[Happydaz]

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[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

Following your logic the whole Eastern USA should use rock mulches. As anyone knows shredded pine, hardwood or hemlock bark are the mixes used by landscapers and homeowners in New England and the Atlantic states. Pine straw is used down south as well as bark nuggets and shredded bark mulches. Rocks look great in Arizona and The Southwest as rainfall is low and the cacti and succulents thrive in the alkaline rock mulches that look so beautiful there. Here in Florida most of our plants want a neutral or acid PH to grow well. Better than rock, for Villagers afraid of organic mulches, would be painted concrete or blacktop. It would be minimal maintenance and nothing could live in it. No bugs, no snakes, no birds, nothing living in it at all. For beauty you could have your contractor install colored, plastic plants. ������

That’s a tough alternative in central FL. Talk about increasing ground temp for humans/pets. I’m not disagreeing with your solution, just it’s application here.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

That’s a tough alternative in central FL. Talk about increasing ground temp for humans/pets. I’m not disagreeing with your solution, just it’s application here.

*since you deleted your post, I guess it was steeped in Sheldon errr sarcasm!

[Princeton]

Originally Posted by Ozzello

""I see most professional landscapers in TV getting things right more than wrong. Sure there's ones that are better than others. ""

Though, 80% of the landscape jobs people hire a landscape company to do, will need (and have) a major overhaul in 2-5 years after the install.
BECAUSE of poor design.
80% aren't doing even a serviceable job.

When I first read your post, I was mad, and I said my house my rules BUT After my crankiness wore off , I’m grateful for the advice. I moved in the end of January and really wanted to get everything replaced because I didn’t want to weed. I’m too old to bend down for hours and pull stupid grass sprouts out of my yard. with that being said any ideas to keep the grass sprouts and the weeds down or do you have a good weekly service that will pull those for me? I can’t stand the pine straw so I am getting that replaced. Now it’ll probably be bark/mulch. Any comments about putting the rubber mulch down? Thanks for the advice.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Ozzello

Attn. Owners of newly constructed homes! STOP the CRAZY!

Stop putting rocks around your "stock" landscape.
Stop trying to keep a bunch of those shrubs, as most are small trees and planted too close together and too close to your home.

80% of the homeowners having landscaping done to a new home, will be calling another landscaper in 2-5 years to "fix" it. Good designs will actually IMPROVE for a minimum of 7 years.

All that gravel you are putting in to stop weeds, doesn't, and creates hard to clean messes when you have to start trimming all those shrubs you mistakenly kept. AND, the gravel makes the re-do cost more.

If you found your landscaper because they knocked on your door, they aren't the real deal. But neither are some of those big outfits with huge advertising and huge retail nurseries that send SALESPEOPLE calling themselves designers to wow you.

HINT: if they want you to come pick out what plants you want, and you aren't educated in the field, you have the wrong landscaper.

Just because all your neighbors are rushing to get an upgraded landscape, don't just jump in. WAIT and WATCH. look at stuff at least 3 years old (or even 10+ years if you're smart) from the landscaper you are thinking of dealing with.

With that 80% chance of having a poor job done, even at 3 or 4 estimates, good chance you haven't found a good designer/installer with a real education and the integrity to give you the lasting landscape, instead of the "job security" landscape.

Good luck all.

Gravel stops 80% of the weeds and weed killer stops the rest. To me rocks or gravel beats grass for looks in Florida, where the grass is functionally harsh and not particularly good looking. Also, rocks don't need watering or cutting. A person should be careful about what shrubs and small trees they plant, and where they plant them. Planting trees too close to the house can be a problem. But, they can be cut down if under 4 in in diameter. Viburnums grow fast, but need spraying for insects. Podocarpus (plumb pine) grows slowly, but is very healthy. Both make good wind breakers.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Packer Fan

Agreed- Pine Bark mulch works the best in my opinion. NO palm trees except Robelini's and maybe fan palms. The villages landscaping plants ARE the best for sure. You have to remember that once established, stuff grows like CRAZY here. You can cut things to the ground and 3 months later they are 6 feet tall... you can almost see them grow.

That's funny because The Villages uses PINE STRAW mulch. And both will float away in a Hurricane.

[Happydaz]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

*since you deleted your post, I guess it was steeped in Sheldon errr sarcasm!

I love Sheldon!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

Rock mulches on top of landscaping fabric only seal the plants in poor soil. Organic mulches improve the soil and add beneficial bacteria and fungi that support improved plant growth. This is referred to as the “Soil Food Web.” Rock mulches on top of dead, poor soils condemn plants to poor growth. Look at rock mulch yards and you will see after 5 years the weeds are growing in the rocks and the plants look unhealthy and don’t grow well. Then look at yards with bark mulches or pine straw and those plants will look better and are healthier. You have to feed the soil to have good plant growth. One of the principles of the University of Florida is to use organic mulches.

Been here 20 years and have NEVER had problems with rock mulch (other than expensive to begin with).

[HORNET]

Second Home here, No Palm Trees or Palm Shrubs and No Hibiscus Bushes. Nothing that we need to get on a ladder to trim, and only have to trim 1 time a year. Landscaped wrong the entire house with block walls ( no weeds ) and only have to power wash every 2 or 3 years! Learned the hard way!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by rickaslin

Where can I take a soil sample to get tested ?

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

There are online companies that you can use...but like anything else, the results are varied and inconsistent. I don’t have a local rec but a reputable landscaping co. can do it as well since they know the area better

University Florida info.
Soil Testing - Gardening Solutions - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by rickaslin

Where can I take a soil sample to get tested ?

I would call someone in to properly take the bottom 6" of an 8" hole. And test it on site. Properly creating the sample is the part most people miss when getting a home sample to mail off.

Having done thousands of pH tests in this area, I will tell you there a 99% chance you will be sitting on 7.2 pH.

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by Indydealmaker

Why not try establishing your credibility by listing your qualifications?

Because I freely give of my time... sharing my education, decades of experience and professional integrity to HELP people. For no reason other than to help people that may be baited into making financially costly mistakes by selfish or misguided "helpers".

If you read some of my other helpful posts, you can put together my resume' as I have in past threads "shown my qualifications". But I am busy with more productive endeavors, so I won't be typing out my plethora of qualifications in the field being discussed.
Besides, knowing and speaking the truth is the only qualification that really matters.

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by Princeton

When I first read your post, I was mad, and I said my house my rules BUT After my crankiness wore off , I’m grateful for the advice. I moved in the end of January and really wanted to get everything replaced because I didn’t want to weed. I’m too old to bend down for hours and pull stupid grass sprouts out of my yard. with that being said any ideas to keep the grass sprouts and the weeds down or do you have a good weekly service that will pull those for me? I can’t stand the pine straw so I am getting that replaced. Now it’ll probably be bark/mulch. Any comments about putting the rubber mulch down? Thanks for the advice.

PLEASE say no to rubber mulch.
it is expensive and leeches bad stuff into the soil. It would be illegal to bury it in a landfill even. LARGE size pinebark will control weeds better than any other mulch.

Different weeds require different measure to get under control. Sadly there is nowhere close to enough people out there pulling weeds as a business to cover the need.
I do suggest Preen being used soon and often to stop most of the "new" weeds from emerging. At least then you can focus on getting the existing weeds under control that came up from the soil below.

[Shipping up to Boston]

That post sounds eerily similar to that of a failed politician!

Seriously though, I don’t think most doubt that you may have some experience in the thread topic....it’s your initial delivery. I’ve said this in the past, most on here cut and paste responses and others (and you can tell the difference) respond with institutional knowledge. ToTV is not Indeed. Remember, it’s a forum.....not everything you read on here is factual or useable. It’s usually somewhere in the middle

[Ozzello]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

That post sounds eerily similar to that of a failed politician!

Seriously though, I don’t think most doubt that you may have some experience in the thread topic....it’s your initial delivery. I’ve said this in the past, most on here cut and paste responses and others (and you can tell the difference) respond with institutional knowledge. ToTV is not Indeed. Remember, it’s a forum.....not everything you read on here is factual or useable. It’s usually somewhere in the middle

The "cut and paste" just hit me the wrong way this time. Shoulda drank that 2nd cup of coffee and played my guitar before work instead of ranting about it. Moving on.

No good deed goes unpunished.