The most important component for mulch production is the material fed into the machines, and, fortunately, tree care companies already have it. Tree branches, chips, brush and even stumps are used to create mulch. Photo courtesy of Rotochopper.
and tub, produce mulch in various siz- es to fit the customers’ preferences. Phil Urban, Northeast territory manager for industrial equipment at Morbark, has ob- served in his sixteen years of experience that Midwesterners tend to prefer bigger mulch and Northeasterners prefer a finer mulch. Urban also expels a mulch-pro- duction myth that only tub grinders can be used. Both tub grinders and horizontal grinders can get the job done, and many companies that service every region of the country supply both. An underrated, yet extremely import- ant component of mulch production is the colorant. Customers oen choose their mulch based on not only size but color, and each customer has a differ- ent preference. The color process is fairly simple: most colorant is a liquid concentrate that purchasers then dilute with water. While colorants can be add- ed to standard grinders, experts like Kent Rotert, vice president at Colorbiot- ics, recommend using equipment de- signed specifically for coloring to max- imize retention and aggressive mixing. Prepare to spend $2.75-$4.00 per yard. Each price range is proportional to both
quality and longevity of the color.
regional sales manager at Rotochopper, emphasizes that promoting such waste into mulch further upholds the natural cycle of carbon decay as the carbon is compressed and used to create a new useful material. So, how much should new mulch pro- ducers plan to spend on their first equip-
The final and most important compo- nent for mulch production is the ma- terial fed into the machines, and, for- tunately, tree care companies already have it. Tree branches, chips, brush and even stumps are used to create mulch. Lars Bergan, Great Lakes West
An important component of mulch production is the colorant. Customers often choose their mulch based on not only size but color, and each customer has a different preference. Photo courtesy of Colorbiotics.
34 | ArborTIMES Spring 2023
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online