COASTAL COMMERCE
The Perfect Mulch?
On Easter weekend in 2006, Jeff Bisgrove’s visitor casually tossed what he thought was a dead cigar into the mulch surrounding Bisgrove’s home in Punta Gorda. Later that evening, Bisgrove thought he smelled smoke. He walked around his property and searched but could find no source of the smell. The next morning, he awoke at 6: 30 a. m. in a panic as the sound and smell of fire were overwhelming. He ran outside to find the siding of his home engulfed in flame.
Bisgrove was able to stop the fire before it took the whole house. He decided on the spot to replace the mulch with something less potentially dangerous.
In his business as an excavator of water reservoirs in Florida, Bisgrove winds up with substantial amounts of fill dirt and old shell. He realized that the shell material— fairly indestructible, all natural, noncombustible and inexpensive— might be the perfect solution to his mulch problem. So Bisgrove began filtering the shells for uniform size, cleaned and processed them.
But he found the natural color of the shells to be an unappealing gray, so he began to experiment with dyes that would change their appearance. After substantial research, he came up with a dye that is water based and completely nontoxic. He claims it can even be used in the bottom of fish ponds or aquariums. To expand the five standard colors he offers— terra cotta, beige, dark gray, brown and sky blue— he began working with the Sherwin- Williams paint company. He is now able to offer virtually any of the 22,000 shades in the SherwinWilliams color chart.
Some examples of colors that clients have used for specific areas are flat black to tie in with asphalt- paved areas; tan and beige colors, which when mixed mimic the appearance of natural river stones; solid white for pathways and patios; dark or light blues for pool areas; red and browns that look like wood mulch; and blue and lavender combined, which has a soft, appealing look in a
WE PUT IT DOWN AND GOT SEVERAL PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THEY COULD GET IT.” — CHRIS CAMP, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, CITY OF CAPE CORAL
garden setting. A color can be created to match a residential trim or a commercial building. The shell material can also be used to create designs. Logos can be reproduced ( Bisgrove uses a local artist) for personal expression or to celebrate sports teams or other favorite icons.
His business, Colored Shell Mulch, has caught on and includes such customers as the City of Cape Coral, which has used his product for its landscaping and parking areas, the Promenade at Bonita Bay, the restaurant Iguana Mia as well as numerous residential clients.
Chris Camp, maintenance director of the Department of Public Works, City of Cape Coral, says, “We try many new
I’M EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THE COLORED- SHELL MULCH. IT HAS REQUIRED ZERO MAINTENANCE, WHICH I LOVE.” — DR. ALAN TANNENBAUM, COLORED SHELL MULCH CUSTOMER
products in an effort to get the best results we can. When we were approached by Bisgrove’s salesperson, we decided to give it a try.” Camp says his department used an area that was part of the city’s downtown parking lot and removed all the existing mulch. It was a reddish color, so the shell product was colored to match it and tie in with other areas.
“We put it down and got several phone calls from people who wanted to know where they could get it,” says Camp. “It’s been down since June of last year and so far has held its color well, appears very durable, is not breaking down and it has a ‘ Florida- ish’ kind of look to it.”
Dr. Alan Tannenbaum is another customer. He owns Primary Care Associates in Cape Coral. “I own my office building and the parking lot is flat, so when it rains, the mulch goes everywhere,” says Tannenbaum. “I’m extremely pleased with the colored- shell mulch. It has required zero maintenance, which I love.”
Among the benefits of using his product, says Bisgrove, is that it’s more mold- resistant than other materials, provides excellent drainage, is totally recyclable, is a good weed block and, of course, is nonflammable. It is chemical free, unlike some wood- based mulch that may be treated with arsenic or other toxic anti- rot materials. It’s also stable and will not wash away in rain or blow away.
Inexpensive, it costs approximately $ 1 per square foot. Bisgrove says the cost is about the same as putting down traditional wood mulch twice a year. While the shell material lasts forever, the color will fade in about five years, at which time an additional inch of new material can be laid over it.
Bisgrove’s company may have found the perfect mulch, but should you get tired of it, Jeff’s vacuum truck can always suck it up and remove it.
To learn more, check out colorshell mulch. com or call 941- 662- 5733.