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Decorative landscape Zorock stone really rocks

ZOROCK 's decorative stones (Newsday)

Gary Dymski | Home Work

February 14, 2008

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In one area of their landscape recycling yard were pile upon pile of mulch, much of it being dyed black, red and brown. In another area were piles of crushed concrete and asphalt. Much of it was, well, doing nothing but piling up.

"We saw this demand for landscape mulch," says Billy Zorn, who, with his brother, Michael, runs Hubbard Sand & Gravel, a landscape and mason supply, and North East Recycling, in Bay Shore. "We were dyeing it and seeing it go out of the yard almost as fast as we could get it ready.

"And we kept thinking, 'What can we do with the crushed aggregate, the concrete? Is there something we can do to make it popular as a ground cover, like mulch?'"

After nearly five years of research and development, the Zorn brothers finally have their answer. It's Zorock decorative stone, a color-rich, man-made landscape cover that's making noise in warm-weather climates such as Florida and a few other Southern states.

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The Zorn brothers say they believe Zorock, made from recycled material, can replace mulch in many landscape applications. For one, Michael Zorn says, it's nontoxic. Also, it's taking a waste material and making it a colorful, long-lasting product. "Children or pets could get a rock in their mouths, and the coloring won't harm them," he says. "And unlike mulch, which has to be replaced every few years or even sooner, Zorock lasts and lasts." And with Zorock, unlike some mulch, there is no threat of insects, such as termites.

Zorock starts out as chunks of concrete and asphalt ripped up from roads, driveways and parking lots. It goes through an extensive process in an automated system - washing, shaping and coloring - before it is packed into 50-pound bags. The brothers invested about $1 million in automation to produce the stone, including designing their own coloring machine. Zorock prices range from $5.50 to $9 per bag, depending on the distributor. The stone is available in 20 different locations on Long Island, including Hubbard Sand & Gravel in Bay Shore (see getzorock.com).

Recycled aggregate has but a few uses. Primarily, it's used as a base for concrete and asphalt paving and the installation of paving stones and other bricks. Some larger paving companies grind up old driveways on the job site and redistribute it as base. It's an extremely efficient way to pave. But only larger companies have such grinding machines; smaller companies must dump old concrete and asphalt. And if it's not reused for base, often it heads for landfills.

So, Billy Zorn asks, what could be better than turning it into a landscape stone? Here's a recycled product with environmentally friendly - let's call it green - features. And it's made on Long Island.

Spreading Zorock, which comes in six colors, can be a do-it-yourself project or can be done professionally by landscape contractors. Either way, it's relatively easy to get, easy to install. A porous landscape fabric is rolled out to cover the planting bed, walkway or design area, and the rock is spread on top, usually to a depth of 2 inches. There is some maintenance; a sealer should be applied twice each year (from a pump sprayer) to maintain the product's color.

Michael Zorn says the cost of the sealer - $20 a gallon, which covers 200 square feet - is comparable to replacing colored mulch every spring or so.

So far, Zorock has been a commercial hit. Michael Zorn has been busy making forms for clients across the country, so company emblems can be displayed as "lawn plaques." On Long Island, Zorock was used on a display at a Mastic park that honors firefighters who died on 9/11.

"The next step is getting it in the hands of homeowners," Billy Zorn says.

In some respects, Zorock might appear a bit gaudy, with colors such as Purple Paradise, Pacific Blue and Caribbean Green. But the Zorns think a little Zorock can go a long way. "In residential applications, we're seeing homeowners covering small planting beds or circular beds for single trees," Michael Zorn says. "We think the rock will be used with natural stone and other landscape materials to add color around pools, sheds and other areas." Certainly the California Gold and Desert Rose colors are earthy and more closely resemble natural stone.

Michael Zorn says another feature of the product is its size; it comes in a heavier three-quarter-inch aggregate. And this larger size addresses one of my major concerns. Because of harsh Northeast weather and falling leaves, planting beds need plenty of maintenance in late fall and early spring. Won't blowing and raking leaves and debris from the beds disturb the colorful stone?

"The larger size means it can stand up to leaf blowers and yard vacuums," Billy Zorn says. "It's just the right size for a bed that has to be cleared of leaves."

OK, I'm sold. Now for the rest of the country.

MUCH ADO ABOUT RECYCLED TIRES

Using recycled products as mulch, ground cover and even a base in all-weather athletic fields is a concern for many environmental groups.

According to research, one such recycled product, culled from ground-up rubber tires, might be carcinogenic. Crumbled rubber mulch is being marketed as soft ground cover for use in playgrounds and near playground structures, such as swings, slides and climbing bars. Another similar product is being used as a base material for artificial grass surfaces.

On one end, most of the research - and concerned groups are quick to point this out - is inconclusive. But these groups also point to the levels of zinc, cadmium and other heavy metals in "tire crumbs." The material has been found to emit volatile organic compounds (known as VOCs) into the air. Some studies suggest that tire crumbs can be harmful to plants.

So what's a homeowner to do? Before you buy tire crumbs for ground cover in a yard or play area, it might be wise to wait until all the studies are in. For the next few years or so, rely on good, old-fashioned wood mulch.

Linda Chalker-Scott, an extension horticulturist and associate professor at Washington State University, has issued a report on rubberized mulch. To read her findings, visit puyallup.wsu .edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultur al%20 Myths_files/Myths/Rubber %20mulch.pdf.

- GARY DYMSKI