Butterfly bush
• Ivory halo dogwood
• Smokebush

Or flowering plants like…

• Geranium
• Echinacea
• Hosta
• Lavender
• Hens and chicks
• Daylilly
• Yarrow

Experienced low-water gardeners love Mediterranean plants. Some require no water through even the most painful heatwaves. They’re well suited to low water, poor quality soil environments.

Don’t forget ornamental grasses. There are thousands of varieties, and all are drought resistant.

How does mulch help lower my water use further?

Adding mulch to your garden greatly reduces the amount of water lost to evaporation.

Even if you water your plants with a drip system feeding the roots almost directly, you inevitably lose moisture to evaporation.

Mulch creates a barrier between the heat of the sun, the wind, and your moist soil – locking that moisture where it’s needed most.

And more, mulch:

• Inhibits the germination and growth of weeds in your soil.
• Helps regulate the temperature of the soil so plants or trees don’t get stressed from low to high summer temperature fluctuations.
• Breaks down very slowly, improving composition and preventing it from becoming too compact.
• Increases biodiversity in your yard by giving a variety of insects and other tiny creatures homes and shelter.

Get the full benefits from your mulch by adding a layer of at least 2-3 inches and maintaining  it as long as you have plants in your garden.

Trees and shrubs benefit all year round, so do vegetable gardens in the summer.

Rake the mulch seasonally to freshen up the colour.

We can help with the mulch for your drought tolerant garden.

Cedar, pine, black or red – whatever matches the look you want – are all in stock right now.

Stop by and stock up today and finish your project up this weekend.

The post How to Build a Drought Tolerant Landscape appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.

Good quality topsoil and mulch are among the most important factors contributing to a healthy garden.

For healthy growth, you have to feed your plants and protect them from unwelcoming conditions.

Topsoil and mulch (along with water and sunlight) take care of the feeding.

So how do you know the topsoil and mulch combo your landscape supply store offers is good for your greenery?

Learn what makes a good topsoil and mulch team so you can ask the right questions from your supplier.

Topsoil, literally the top soil

Topsoil is full of vitamins, nutrients and organisms that help plants grow strong and thrive. Good topsoil is teeming with it all.

Generally, all this good stuff rests in the top several inches of soil. So good quality topsoil comes from the most productive part of soil, the top.

Inside your rich topsoil, you will find:

• Microorganisms
• Minerals
• Insects
• Earthworms
• Organics
• Water
• Air pockets

Together, these ingredients keep the soil healthy and feed your plants.

How to spot good quality topsoil

Spotting good quality topsoil for your landscaping projects is easy if you know what to look for.

• Colour: Excellent topsoil should be dark brown or black. Dark colours mean the soil is rich in organic matter.
• Odour: Fresh topsoil should have a sweet smell to it. If it smells old, musky and stale, it’s past its prime. That’s the smell of decaying organics.
• Texture: Grab a handful of topsoil and squeeze it into a ball. When you open up your hand, the soil should easily crumble apart. You don’t want to create a mud ball.
• Fragments: If you easily see big stones, weeds or unwanted seeds in your topsoil, stay away.

When you feel good about your topsoil, move on to the mulch you use to finish your garden.

Natural mulch or rubber mulch?

Cover your topsoil in a layer of mulch to reduce soil erosion, lock in moisture and nutrients, and grow your plants faster.

You can buy natural or rubber mulch from some landscape suppliers.

We only carry natural mulch because we believe it’s the best choice for homeowners and landscapers building a garden in harmony with nature.

What do you get with natural mulch?

• It contributes to the long term health of your soil and plants. Unlike rubber mulch, natural mulch decomposes over time, lending its nutrients to the soil below. This means you have to replace natural mulch regularly (every couple years is good), but your plants will grow more vigorously year after year.
• Your environmental impact is lower than if you used rubber mulch. Petroleum is a main component of rubber mulch, and heavy metals can leach into the environment. Natural mulch is a renewable, sustainable product.
• The earthy appearance you want in a garden. Natural mulch decomposes and fades over time. Some homeowners prefer non-fading rubber mulch. We prefer shredded bark mulch (natural mulch) because it looks less manufactured and ages like it would in nature.
• Your organic veggie garden benefits as much from natural mulch as your flower beds, shrubs and trees. It’s a versatile product that enhances every outdoor planting space.

Now is a great time to buy mulch and topsoil for your summer garden. There’s lots of time for growing and admiring the colours, birds, bees, pesky squirrels and more in your private oasis.

Visit your nearest Grand River Stone location to stock up on your mulch and topsoil today.

The post When to buy topsoil and mulch, and how to know yours is good appeared first on Grand River Natural Stone.