Spring seems to have come early this year which means it is time for lawn & garden care. Standard Concrete Products has seen an uptick in customers looking for topsoil, mushroom soil, fertilizers & soil additives, grass seed, and ground covering. Early spring is a great time of year for reseeding your lawn and preparing your garden beds. The following guide will be helpful with your lawn & garden care this spring.
TOPSOIL
Standard Concrete Product’s screened topsoil is known as the best in the York, Pennsylvania area. To start our process, we search out the best raw dirt we can find in our location. The owner of Standard Concrete can identify the quality of the dirt by color, texture, and even smell. Once the dirt is approved, we truck in hundreds of dump truck loads.
Standard Concrete Product’s raw topsoil is available for purchase and is a great option for filling in deep holes. Sometimes it can contain sticks, rocks, stones, and/or clumps of dirt, among other debris.
Our unscreened topsoil is processed through a screening plant and shredder to remove large debris or clumps. It is than stored under a roof to keep it dry. Standard Concrete’s topsoil is the perfect soil to plant grass seed, or to fill your garden beds. Its fine texture allows it to be easily raked.
A good soil is imperative to the environment. Standard Concrete’s high-quality topsoil will reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
Topsoil is about one ton per one square yard. Standard Concrete can deliver a maximum of 22 tons per triaxle dump truck. We also have smaller trucks available to meet your topsoil delivery needs.
You can find more information on our topsoil by clicking here.
MUSHROOM SOIL
Are you having issues with your garden needing more nutrients? Is your grass not growing due to a pH issue from old tree roots under the ground? Standard Concrete’s Mushroom Soil is your solution to these problems.
Mushroom soil is a rich compost used in growing mushrooms and it can add needed nutrients and organic matter to your garden and lawn. It also increases the amount of water holding capacity in your soil, which decreases the amount of watering you must do. For best results, your mushroom soil should be mixed with your other soil prior to planting.
A little goes a long way. One cubic yard of Mushroom Soil will cover 100 square feet of garden.
FERTILIZERS & SOIL ADDITIVES
Standard Concrete Products is a distributor of Seedway Greenyard Professional Fertilizers and Seedway ProPlus Hydro Mulching Solutions.
Our most common fertilizer blend is 16-28-10 25% XCU starter fertilizer. This blend is 16% Nitrogen, 10% Potash, and 28% Phosphorous. It is available in 50 lb. bags. You can easily order other Seedway fertilizers from our helpful sales staff.
Our most common soil additive is Cover Grow Granular Mulch. This product is also called Ground Cover or Seed Aide. Cover Grow is an advanced technology granular mulch derived from recycled wood and cellulose fibers. This product quickly expands and disperses to provide you outstanding protection and water holding capacity where you need it. It is available in 40 lb. bags. You can apply it by hydro seeder, spreader, or by hand. Application rate is 50 lb. per 1,000 sq. ft.
For more information on Seedway fertilizers, click here.
GRASS SEED
In addition to Seedway Greenyard Professional Fertilizers, Standard Concrete is a distributor of Seedway seeds. We always stock Contractor, State, and Shady Mix professional turf mixes. Other blends such as Crown Vetch, can be easily ordered.
State Mixture is an approximate blend of 40% Kentucky Blue Grass, 35% Creeping Red Fescue, and 25% Perennial Ryegrass. It is available in 50 lb. bags or by the pound.
Contractors Mixture is an approximate blend of 90% Annual Ryegrass and 10% Perennial Ryegrass. It is a field-run mixture that you can utilize in areas that require quick, temporary, and inexpensive cover. The planting rate for contractor’s mix is 5-6 lbs per 1,000 sq. feet. It is available in 50 lb. bags or by the pound.
Shady Lawn Mixture is an approximate blend of 30% Proprietary Chewings Fescue, 30% Proprietary Creeping Red Fescue, 30% Proprietary Perennial Ryegrass, and 10% Shade Tolerant Proprietary Bluegrass. This is a mixture of more shade tolerant species designed to be utilized in areas where sun-loving varieties fail to thrive, while maintaining the texture and color of sunny area mixes. The planting rate for shady mix is 4-5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. feet. It is available in 50 lb. bags or by the pound.
The best time to plant new seed or to over seed your lawn is early spring or early fall.
Follow these Seedway guidelines for successful seeding:
NEW SEEDING
1. If there are any perennial weeds present, be sure to spray a product such as Roundup to kill these and other existing plants.
2. After spraying, remove any existing sod, alive or dead, in the area you want to be seeded.
3. Now is the best time to add topsoil or a soil additive, such as peat moss.
4. Apply quality starter fertilizer, such as 16-28-10, 25% XCU, at 50 lb. per 10,000 sq. ft.
5. Remove any stones, sticks or other debris.
6. Finish surface grade by raking, rolling or lightly dragging to level high spots and fill in low spots.
7. Spread seed mixtures at recommended rates. For best results, spread seed with mechanical spreader at ½ rate in one direction and spread at ½ rate again at 90-degree angle to the first seeding.
8. Lightly roll or drag seed to get good seed to soil contact. Do not cover seed deeper than 1/8 inch. (20% of seed remaining on surface is OK).
9. Lightly adding organic mulch soil such as Cover Grow will keep the surface from drying. If no seed or soil is visible, the mulch has been applied too heavily.
10. Water frequently, so soil stays moist. Seed will not come up if you let the ground dry out. Water every day until seedlings are 2” – 3” tall. (You may need to water more than once daily if weather is hot and dry.)
11. After grass is growing and has been mowed 2 times, use Green Yard Lawn Food.
OVER SEEDING
1. The best time to over seed is early spring or early fall, avoiding extreme hot and dry conditions.
2. For best results, aerate or spike to open soil to allow more moisture, nutrients, and seed into soil.
3. Seed at recommended rates.
4. If 4-8” areas are bare, tare up at least a 12” square area then seed and mulch. Firm surface with foot to get good seed to soil contact.
5. After new grass is growing and mowed 4-5 times, use your regular lawn food application.
Click here for more information on Seedway seed blends.
GROUND COVER
Standard Concrete carries straw bales and straw matting to help protect your seed and hold it in place. This is especially important when planting on slopes or embankments, to keep rain from washing your seed and soil away. It also reduces the amount of seed eaten by birds and other wildlife.
Straw matting is available in 8’ x 112.5’ single net rolls or 7’ 6” x 120’ double net rolls. You can hold it down with sod staples.
We carry black, brown, and red mulch that you can apply to the top of your garden beds to help retain moisture in your soil.
We are here to help you prepare your lawn or garden beds this spring. Standard Concrete Products has the materials you need for lawn and garden care available for pick up or delivery. Please visit us at 700 N. Sherman Street, York, PA for all your topsoil, mushroom soil, fertilizers & soil additives, grass seed, and ground covering supplies.