Dyed mulches are a quality alternative to natural products. All mulch products lose their fresh color and natural smell once they have had a chance to weather for a period of time. Using recycled mulch products allows you to re-dye the mulch when the color fades. Since mulch products like cedar and shredded hardwood are natural products, they do not benefit from the use of color enhancing dyes. Natural products are chosen for their aromatic smell and natural look. If you install these products in your landscapes, you should top dress these products instead of dying them.
If you have landscape beds with red, brown, black and tan dyed mulches, then your beds are ideal for re-dying. Natural products usually hold their color for several years, depending on the type of mulch used. Dyed mulches can start loosing their color several months after installation. If your mulch levels are at the level that you want them at, there is no need to top dress your landscape beds. Dying mulchs stop unneeded mulch removal, because we can improve the existing mulch in the landscape beds. Re-dying your mulch should be done at least twice a season to keep your mulch beds looking fresh. Dyed mulches reduce new installation costs.
The process of dyed mulches.
The process of mulch dying begins by prepping your landscape beds. Removing all of the trash, weeds and other non mulch material from the beds allows for a cleaner product application. Next we rake out the existing mulch in the beds to fill any low areas or remove any high areas that may be present. Once the bed is prepped, we use blowers to blow back any mulch that is falling out of the beds. Once the process begins, we use shields to cover non target objects like sidewalks, buildings and plants. We apply a healthy layer of dye over all of the mulch areas to make sure that we get uniform coverage of your material. If you have plant material in your landscape beds, we will spray as close to the plant as possible without getting any material on the plant. Depending on the plant, we may even have one of our technicians hold the branches of the plant away from the mulch while the other technician sprays the mulch.
Dyed mulches usually take approximately three hours to completely dry. It is important to make sure that no one walks on the dyed mulches until after that time. Do not water your plants or run an irrigation system within three hours after the installation of the dye because it may run off the mulch if it is not completely dry.