What Is the Best Mulch for New York Landscaping?

What is the best mulch for New York landscaping, and what are the benefits of mulching your plant beds? Read on to discover the best tips for perfect mulching.

Mulch is beneficial in gardens, lawns, and landscaping. It conserves water, discourages weed growth, and is very aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, over time it will break down into nutrient-rich soil to help your landscape thrive. Mulch has many benefits in your garden and around your home.

We are often asked, “what is the best mulch for New York landscaping?” We’re here to answer that question and add a few of our best-kept secrets for a yard your neighbors will envy.

Get in touch to discuss lawn maintenance for your property!  Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

What is the best mulch for New York landscaping? 

Our team creates and maintains award-winning landscapes. Through years of experience serving happy Westchester County clients, we know what works when it comes to mulch.

Shredded hardwood bark

Shredded hardwood bark is an excellent mulch for flower beds. It is inexpensive, breaks down relatively slowly, and holds up well on a slope. This nutrient-rich mulch will improve soil quality as it decomposes over time, and your perennials will certainly love it. If you’re less concerned with soil health and want to prioritize aesthetics, dyed shredded hardwood bark will bring rich contrast and a more polished look to your garden. 

Sweet peet

Also, on the pricier side, sweet peet mulch is newer to hit the market. It is beloved for being 100% organic and supplying critical nutrients to plants and flowers to keep them healthy and beautiful throughout the year. In particular, sweet peet supplies nitrogen – a nutrient that encourages earthworms and other garden-friendly organisms to populate. For vegetable garden lovers wondering, “what is the best mulch for New York landscaping?” sweet peet often is our first recommendation. 

Professional tips for proper application

Even the best mulch is only effective with proper application. Too much or too little, and you might not see the results you want. Plant beds should be mulched 2-4 inches deep, fine mulches should be installed no more than 2” deep, and coarser mulches can be installed 4” deep. Ensure your space is prepped and weeded before spreading new mulch to ensure lasting results. Prep work that takes half a day will save you a season of agony battling weeds. Besides prep, make sure to put an even application of mulch and clean the edges to make your mulched landscape elements pop.  If you need assistance getting the job done correctly, you can count on your local landscaping partners at Manzer’s.

Award-winning lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY 

Mulch is an investment with high returns for any New York homeowner. Our award-winning team at Manzer’s is your trusted partner to ensure a gorgeous landscape at your home or business throughout the year. Working with a landscaping company for yard maintenance is the best way to know your space is adequately cared for. 

Get in touch with our team today! Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

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The Ultimate Guide to Lawn Maintenance in Westchester County, NY

We’ve created the ultimate guide to lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY 

We know you care about your property. We do too! Lawn maintenance is essential to keeping your property looking beautiful and well-maintained. At Manzer’s Landscape, we specialize in Lawn Care. This article is designed to provide the ultimate guide to lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY,  to keep your property looking great.

Get in touch to discuss lawn maintenance for your property! Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

The ultimate guide to lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY

Choose the right grass

First and foremost, choosing suitable grass for your lawn is essential. Among our Westchester County clients, we’ve seen the best results with Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass, which can tolerate harsh conditions. Still, each of these grasses has unique characteristics, so it’s essential to choose the one best suited for your lawn based on factors such as sun exposure, soil type, and water requirements. 

Follow a regular mowing schedule

Once you have suitable grass for your lawn, it’s crucial to find and follow a regular mowing schedule. We recommend you mow once a week during the growing season and a little less frequently during the fall and winter months. Be sure to mow your lawn to a height of 3-4 inches, as this will help promote healthy growth and discourage weeds. 

Fertilize

Fertilization is another important aspect of lawn maintenance. The best time to fertilize is in the spring when the grass is just starting to grow. Our team can recommend a fertilizer treatment program explicitly formulated for the type of grass in your lawn, as this will ensure it gets all of the nutrients it needs to grow lush and green. 

Water properly

In addition to regular mowing and fertilization, it’s important to water your lawn regularly to keep it hydrated and healthy. We’ve all seen lawns with dry or bald patches, and our mission is to help ensure that’s not you. The best time to water your lawn is early in the morning since this prevents evaporation and will ensure the water has time to soak into the soil before the sun gets too hot. An underground sprinkler system with rain sensors is a great way to make sure your lawn gets what it needs without thought. 

Control for weeds

Weed control also makes it our ultimate guide to lawn maintenance. There are several different methods that we turn to to keep weeds at bay. Herbicides in the fall are an effective way to control perennial broadleaf weeds. Not only is fall the most effective timing, but treating during cooler weather also means limited disruption to kid and pet playtime in the yard. 

Aerate

The last mention in our ultimate guide to lawn maintenance for Westchester homeowners is aeration. Aeration uses a machine to punch small holes in the soil to break up compaction and improve air, water, and nutrient circulation. Manzer’s Landscape has noticed great results when our customers utilize this service.

Award-winning lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY 

When it comes to lawn maintenance, lean on Manzer’s, your local landscaping partner. The ultimate guide to lawn maintenance in Westchester County, NY, comes from a team with years of success serving happy clients and happy lawns. Working with a landscape maintenance company for lawn care is the best way to know your property is adequately cared for. 

Get in touch with our team today! Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

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Anti-desiccant Spray for Evergreens. What Is It? Why Do It?

Save your landscape from winter burn this season with anti-desiccant spray for evergreens.  

Evergreens are a great way to maintain some vibrancy in your landscape during the winter months, but even some hardy evergreens will dry out and turn brown when the ground freezes. This is called desiccation or “winter burn.” Applying anti-desiccant spray for evergreens is an effective way to protect your evergreen investments from dehydration this winter season. 

Here we’ll explain what you should know about anti-desiccant spray treatments and why they might be the perfect thing to keep your landscape healthy this season. 

Get in touch to discuss tree care for your property! 

Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

What are anti-desiccants? 

Anti-desiccants are surface sprays that protect your evergreens from excessive winter drying. Although evergreens are meant to remain green long past the typical growing season, drying is common for some evergreens in harsher climates. Desiccation occurs when a plant loses water faster than it can drink up more through its roots. Anti-desiccant sprays help slow this process by adding a protective waxy layer to evergreen foliage to slow moisture loss. 

Why you should spray your evergreens

Winter drying from ground freeze is common, but harsh winters also bring snow reflection, snow salt spray and harsh winds, all of which can further the effects of “winter burn.” The waxy layer left behind by anti-desiccant sprays protects against all of these environmental harms. It also looks beautiful and gives your evergreens a rich appearance that alternatives like burlap wrapping could never match.

 Evergreens are low-maintenance and a wonderful choice for Westchester County landscapes, but even evergreens need some extra care from time-to-time. 

Broadleaf evergreens like azalea, boxwood or rhododendron, conifers like cypress, juniper, and pine, and even shrubs like hydrangea are particularly susceptible to winter burn. If you’re lucky enough to have any of these beautiful shrubs in your yard, we highly recommend anti-desiccant spray for evergreens. 

When to spray your evergreens

The perfect time to treat evergreens to prevent desiccation is when the temperatures hover consistently around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit. We generally recommend our Westchester County clients schedule this service for late fall or early winter. 

It’s important to wait until the ground and air have cooled down sufficiently that your plants have entered dormancy. This will help to avoid trapping too much water in the foliage which can then freeze and lead to injury. This is a relatively quick, easy service with major returns. 

Manzer’s anti-desiccant spray for evergreens

Your landscape is a living investment that deserves quality care. Take easy precautions to ensure your evergreens survive the freezing temperatures and winter storms this winter. Anti-desiccant treatment for evergreens offers a safe and efficient way to get your greenery through the worst of winter and our award-winning teams are here to help. 

Manzer’s Landscape Design and Development is your trusted partner for yard maintenance in Westchester County, NY. From design to installation, treatment to cleanup, we have you covered.

 Get in touch with our team today!

Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online. 

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Our Top Tips for How to Build a Walkway on a Slope

Read on for our professional tips on how to build a walkway on a slope.  

A walkway is a wonderful feature to enhance the function and aesthetic appeal of your outdoor space. Sloping landscapes offer incredible visual interest, but they also present unique challenges. If you have a sloping yard you might be wondering how to build a walkway on a slope.

Luckily, the award-winning team at Manzer’s is here to help. Our team provides expert knowledge and true craftsmanship to every landscape project we design, install or maintain including gorgeous, functional walkways on any type of grade. 

Get in touch to discuss walkway design and installation! 

Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.

How to build a walkway on a slope

Walkways are essential to the enjoyment of any outdoor space with the right design for your space. Creating a walkway can make a sloped yard much easier and safer to navigate. It also protects your grass and other landscaping from foot traffic to minimize damage. If you find yourself wrestling with how to build a walkway on a slope, here are some of our top tips for success. 

Hire professionals

Our number one goal is to design a walkway that will keep you and your visitors safe. A pathway is intended to keep people safe while traversing a steep slope and everyone feels more confident navigating a space that’s professionally planned and well-designed. Our team has the experience, skills and equipment to prioritize safety and stability without sacrificing on look and feel. 

Plan a route

One of the first things we do when we plan to build a walkway on a slope is to survey the space, imagining what the path will look like and what the surroundings will look like from the path. Often, we use stake poles to get a clear visual of where the walkway will go. Once we’ve decided on the appropriate route, we’ll mow or weed whack to clear vegetation in preparation for cutting the path and leveling the slope along the walkway. Our team takes great care to recontour to guide waterflow where you desire it to go.

Choose the right materials

Concrete and paving stones are great materials for sloped walkways. Brick and granite are other great choices for their durability and slip-resistance. In certain areas, loose pebbles also work for a sloped walkway. Our team will take time to understand how you intend to use the walkway in order to make the right recommendations for your space. Depending on your intended use, we may even consider building in steps or a railing. 

Plant vegetation

Once the path is complete, we’ll plant vegetation along the downslope. Not only will this make your walkway all that much more beautiful, but the roots will prevent slippage and reinforce the structure along the downslope edges of your new walkway. 

Professional walkway design and installation in Westchester County NY

You don’t need to know how to build a walkway on a slope. Lean on our professional teams to build a walkway you are sure to enjoy for many years to come. For all of your hardscape and softscape design, installation and maintenance needs, our award-winning crew at Manzer’s Landscape Design and Development is your trusted partner. 

Get in touch with our team today!

Call (914) 739-2020 or contact us online.