Found out the hard way we have to mulch here, with the hot sun, sandy soil, and now the winter freezes. Trouble is, we got all kinds of seeds sprouting up in our beds when we used old hay.
Read somewhere you should use straw, so we got some of that. Saw the birds were very interested in it, checked it out, saw that it still has all kinds of wheat berries left in it. So, guess what, lots of green sprouts coming up and we're pulling weeds again.
Is there a type of straw that doesn't have any seeds? Or, is there something else to use for mulch?
Thanks.
Take a look at this article on mulches, from The Helpful Gardener's home page
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/tips/03/mulch.html
Here are a couple of discussions about mulch possibilities:
viewtopic.php?t=8045
viewtopic.php?t=8502
I have no experience with straw; I use wood chips, available for the taking, from my city.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/tips/03/mulch.html
Here are a couple of discussions about mulch possibilities:
viewtopic.php?t=8045
viewtopic.php?t=8502
I have no experience with straw; I use wood chips, available for the taking, from my city.
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
I considered wood chips until I read Steve Solomon's book: "Gardening When it Counts". He talks about materials that have too high c/n ratios taking nutrients away from the plants. Wood chips are 100:1. Of course, the straw I use is 50:1. Looks like the best is summer grass clippings with a 25:1 or horse manure at 12:1.
We followed his recommendation at first, which is no mulch. He doesn't like mulching because they harbor insects and usually leave weed seeds. Of course, he's up north somewhere in the Maritimes. With our sandy soil and heat, it was disasterous. We had to water twice a day, leaching away the nutrients, and the plants would still wilt.
We're working horse manure that has been feed to earthworms into the beds to improve the soil tilth. You still have some undigested hay mixed in with the worm poop. It makes a wonderful soil that holds moisture well. Will give it a try without mulch come spring on one bed to see how it holds up.
We followed his recommendation at first, which is no mulch. He doesn't like mulching because they harbor insects and usually leave weed seeds. Of course, he's up north somewhere in the Maritimes. With our sandy soil and heat, it was disasterous. We had to water twice a day, leaching away the nutrients, and the plants would still wilt.
We're working horse manure that has been feed to earthworms into the beds to improve the soil tilth. You still have some undigested hay mixed in with the worm poop. It makes a wonderful soil that holds moisture well. Will give it a try without mulch come spring on one bed to see how it holds up.
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Sienna Dawn
- Senior Member
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:25 pm
- Location: Pensacola, FL
I live in NW Florida and I use newspaper and pinestraw for weed barriers. I tried wood chip mulch and I just didn't like it, besides I have to *buy* that stuff and I just can't bring myself to do it.
Pinestraw is very cheap by the bale, and even free if you have neighbors with pine trees. They are usually happy for you to rake it up and take it away. Since most people take the local newspaper, that is a good source also. My friends save their newspapers for me.
Between rows in the veggie garden I put down thick layers of newspaper and cover that with pinestraw.
After turning a new flower bed, I again lay a thick layer of newspaper and cover that with pinestraw. In an older bed, when the newspaper has decomposed into the soil, I rake back the pinestraw and put down a new layer, rake the old pinestraw back over top and put down a new layer of pinestraw over that.
Works for me, and is *CHEAP* which is my favourite part!
Pinestraw is very cheap by the bale, and even free if you have neighbors with pine trees. They are usually happy for you to rake it up and take it away. Since most people take the local newspaper, that is a good source also. My friends save their newspapers for me.
Between rows in the veggie garden I put down thick layers of newspaper and cover that with pinestraw.
After turning a new flower bed, I again lay a thick layer of newspaper and cover that with pinestraw. In an older bed, when the newspaper has decomposed into the soil, I rake back the pinestraw and put down a new layer, rake the old pinestraw back over top and put down a new layer of pinestraw over that.
Works for me, and is *CHEAP* which is my favourite part!
Is "pine straw" the same as fallen pine needles?
And do you lay the newspaper between the plants too, as well as along the rows in the vegetable garden?
I've always used landscaping fabric, held in place with pins. It works (if you get the 20-year stuff) but it is expensive, and hard to take up and put back. I've been kind of looking for an alternative mulch.
And do you lay the newspaper between the plants too, as well as along the rows in the vegetable garden?
I've always used landscaping fabric, held in place with pins. It works (if you get the 20-year stuff) but it is expensive, and hard to take up and put back. I've been kind of looking for an alternative mulch.
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Sienna Dawn
- Senior Member
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:25 pm
- Location: Pensacola, FL
Yep, that's 'zactly what pine straw is. Fallen pine needles. If you don't have piney neighbors, you *can* buy it at Home Depot or Lowes for a couple of bucks a big bale. Keep an eye on the 'free stuff' listings in Craigslist. Sometimes people have leaves and straw they just want somebody to haul off.
Between rows of veggies, I put the newspaper and pinestraw down pretty thickly. As for between the plants, last year I found that if it's something that grows close or makes a kind of canopy effect along the row, it sort of shades everything out between the plants.
Just about the only place I use landscape fabric and woodchips is to make paths for me and my wheelbarrow.
I'm still learning the ins and outs of a sustained garden so, there's lots of other folks on here that prolly have much better ideas.
Between rows of veggies, I put the newspaper and pinestraw down pretty thickly. As for between the plants, last year I found that if it's something that grows close or makes a kind of canopy effect along the row, it sort of shades everything out between the plants.
Just about the only place I use landscape fabric and woodchips is to make paths for me and my wheelbarrow.
I'm still learning the ins and outs of a sustained garden so, there's lots of other folks on here that prolly have much better ideas.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
In the fall I mulch with a thick layer of fall leaves. Since much of my property doesn't have a lot of leaves (and the wooded part in the back I let the leaves stay where they fall for the soil there), I have taken to driving around and "stealing" the bags of yard waste people put out at the curb for the city to pick up. Great free organic stuff. I use some to cover the kitchen scraps in my compost pile all winter when there's not weeds in the garden and some to mulch with. In the spring I turn the leaves under and mulch the flowerbeds with wood chips. I don't have much lawn any more, but when I did, grass clippings make good mulch (though if you have a mulching mower, it's good for the lawn to leave them lay).