Why Pavers?

Concrete pavers have been around for many years and today their popularity have risen to great heights. So many people have still not experienced the joy of pavers and lots of people still ask, why pavers?

That question is easy to answer. Poured concrete cracks and shales, leaving you to have to replace it often and sometimes creates a safety hazzard as well. It is not uncommon to see stress cracks in concrete days after it cures. There is not alot you can do to make concrete look good. No variety, no creativity, and no interesting patterns. You can stamp concrete into different patterns and dye it into different colors all to look like pavers. Stamping patterns and dying concrete do not stop the concrete from cracking and shaling, as a matter of fact it might make it worse. The advantage to poured concrete is that it is a little bit cheaper initially, but only last 5 - 10 years before it needs replaced.

Wood decks are very attractive when they are first built and stained. They take alot of time to build and if it is not built properly the deck can be dangerous primarily when it is raised. The problem with wood is the unbeleivable amount of maintenance that must be done on it. If you do not power wash and stain your wood deck at least every 2 years the wood will start to become rotten. Over the course of my landscape career I can not count how many wood decks I have torn out because the wood is rotten. Wood is expensive and the cost of maintenance continues to rise, and plus your time is worth alot in its own right. After all of the washing and staining and wood replacement, the wood deck still only last 7 - 10 years and is in your wallet constantly.

Why pavers? Because they are durable, beautiful, versatile, and low maintenance. The paver has evolved into whatever you can dream up. 1000's of patterns available and colors to boot. If you are looking for something formal there are pavers that are dimensional. If you want a more natural look there are pavers that look like natural stone. The greatest thing about pavers is that once they are installed, there is virtually no maintenance except sweeping them off. Because there are many pavers together bonded by sand if one would break that individual paver can be replaced not an entire section of your drive or patio.

At Du Sum Landscape Services we use 2 different manufacturers of pavers and paver products. Begard pavers show a great variety in color and pattern for all applications. You can view Belgard products at http://www.belgard.biz/. Unilock is the other manufacturer and you can view their products at http://www.unilock.com/.

When you are considering replacing your deck, patio, walk, steps, driveway, and more take a look at pavers. They are the best alternative on the market. When Du Sum Landscape Services installs any paver projects, WE GUARANTEE THEM FOR THE LIFE OF YOUR HOME. Check out our website, for many pictures of paver work we have completed. and remember " When in doubt ........Du Sum Landscape!!!!!

Eddie Miller
Du Sum Landscape Services

How much should I water my lawn in dry times?

It is important that you water your lawn in extreme dry conditions. You can take your hand and push down the turf and if it bounces back no water is necessary. If the turf lays over and does not stand back up, you should water immediately. The other way to tell if your lawn needs water is its appearance. I don't like to let the turf get brown or burnt before I water. It just takes too much to get it back. I look for a more gray tinge to the turf. This condition will allow you to bring the turf back in just a watering or two.

If you pay attention to the weather forecast, usually you can plan out timely waterings around any rain in the forecast. If no rain is in the near future plan on 2 or 3 waterings to maintain good turf health.

How long should you water each area? My recomendation is 25 - 40 minutes, depending on water pressure and sprinkler type. You should have ground saturation several inches deep.

If you have any tips on watering your turf that have been successful for you, please post it. If your lawn is in need of renovation or just sprucing up feel free to log on to our website at dusumlandscape.com.

Eddie Miller
Du Sum Landscape Services