Serious Health Alert - Lyme Disease There is a hidden danger out there, waiting to attack you or your kids and you'll never know it until you're sick. The danger is so small, they could be chomping on you right now, and you'd be oblivious to the pending danger. The tiny deer tick hides in relative obsurity, yet can cause so much misery it's almost impossible to comprehend. I'm alerting people to this danger because of the risks associated with ticks, lyme and playgrounds. The relationship is complicated, but in the most basic terms, here's the general rundown: Ticks live in wooded areas Many people use wood products for their playground surfacing Children playing in playgrounds with wood surfaces run an incredibly high risk of being bit by a tick, and in the past 3-4 years, the risk of that tick having Lyme has increased exponentially. Even one my black labs was treated for lyme. There is ample evidence online to review, but the bottom line is that NO wood product is safe to be used as a playground surfacing. None. While the skeptic could claim a vendor selling rubber mulch would make these claims to make sales, the simple fact is whatever you might think you're saving in expenses by using wood mulch or wood chips will be far outweighed if one of your children end up with Lyme, a disease that can be treated and controlled but never cured. Read it again. Lyme can not be cured, just like chicken pox, herpes and others. I sell rubber mulch, and I'm also a dad. There is nothing about profit when it concerns this. It's so bad, if you can't afford rubber mulch, you shouldn't buy a playset. And if you insist, risk fall injuries by using nothing, but wood mulch as tick habitat is far more dangerous than falls, sprains or cut knees. Here's a very small excerpt from an article on Thehook website (links are all below), that is both scary and horrible. It's a tough read.. Be warned..: "Scuttle aside, cockroaches. You're losing your spot as the most feared insect in Virginia, and your competition doesn't even look that scary. So tiny it can scarcely be seen, the black-legged tick doesn't move fast, it doesn't have a nauseating shiny shell, it doesn't even have antennae to inspire revulsion. No matter. Its fear factor comes from its status as host to a disease that, if left untreated, can permanently disable. Jo Ann Freeman knows first hand. The retired computer software manager was looking forward to an early retirement spent traveling, gardening, and fixing up a historic Afton home. Instead, she spent nearly four years bedridden, unable to summon the energy to make a phone call. Her teeth chattered, her hands shook, and she had such severe cognitive deficits that she could no longer even read. Worst of all, no one could tell her what was wrong." Google Lyme Disease Virginia and you'll find ample discussion about Lyme. Links: Lyme Article 1 from the quote above Lyme Article 2 Lyme Article 3 I could list 20 more. Look yourself: Google Lyme Disease The last point. You might have noticed the lack of a sales pitch. This isn't about scare tactics to sell rubber. We can discuss the costs, and the information, but the only thing that's relevant to this topic is what rubber mulch is. It is essentially sterile. There is nothing organic, nothing bioligical, nothing that can live in the hostile, oxygen-free, nutrient-free realm of a rubber based ground cover. Ticks can not live in rubber mulch. That is the only relevance you need to know. For more information, call and talk to me. Being educated now could save your kids or even yourselves years of pain and misery. Talk to people, talk to your doctors, you'll find this is not going away anytime soon. Odds are, in your research, you'll come across people that contracted lyme. While the person in the story is not a child, and we assume did not get her tick bite in a playground, as an adult she did all the right things. She went to the doctor and even got a Lyme antibody test that was negative. The new tests are a lot better. A child won't be able to properly explain their pain and discomfort and it's still widely misdiagnosed as a cold or the flu or any number of childhood illnesses. If an adult woman, who even suspected Lyme is misdiagnosed, how easy will it be for your pediatrician to misdiagnose a child who says they don't feel well and can't get much more specific. And what about young children who is too young to describe anything, and simply cries. Doctors are getting more education about Lyme. But read the articles and learn what the symptoms are and be prepared and proactive. If that cold gets worse, if they have a fever, if there are bullseye sores on their bodies, ask if it might be Lyme, and get tested, even if the doctor disagrees. We'd love to sell you rubber mulch for your playground peace of mind, but all that matters is you keep your kids safe.
ABOUT ARTILLARY Spores and STINKHORN Mushrooms! It has come to my attention from a local dealer about a nasty fungus! Called 'Shotgun' or 'Artillery' fungus (Sphaerobolus), this stuff will grow in hardwood mulches and will amaze you as it shoots spores as high as 20 feet, generating an estimated 1/10,000th of a horsepower! While it decays the mulch, it also produces fruiting structures that resemble tiny cream or orange-brown cups that hold a spore mass resembling tiny black spores that will then attach to your home siding, or even your car if parked in the area. While these spores are quite small, removal is virtually impossible! Scrubbing does very little, and in many cases, you can break the spores open and make your house or car even worse as it spreads into a larger spot of black/purple ugliness! Even of more concern, many insurance companies will NOT cover this as it's put into the category of molds! Sometimes very little can be done to control nuisance fungi other than to spade the mulch into the surface soil layer followed by soaking with water. Another option is to remove the mulch, place it in a heap after thorough wetting to allow for self-heating to occur (110-140 degrees F). This will kill nuisance fungi. If fresh dry mulch is placed on top of mulch colonized by nuisance fungi, the problems may occur again the following year or even earlier. You can look at a wide range of articles on this fairly recent development by clicking on this link: SPORES!		Photo of Artillery Spore - To give you an idea of how big this is, 5 or 6 of these can sit on the head of a dime! Artillery spores on vinyl siding
Another item, Elegant Stinkhorn (Mutinus elegans), is a mushroom that grows in decaying wood, which is precisely what wood mulch is made of! This lovely little 'shroom' is actually quite nice looking, but the smell may drive you batty, as you'll smell if way before you ever see it, and it smells reminiscent of rotting meat. While the name sounds attractive, I doubt you'll find much attraction to the Elegant Stinkhorn! WARNING: Many species of fungus are poisonous or contain chemicals that can cause sickness. Never pick and eat any species of fungus that you cannot positively recognise or are unsure about. Some species are deadly poisonous and can cause death within a few hours if swallowed! These are just a few more reasons to consider switching to Future! Mulch!
Lets talk about trees! How many times have you seen a tree that seems like the trunk is buried up to your knees in mulch? Well, this is really a bad, bad thing. In the photo on the right, you see a big pile of wood mulch surrounding the trunk of the tree. You should actually be able to see the root flare, and even a little soil around the trunk. This photo shows precisely what NOT to do! Using wood mulch can suffocate your trees, putting it too high can make them prone to disease and kill them. The rules to remember: AVOID volcano mulch AVOID applying over 3 inches AVOID contact with the trunk AVOID sour mulch Instead of doing this, use 2" of Future Mulch, leave it a little lighter closest to the trunk and spread it out as much as 3-4 feet around the tree, protecting the root system closest to the tree. Following these steps will make your trees happy and healthy all year long.!!