Spring planting season is coming soon, and one product that offers quality and great value is Tri-Gro, produced at the Temple-Belton Regional Sewerage System, which is operated for those cities by the Brazos River Authority.
The product has been produced and sold through a cooperative agreement with the cities of Temple and Belton since 1990. Environmentally friendly, Tri-Gro not only helps people beautify landscapes, but it also helps to preserve space in the area landfill.
To make Tri-Gro, biosolids from the Temple-Belton Regional Wastewater plant are combined with wood from brush, trees, and limbs collected by municipal employees. Mulch and compost products are created, which have the benefit of being locally recycled materials that help lawns and gardens to thrive.
The high temperatures at which the product is processed means Tri-Gro does not contain weed seeds, plant diseases or pathogens.
Tri-Gro mulch is made of native wood, produced from Central Texas brush and trees. It has a slow decomposition rate, which helps to provide the soil with a longer-lasting source of nutrients.
The mulch helps to improve the appearance of landscape, slows and prohibits weed growth by providing a natural ground cover, helps to keep ground temperatures warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and can also provide a good walking surface in yards.
Tri-Gro compost slowly releases nitrogen to help sustain plants, improves soil conditions, helps gardens and plant beds to retain moisture, which means watering is needed less often, providing micro-nutrients for the soil that commercial fertilizers cannot provide, and helps to stabilize soil pH levels.
Demand and availability of the product is seasonal, with increased sales in the spring and early summer. “We often run out during that time,” said Randy Lock, chief operator of the Temple-Belton Regional Sewerage System. He said since the product has been offered to the public, more than 117,000 square yards of material have been sold.
Tri-Gro has been recognized for its excellence by both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“It is a Class A unrestricted product (approved by) the TCEQ and the EPA,” Lock said. The product meets all requirements for uncontrolled use as a soil conditioner and organic fertilizer. The BRA recommends the product not be used for growing crops for human consumption, such as a vegetable garden.
The price for Tri-Gro remains the same this year as it has for the past three years.
Tri-Gro is sold by the cubic yard at a cost of $4.25 for cull, $8.50 for unscreened compost, $4.25 for native wood mulch, $12 for screened compost, and $15 for cedar mulch, when available.
Tri-Gro is not sold in bags and is available only by the cubic yard. It will be loaded by plant employees into your pickup truck. The product can be picked up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. to noon the first and third Saturday of each month.
Please call 254-939-6471 before visiting the Temple-Belton plant to ensure that Tri-Gro is available. The facility is located at 2405 E. Sixth St. in Belton.
For more information, visit Tri-Gro.