pine straw as mulch
- Thread starter gapeachy
- Start date
digitS'
Garden Master
Shavings? Or, those pellets made from pine straw?
Actual shavings from wood would be a step down from pine needles. I use shavings in the chicken house but don't use that for mulch.
I used to have pine needles in for the chickens. I'm a real believer in pine needles for compost
! A little chicken pucky and a shovel full of soil now and then - the composted end product is really great! Did you know that pine needles have almost as much nitrogen in them as cow manure ?
The soil and water around here have a high pH so I'm not at all worried about the acidity of pine needles. I don't know if this is a real concern anywhere but some limestone in the compost should take care of any problem.
As a mulch, pine needles are super! Not everyone likes the looks but compared to straw, I think the look is better. Those pellets must be kind of pretty. I haven't seen them around here yet, tho'.
Steve
Actual shavings from wood would be a step down from pine needles. I use shavings in the chicken house but don't use that for mulch.
I used to have pine needles in for the chickens. I'm a real believer in pine needles for compost
! A little chicken pucky and a shovel full of soil now and then - the composted end product is really great! Did you know that pine needles have almost as much nitrogen in them as cow manure ?The soil and water around here have a high pH so I'm not at all worried about the acidity of pine needles. I don't know if this is a real concern anywhere but some limestone in the compost should take care of any problem.
As a mulch, pine needles are super
! Not everyone likes the looks but compared to straw, I think the look is better. Those pellets must be kind of pretty. I haven't seen them around here yet, tho'.Steve
mandieg4
Chillin' In The Garden
I use pine straw in my flower beds and around my trees, but not in my vegetable garden. It takes longer to break down than the wheat straw does and it's more expensive if you have to buy it.
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
I used to use pinestraw mulch in my veg patch in grad school -- I used bales and bales of the stuff as bottom substrate in my experimental temporary-pond setups, and once an experiment was done I'd dry it out and use it under the cantaloupes and such
It works very well as a mulch to shade the soil and keep it cooler and moister. It did not seem to do much of anything for me in terms of weed suppression, although of course you could put cardboard or several sheets of newspaper under it for that purpose. Personally I think it is attractive.
The fact that it does not break down very fast is not necessarily a bad thing if you are willing to take the time to rake it off in the fall and stockpile it for next year, rather than tilling it in with everything else.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
It works very well as a mulch to shade the soil and keep it cooler and moister. It did not seem to do much of anything for me in terms of weed suppression, although of course you could put cardboard or several sheets of newspaper under it for that purpose. Personally I think it is attractive.
The fact that it does not break down very fast is not necessarily a bad thing if you are willing to take the time to rake it off in the fall and stockpile it for next year, rather than tilling it in with everything else.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
krzybo
Leafing Out
I went into the woods behind our house and got some pine needles to put down as mulch around my vegetable plants. In 2 days all my tomato plants and squash plants were dead. Do you need to "cure" the needles before you put them around the plants. I did not let the pine touch the plants - I left a little space between the plants and the needles. I put them around my herbs and they are doing fine. Any ideas?
Do you need to "cure" the needles before you put them around the plants. I did not let the pine touch the plants - I left a little space between the plants and the needles. I put them around my herbs and they are doing fine. Any ideas?AmyRey
Garden Ornament
We have an unlimited supply of free pine straw (only requires a rake) so I LOVE it.
Seriously though, the more vigorous weeds still get through. The rest of the areas that still need mulching will have cardboard placed underneath the pine straw.
Seriously though, the more vigorous weeds still get through. The rest of the areas that still need mulching will have cardboard placed underneath the pine straw.
hoodat
Garden Addicted
Remember that pine straw has an acid reaction on your soil. If it is already on the acid side it may not be a good idea. Acid is what I need to counteract the alkalinity of my soil but unfortunately I'd have to drive pretty far to gather any.
KelpticFest
Sprout
When I was a kid I noticed that the BEST wild blackberry stands grew in pine slash. I assumed this implies that pine needles are great mulch for cane berries. I've gotten some for my new blackberry garden, which is now producing its first crop of blossoms and early green berries. Let's hope this was a good guess. I've also used some on raspberries.
