Typical Mulch Job in 10 Easy Steps

Not all mulch jobs are the same as each home owner has specific wants and needs.  This outline is intended to provide you with what to expect from J. Stacy Landscaping for a typical mulch job.

1. The first thing the crew will do when they arrive is to try and make contact with the home owner to see if any of the job details have changed since the last time the home owner and our company had contact.
2. Next, the crew leader will walk the property to access the scope of the work and to try and recognize any concerns that could pose a danger, specifically power lines, cable, and dog fence lines.  Hopefully these have been marked by the homeowner, but we always feel safer to check again.
3. The crew will begin the process of cleaning all the beds of old mulch, leaves, perennials, and weeds.
4. Next, all bushes and trees will be trimmed per the crew leader's suggestion, knowing that not all shrubs need trimmed at the same time of year, especially any flowering plant.  All clippings will be picked out of the beds and bagged or loaded onto our trailer. 
   
5. The crew will then begin to edge all the landscaping beds by hand with edging shovels.  It is important to understand that it is the homeowner's responsibility to inform the crew of any known cable lines or invisible dog fence lines, as these are the 2 most commonly cut lines.  Dog fence lines are not that big of an issue as our crews all carry repair kits in their truck, but the orange cable line is a different story.  
   
6.  Once the edge has been properly shaped and cleaned up, our crew will do a quick blow off of all debris from the walks and outer edges of the beds before mulch is installed.
7. Now is time for the mulch.  Sometimes mulch is brought on our trucks and sometimes we have to make a run after the prep work has been completed to dump the debris and pick up the mulch.  Most of the time mulch is shoveled out of the back of our trailers, but there are times when it may be more feasible to dump the mulch in the driveway.  If this is the case, we will clear it with the homeowner first.  Understand, no mulch will stain concrete permanently as the first good rain will wash the organic dye away.
   
8. While we are talking dyed mulch, which is the most popular mulch for homeowners these days, it is very important that we install it under dry conditions with no large threat of rain, as heavy downpours within 24 hours of newly laid mulch can make the dye run off the wood.  Please be patient if we have to postpone or reschedule a job as it is only in your best interest as we want to protect your monetary investment that you are spending in mulch.
   
9. Once all the mulch has been laid and meticulously spread, our crews will blow off all mulch from sidewalks, driveways, and other surfaces.  We stress to our crews to "leave the property neater than you found it."
   
10. The final step is the crew leader will try again to make contact with the homeowner to inform them of the completion and to ask if they would like to walk the property together to insure we did not miss anything and that the customer is completely satisfied.  If the homeowner is not home, J. Stacy Landscaping will follow up via email at the time the invoice is sent.  
    

Not only does a fresh layer of mulch installed in a precisely cut landscaping bed truly set off a landscape, but seasonal mulching is also a must for healthy plants and to control weeds.  It is suggested that every landscaping bed have a minimum of 3 inches of mulch, but not more than 4 inches.  Contact Us today to inquire about our competitive mulching rates on a variety of colors and textures and to secure a spot on the calendar for the busy mulching season.

Mulching