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Learn about our products to make a better choice
for the perfect installation and most beautiful appearance!
 About
Mulching
Mulch is any material (organic or inorganic) covering the ground
to retain moisture, moderate soil temperature, suppress weed growth
and help reduce soil erosion.
Retain Moisture
Mulch allows water to pass into the soil and slows the evaporation
rate, conserving the moisture the plant receives.
Moderate Soil Temperature
Mulch at the proper thickness reduces the extremes of the soil temperature
by keeping the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Suppress Weeds
Mulches can help reduce the germination and growth of many weeds,
but contrary to our desires, mulches generally won't kill weeds.
Reduce Soil Erosion
Mulches can help reduce erosion by reducing the velocity and concentration
of the water by distributing it over a broader area. Selecting an
effective erosion control material is important, so come into our
store and we can advise you on what would work for your situation.
If we don't have it, we'll refer you to someone that does.
Other benefits from organic mulching.
Mulches will improve the soil structure over time, and will add
nutrients to the soil as they decompose.
Proper Application of Mulch
Mulches should be spread approximately 3 inches thick on the soil
between the planted material. Avoid piling-up the mulch on the plant
stems or tree trucks, or putting in more than 5 inches of mulch,
this could cause stem rot and/or limit the plants intake of oxygen.
Dyed Mulches
Dyed mulch color may vary from batch-to-batch (especially true with
the dyed RED mulch). This is due to natural variation in the color,
texture, porosity, etc. of the wood being dyed. It cannot be controlled.
Dyed mulch is almost always still wet from the supplier when sold
and the colorant will leave a non-permanent stain on everything
it touches. It will wash off if you do it right away. Also because
it is so fresh and wet, the colorant may "bleed" off the
mulch if hit by rain or garden hose water within the first day or
two after installation. It usually takes about 48-hours to dry and
take a permanent set, so you may want to watch the weather forecast
before you buy and spread.
Natural Red Oak (fresh)
This bark mulch is from the Red Oak tree; it is not Red in color.
Actually it is a light orange / tan color when it is fresh (having
just been de-barked from the tree). After it heats up (from being
in a large pile in our yard) it turns darker and becomes browner
in color. So, the color may vary from batch-to-batch due to this
heating action and it's beyond our ability to control this situation.
Natural Red Oak bark mulch has a lot of tannin in it and it will
leave an amber color stain on concrete if you leave it on the driveway
a few days. The stain will be worse if it rains, allowing more tannin
to leach onto your driveway. The stain can be difficult to wash
off, but pressure washing usually will remove it. So you may want
to put this mulch on a tarp to protect your driveway.
Recommendations
Because mulch colors and textures may change from batch to batch,
buy enough mulch to do your area at the same time, you'll have a
better chance of getting the same appearance. Wear old work clothes
and shoes while handling our products to avoid stains.
Put a tarp on your driveway if we are dumping mulch on it, it will
reduce clean up (wash concrete with soap and stiff bristle broom).
We don't necessarily recommend putting tarps down for gravels since
you'll just rip it to shreds shoveling it up.
Use the right tools to spread materials. Generally, pitch forks
work best for shredded mulches and large grain shovels for chipped
and nugget types of mulches. Flat shovels are best for gravel and
soil products.
Make sure you select the right mulch for your yard. If you have
a lot of deciduous leaf litter or pine needles falling in the area,
don't use chips or nugget mulches because you won't be able to rake
or blow off the leaves very well. If you've got steep slopes, consider
shredded mulch that has fibers that knit together and mat down.
Don't put the mulch under a gutter down spout or in an area where
erosion takes place due to water run-off.
Don't put mulch up against the wood on your house. You must always
leave your foundation exposed so you or your termite service can
inspect for developing tube formations.
Don't pile mulch up on the stems of plants or trunks of trees,
this can cause rot. Keep the mulch thin (maybe only 1 inch or so
thick) around the base of the plant.
 What's
the difference?
The basic difference between flagstone and fieldstone is that flagstone
is quarried (comes from beneath the ground) and fieldstone is on
top of the ground (or in the case of our Tennessee stone, it comes
from the side of a mountain). This results in products that are
different in color and texture.
It is believed that the word flagstone is derived from an old
Norse word "flaga" meaning slab of stone and has been
found in writings dating back to medieval days in describing castle
floors - get the picture? 
Where it comes from
All of our natural stone comes from the Walden Ridge and Crab Orchard
ranges of the Cumberland mountains on the west side of the Tennessee
River. The geology of this area provides some of the most unique
sedimentary stone in the United States, rich in a variety of mineral
coloration ranging from gray to red-rust-brown and to a pink-tan
combination.
How it is used
We carry stone in sizes, shapes, and thickness that are suited to
many different applications from stacking and veneering stone walls,
edging, and making patios and walkways.
 How
we sell it
Our stone yard is a clean, dry, fully concreted area that has pallets
of stone organized by type. We sell our natural stone by weight
using electronic scales calibrated (on a scheduled basis) using
standards traceable to the National Institute for Standards and
Technology by the Georgia  Department
of Agriculture Weights and Measures Division.
You buy stone two ways: by the pallet or by selecting
individual stones. If you only need a small amount, you can pick
out the ones you want. We call this the "select price"
and you will see the price per pound reflected on our price sheet.
If you need a lot you can purchase a full pallet or a partial pallet.
As long as you buy what is on the pallet, you are eligible for a
fairly significant savings. We call this the "pallet price"
and you will see the price per pound reflected on our price sheet.
How much a full pallet weighs
Although different suppliers produce different size baskets, generally
a full wire basket of stone weighs somewhere between 2700-3200 pounds.
Flagstone stacked on pallets can weigh as much as 3800 pounds. If
you want to pick it up and take it home, you might want to check
out the payload capacity of your truck or trailer. If it's too heavy,
we do allow you to take part of it home and come back to get the
rest later.
How we deliver stone
If you can't take it with you, you may be able to schedule a delivery.
If you're having it delivered, the pallet of stone you purchase
is put into our single-axle truck and dumped out of the truck. When
pallets are dumped they usually land on their side and some stones
do spill out of the pallet. This is a common method for delivering
natural stone; after all, it is stone, not bricks or pavers where
a little damage or breakage can make a difference. Some suppliers
do have piggyback fork lift equipment that can remove the pallet
from
the truck and place it on the ground. If you feel strongly about
having the stone delivered this way, we can put you in touch with
independent trucking companies that have flat bed trucks with piggyback
forklifts, but be prepared to pay them significantly more money
for the delivery (often $75 - $125 or more).
Most of our stone customers need other products like soil, mulch,
granite fines, sand, etc. to be used with the stone project. We
can deliver other products with the stone, loading it on the back
of the truck so when the stone falls into it, it is cushioned and
breakage is minimized.
Sorry, we can't control . . . MOTHER NATURE!
Occasionally products we purchase will vary in size, color and texture.
This is due primarily to natural variation. So unfortunately, we
can't guarantee matches in size, color or texture from previous
purchases. If you need to match something you've already put out
in your yard, bring in a sample and we can compare it to our existing
stock.
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