RI Landscaper 855RILAWNS

Landscaper Serving Southern Rhode Island Since 2001

  • Request Quote
  • About
    • Our Company
    • Our People
    • Guarantee & Insurance
    • Charity
    • Referral Program
    • FAQ
  • Packages
    • Minimalist Landscaping Package
    • Essentials Landscaping Package
    • Premier Landscaping Package
  • Services
    • Lawn Mowing
    • Spring & Fall Cleanups
    • Environmentally-friendly Fertilization
    • Mosquito & Tick Prevention Program
    • Lawn Renovation
    • Gardening
    • Hardscape Construction RI
    • Firewood For Sale
    • Lawn Mower Repair Service
    • RI Mulch Delivery
  • Feedback
    • Customer Testimonials
    • Reference List
    • Awards
  • Client Login
  • Blog
  • Employment

A Guide to Concrete Driveways

June 27, 2022 by Sharon Hendricks Leave a Comment

concrete driveways]

Last week we ended our week by talking about paver driveways. Today we are going to talk about another type of driveway and its pros and cons – the concrete driveway. Concrete, which is sometimes mistakenly referred to as cement, is a surface that’s made by blending water, sand, gravel aggregate, and Portland cement (powdered) and pouring it in-between forms while it’s wet, and letting it harden into a very durable paving surface. The installation’s very labor-intensive and requires a sub-layer to be created which is tightly packed, wooden forms to be created to hold the liquid, reinforcing it using wire mesh or rebar, and carefully smoothing and tooling the surface once it’s poured.

Even though it’s possible to do it on your own, it’s very difficult and the majority of people decide it’s better to do the pouring and finishing of the concrete driveway. A professional installation is going to cost anywhere from $4-$20/square foot, although site preparation and removal of old material can make this cost go up.

Even though concrete’s costlier than asphalt, it’s very cost-effective because the surface will last for decades. Concrete driveways can last anywhere from 25-50 years.

A concrete driveway will look great when it’s new. However, stains that come from things like mildew, tire marks, rust, oil, and grease will rob it of its luster. You can often remove the stains with pressure washing and using a product like Castrol SuperClean.

Below are the pros and cons of a concrete driveway,

Pros & Cons of Concrete Driveways

Pros

  • Surface is very durable
  • It can be colored or stamped to improve its appearance
  • It’s great when snow needs to be removed

Cons

  • Subject to water damage and cracking unless it’s sealed periodically
  • Not good for DIYers. It’s recommended that you have it professionally installed
  • Deicing salt can damage it.

These are some of the things that you want to know about a concrete driveway. Are you thinking about having a new driveway put in or maybe a new patio? We offer hardscaping services, and we are glad to give you a quote. Contact us here and we’ll get back to you.

Filed Under: Hardscaping

A Guide to Paver Driveways

June 24, 2022 by Sharon Hendricks Leave a Comment

paver driveways

One of the most popular driveway types is the paver driveway. These are best when you want visual appeal for your driveway. The term “pavers” includes different manmade concrete or clay and natural stone bricks. They’re used for sidewalk, patio, and driveway surfaces. The pavers used for driveways come in various designs and sizes, so you have a lot of choices that you can select from. Concrete pavers are very popular because they come in many geometric shapes. They can be set so that the joints are full of mortar. However, the option that is more modern is to set them so that the joints get packed with aggregate or fine sand. This allows its surface to drain a lot more efficiently.

When pavers are used for driveway surfaces, they’re very durable, although they might need regular maintenance, the cobblestone pavers are very known for being long-lasting. Even when they get dislodged or broken, it’s a simple repair. Since they’re individual units, unlike an asphalt or concrete surface, you can replace them individually. Therefore, you aren’t faced with repairing your whole driveway.  

That being said, removing snow from them can be harder, particular with the driveways made of natural cobblestones with rougher surface textures. Pavers also are higher in price. So that is something to consider. It can cost anywhere from $30-$40 sq ft, and even more if you require extensive preparation of the site. However, the pavers range from $3-$10 sq foot. So if you feel up to it, you can do the work yourself. Even though the work’s time-consuming and very physically demanding, it’s not complicated to do on your own.

Below are some pros and cons of paver driveways.

Pros & Cons of Paver Driveways

Pros

  • Very stylish surface
  • A lot of geometric styles you can choose from
  • Simple to repair
  • Adds value to your property

Cons

  • Very expensive
  • Can be hard to remove the snow from them
  • It’s labor-intensive to do on your own
  • It’s important to regularly maintain them to keep them looking good.

Are you interested in having a new paver driveway put in? if so, we are happy to give you a free no-obligation quote to do the work. Simply contact us here and let us know what you need and we’ll be happy to contact you back.

Filed Under: Hardscaping

Powdery Mildew – Facts About This Disease

June 20, 2022 by Sharon Hendricks Leave a Comment

powdery mildew

Recently we posted a blog about how you can prevent your squash from being infected with powdery mildew. We thought we would continue this by expanding a bit about the disease so that you know what you should look for if you suspect that you have a problem with it.

Powdery Mildew Facts

Below are some interesting facts about powdery mildew.

  • The spots can form on both lower and upper leaf surfaces. They expand quickly into big blotches.
  • Powdery mildew will weaken your plant. Fruit will ripen prematurely. Plants that are infected will produce smaller and fewer fruit.
  • In dry, warm conditions, new spores will form and easily spread the disease.
  • Prevent it by providing good movement of air around the plants by staking the plants, controlling weeds, and properly spacing them.
  • It may be necessary to use a fungicide if there are susceptible plants growing in an area that had yield loss before.

Signs of Powdery Mildew

If you aren’t sure whether you have powdery mildew on your plants, below are some things that you want to look for to help you with identifying it.

  • Plant looks as if it was dusted using flour
  • It begins as powdery white, circular spots. These can show up on stems, leaves, and even the fruit
  • It usually covers the leaves’ upper part. But sometimes they can show up on their undersides too.
  • Foliage that is young is most prone. The leaves will turn yellow, then they’ll dry out.
  • It could cause some of the leaves to become disfigured, break or twist.
  • It will spread until it covers most of an affected area.
  • The growing tips, buds, and leaves are also going to become disfigured. These kinds of symptoms usually will appear later.

These are some of the things that you should look for when you are worried that you have a problem with powdery mildew on your plants. Have more concerns about gardening or landscaping? We offer a variety of services. Contact us here to request a quote or a callback and we’ll be glad to answer any of your questions.

Filed Under: gardening

Preventing Powdery Mildew in Squash – 6 Tips

June 17, 2022 by Sharon Hendricks Leave a Comment

Preventing Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is one of the most annoying problems that you can face. Nothing is worse than looking forward to a nice vegetable to find that you’ve had it damaged by powdery mildew. So here are some tips on how to avoid it on your squash.

Tips for Preventing Powdery Mildew on Squash

  • Plant Verities that are Resistant – There are many varieties of winter and summer squashes that are powdery mildew resistant. Look for ones that are marked “PMR” meaning they’re resistant to it.
  • Be Careful About Seed Spacing – It’s easy for powdery mildew to spread between plants and leaves. When you space plants so they have the right air circulation, it’s going to reduce the spread of powdery mildew and increase the light to leaves.
  • Plant it in Complete Sun – When the squash is in the shade, it will increase the germination of spores.
  • Don’t Overfertilize Your Plants – This will overstimulate the new growths, and these are what get infected very easily.
  • Use Water to Spray Your Plants – Unlike the majority of fungal diseases, this will spread a lot more quickly in weather that is hot and dry. Spraying your plants with your hose or overhead watering can help with minimizing the disease deployment. Make sure that you are watering them during the morning so that their leaves are dry before nighttime. This is going to avoid other kinds of diseases from infecting your plants.
  • Rotate Your Crops – Since spores from powdery mildew are able to survive through the winter in your soil, you want to rotate the location of your squash on a rotation schedule of 3-4 years.

These are some of the things that you can do to help with preventing powdery mildew on your squash. They aren’t going to completely stop it from happening, but they will reduce your chances of having the problem.

We hope that you found this to be useful and that you will continue to read our posts. If you have any problems with your garden or your lawn, contact us and we’ll be glad to give you a quote.

Filed Under: gardening

Pruning Roses – A Short Guide

June 13, 2022 by Sharon Hendricks Leave a Comment

pruning roses

If you have roses, one of the things you might want to know is how much pruning roses need and what you should do with them.. There are several approaches when it comes to pruning your roses, based on what you’re looking to get out of your roses and their type. Roses that are newly planted should only be pruned lightly, if you prune them at all, during their first 12 months. This way they can put their energy into establishing some strong roots rather than growing leaves and stems. When you have healthy, old roses, you can use one of these styles for pruning roses below to experiment.

Methods for Pruning Roses

  • Light Pruning – This will remove under 1/3 of your plant. If your rose has a natural shape and good bloom with little to no disease, you’ll be able to be selective regarding your cuts.
  • Moderate Pruning – This cuts your plant to 18-24” high and 5-12 canes that are coming from its base. If you are interested in improving your plant’s branching structures, you should do this. It will encourage better flowering and new growth.
  • Severe Planning – This will take your rose plant to 6-10” high and 3-5 canes. This is ideal for long-stemmed flowers or if you just want to refresh the plants that are older and aren’t performing well. remember that some of the varieties might not bloom too well after they’ve been cut back a lot. Rather, they may be focusing on regrowing their stems. These might not bloom that year, although the rose usually repeatedly blooms throughout the season.

One exception to this is climbing roses. If they have become overgrown, you can reduce their size overall drastically by removing the excess canes located at the plant’s base. However, you should leave a minimum of 3-5 canes and not cut the plants shorter than five feet.

We hope that you found this blog about cutting your roses back helpful. We hope that you will continue reading our blogs and, if you would like to have someone help you with your garden or landscaping, contact us here for a quote. We are also ready to answer any questions that you have for us. Contact us today.

Filed Under: flowers

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 26
  • Next Page »

Log in