Planting native and using eco-friendly homeade pesticides and herbicides are a great way to help protect the Earth, habitats, and pollinators. Check out some of our friendly pest recipes more to come on fungicides later this year.
Wood burning fireplaces are becoming a less common feature in many homes. In some cases the homes that have them use them more for decor than actual function. Then the weather gets bad or the electricity goes out, and occasionally the heating bill is just too much. During these times the forgotten fireplace is remembered and put back into operation.
If the unit has been properly maintained there is no issue and the warm heat is very welcome. If the fireplace has not been maintained or was not properly installed serious issues may occur. Home fires being the worst-case scenario, chimney fires may not always cause serious home damage but could cause more structural problems later. Regular fireplace and chimney maintenance will cost less when done routinely, instead of waiting until there is a major problem or a home has no heat.
Having a chimney sweep performed annual is one of the most important things to maintain it. At this time the person performing the sweep should also do an inspection. Following the sweep and inspection, the technician can point out any other problems or give suggestions on better burning practices. In some cases, a chimney may need to be cleaned more than once per year.
The codes and regulations that surround fireplaces change frequently. In many cases units that were very popular last year can not be sold this year due to these changes. This just occurred again this spring of 2020. That does not necessarily make the unit unsafe for use but it should be inspected and discussed. Often times other building codes affect the way a unit was installed and have nothing to do with the fireplace itself. In the many centuries that humans have been using fireplaces, we are still learning how to best build, install, and reduce emissions for them.
These are all important reasons to have a technician you trust and can communicate with come out to take a look on a regular basis.
Creosote build-up. Creosote is formed when wood smoke rises and meets cold air and forms into a sticky tar-like substance. Well pretty much we won’t get all scientific here but it’s a byproduct of wood combustion. For the purpose of burning a wood fireplace, we will focus more on how to keep it to a minimum and optimize unit and heat performance.
So that is woodburning fireplace 101 we also service natural gas and propane units. If you have any questions or need your unit looked at give us a call 417-772-4181.
We are all aware of the pandemic currently unfolding. Some are taking it more seriously than others. No matter your personal stance on the current events we want to let you know that we are taking it all into consideration.
2 J’s & Sons is not a company that set out to make it big or just do it for money. We do lawn care and landscaping because it is what we like to do. We do it because a company closed their doors without telling their customers and sideling their employees. We do it for our family, it just works for us. At this time 2 J’s has more of our family members working for it than ever before. It is a wonderful thing, and we have always gone out of our way for all of our employees. Covid-19 brings a new level to our care. At this moment 2 J’s & Sons is also responsible for six (6) children that we are related to. School is out of session until April 6th and we take that seriously. Mothers and children are remaining at home as much as possible. This is an easy thing for us to do, we do not consider it a hassle. Currently, our only unrelated employee is also the caregiver for his aging mother I can promise he is not taking any chances. This was all a little personal but as a small business that is part of our culture.
To break it down a little we spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday discussing our options and the pros and cons ( while watching the news and making phone calls). In the end or at least for the moment, we have decided to keep working as usual for as long as possible. If any of our employees or their families get sick or run a fever we will stop immediately.
So here it is our industry is very different we really do not ever have to get in very close physical contact with our customers. Most of our existing customers can communicate with us by phone, text or email. The majority of new customers can as well if we have to do a walk around there is no reason for us to be near the customer as long as we can hear each other.
We have several customers that we love to sit and talk with before we leave. You know who you are, we also know that a lot of you have health conditions that make this more dangerous for you. We would rather stay outside and pick up your check off the door. Your health matters to us. But we do love talking to you and you may always call us to chat we keep crazy hours and will most likely answer or call you back to just chat.
It looks good, end of the story that’s all. No, but it does provide a lot of curb appeal. Especially with all the color choices, we have today. Black, chocolate, red, natural and don’t forget pine bark. So what does mulch do besides curb appeal? 
Mulch helps prevent weeds from growing up out of the ground. Particularly early spring weeds that need a lot of light. Unfortunately, seeds that drop from trees, birds or get blown by the wind will still grow on top of the mulch. So it will still need to be attended to on occasion.
One of the best things about mulch is that it helps soil maintain moisture throughout the day. We tell our customers to water in the early morning. The Ozarks and NWA are prone to drought and high afternoon temperatures in the summer. Mulch helps keep plant roots moist all day long as well as conserving rainwater.
Our favorite aspect of mulch is that it helps add nutrients back into the soil as it decays. This gives plants surrounded by mulch a good steady supply of nutrients throughout the year. Some types of mulch such as pine needles and bark can help correct problems like soil acidity or PH. Certain plants like hydrangeas need this to help maintain their color.
As it decays or weathers mulch will need to be replaced or added to. Certain colors are more prone to sunlight and will fade with time. Others like pine bark will maintain their natural color longer and will need to be touched up less.
With the spring season less than a month away it’s time to begin thinking about lawn clean up. With nice weather starting to occur intermittently now is a good time to get the lawn in shape so we can make the most of the really nice days outdoors.
General debris removal and clean up is the first thing that comes to mind. With some of the storms, we have had or if a lot of the general lawn clean up was overlooked in the fall.
This is also the perfect time to add nutrients to the lawn and garden. As well as starting to plan for planting and gardening.
Weeds and pests are something that often gets overlooked until they have become a noticeable problem. With today’s busy lifestyle things like preemergent weed control is something we don’t always think about, between work and shuffling the kids around and just noticing that the siding needs power washed.
Spring brings a lot of work around the lawn and garden. The benefits of this kind of labor are always worth it. In the end when we get to sit back and enjoy our wonderful lawns and gardens. The work seems far away when the hummingbirds are buzzing around and all of the flowers are in bloom.
Spring is the time for new life and regeneration. Everyone is always “ready” for spring and the nicer weather. There begins a change in the air and when you see some of the springs first arrivals. My favorite things are Hyacinth and Morrales.
With autumn here (kind of in the Ozarks), occasional dips in the temperature are encouraging us to go outside again a lot of us are noticing how out of control our yards have become. Then we start thinking about getting ready for winter or just enjoying the nice weather again. We aren’t afraid to admit that our own yard needs some….a lot of TLC. We’ve been super busy and our yard has paid the price.
So what seems to be on people’s minds as far as their yards right now? Out of control shrubs, bushes and trees.
As a general rule of thumb most trees and shrubs can be pruned in late winter or early spring. This is the time that most trees are dormant and will therefore be less stressed by heavy pruning. Tree or shrub type does have some affect on when the best time is to do heavy pruning. Pruning during the right season for certain trees helps insure the best production of flowers and foliage. Dead heading is always a good idea and can be done anytime.
Some pruning can be done at any time of the year, if it will help the plants health. Say a big storm comes through breaks several branches off of your gorgeous crape myrtle. In this situation the season isn’t as important as removing the broken branches. The plant will most likely recovery faster if the broken branches aren’t taking nutrients, leaving a large wound for pests and disease, or affecting the overall growth of the plant.
It is ok to prune anytime if there are:
When pruning it is important to consider water, pest and disease. This is why most major pruning is best done when the tree is dormant or just after flowering.
If you are ever in doubt on when to trim or prune you can always ask a local landscape professional or consult your local extension office. To get the most out of your plants prune when needed, and not all at once when things get out of hand.
If your shrubs have gotten out of hand and live in Northwest Arkansas give 2 J’s & Sons a call to tidy them up and remove the extra weight.
Yes, we know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet. But honestly holiday lights help spread cheer and joy, even to the Scrooge’s who don’t want to admit it. Plus the kids love them and every year it seems like there are less and less homes decorated and light up for the holidays.
We have started hanging Christmas lights the beginning of November for the past several years. If you don’t have the time, equipment or even just don’t want the headache give us a call. We will come back and take them down after the New Year.
2 J’s checks to make sure all the bulbs are working properly and can set them up on a timer if you prefer. We can hang your personal lights (we wrap them back up neatly in January), purchase lights for you so you don’t have to go shopping for them, or you may rent some that we already have on hand.
Proper water drainage is important to every home and piece of property. Excess water from poor landscaping, or even just roof and gutter run off can cause a lot of property damage.
This customers old metal edging was beginning to rust out in some places. This was causing some of the gravel yard to slip as well as affecting the growth of the grass in other areas. Cut stone border and some flagstone added more height and depth for the gravel to keep grass area of the yard separate. Hardscape has many purposes as well as being aesthetically pleasing.
Changing the old tree rings to cut stone helped bring everything together and consistent.
A section of flagstone was added for more definition while allowing a mower in without gravel in the wheels. It could also eventually be extended into a walkway.
The stone will never need to be replaced, unless the customer wants to redo the yard entirely at some point. At which time the cut stone can always be re-purposed into a fire pit, walkway or other hardscape project. We love using rock edging, it is a little more expensive than metal. However the curb appeal and longevity certainly make up for the price. We will be replacing the neighbors old metal edging with stone this winter, keep an eye on our Instagram for those pictures.
