The Best Mulch

Ed of Somis · July 20, 2014

Unfortunately, my prior post asking about the importance of mulch kind of turned into a personal discussion of nursery pots with a couple of individuals. Oh well...Do you have a favorite kind of mulch? Why do you like that specific mulch?

KarenO · July 20, 2014

wood shavings sold as pet bedding is what I use. Clean, stays put once you wet them down once, easy to water through, easy to incorporate into the garden soil at the end of the season, smells nice and most important, NO WEED SEEDS. It works well for smaller gardens but might get pricey for big operations.
Karen

Freddy · July 20, 2014

I would be one of those individuals. Sorry for the hijack.

Redbaron · July 20, 2014

grass clippings.

FarmerShawn · July 20, 2014

Whatever is available for cheap or free. I use grass clippings mostly, but fall leaves (shredded), pine needles from my inlaws, wood shavings and sawdust from my woodworking shop, even garden refuse and pulled weeds have served me well at different times. I was going to say that I'm not too concerned about appearance, but the sight of healthy plant nicely tucked in with any mulch is a beautiful sight in my eyes. I also admit that I'm not too worried about weed seeds, since I mulch regularly, which prevents weeds from germinating anyway. Getting enough material for mulching is my biggest problem.

Barbee · July 20, 2014

Free mulch is the best kind. With that said, my favorites would be:
Rye Straw
Wheat Straw
Pine Straw
Wood Chips
Newspaper
Sand
I like the above because I can till any of them right into the soil in the fall.

Ed of Somis · July 20, 2014

I keep hearing about "pine straw"....what is that? Freddy...you are fine. haha

Ms. Jitomate · July 20, 2014

Coconut coir liner for pots. I discovered this by accident when I was keeping some acquired freebies. I had a large pot with a guava tree that I had just re-potted when we were having some really hot days in spring, so I quickly picked up my free coconut coir liner for pots that had been lying around for months waiting for me to put it away, and I placed it on the surface. It was round so it fit just right on the round pot. One week later I checked it and the top of the pot just underneath the coconut coir was still wet!

This coconut coir liner did not have plastic, which I later discovered other coconut coir liners have to keep water from leaking out. They are not cheap but if you see one at a rummage sale, pick it up and try it. If I had a lot of large pots to mulch, I would buy a roll.

Barbee · July 20, 2014

Pine straw is just pine needles baled into small hand tied bales. They have sort of a waxy coating so rain/water doesn't soak into them. They are available everywhere down south but not so much in Ohio. I drove to KY to get some

Ed of Somis · July 20, 2014

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

Barbee · July 21, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

http://pinestraw.com/pine-straw-faqs.html

**Lee** · July 21, 2014

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

Tracydr · May 19, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbee

Pine straw is just pine needles baled into small hand tied bales. They have sort of a waxy coating so rain/water doesn't soak into them. They are available everywhere down south but not so much in Ohio. I drove to KY to get some

What I really want to know is how do they get all the twigs and pine cones out of the pine straw when they bale it? It looks so nice and mine always look messy, since it is mixed with pine cones and sticks.

ScottinAtlanta · July 20, 2014

I use shredded office paper and wheat straw. Both decompose completely by late winter.

easttx_hippie · July 25, 2014

I use shredded office paper from a friend and pecan shells that I get for free from a pecan processor. The shredded paper holds the water and the pecan shells look good. When I'm done for the season or the plant dies, I mix the pecan shells into the soil to add organic matter.

The magic word is FREE!!

Mac

July 20, 2014	#1
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	The Best Mulch Unfortunately, my prior post asking about the importance of mulch kind of turned into a personal discussion of nursery pots with a couple of individuals. Oh well...Do you have a favorite kind of mulch? Why do you like that specific mulch?

July 20, 2014	#4
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	grass clippings. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

July 20, 2014	#5
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Whatever is available for cheap or free. I use grass clippings mostly, but fall leaves (shredded), pine needles from my inlaws, wood shavings and sawdust from my woodworking shop, even garden refuse and pulled weeds have served me well at different times. I was going to say that I'm not too concerned about appearance, but the sight of healthy plant nicely tucked in with any mulch is a beautiful sight in my eyes. I also admit that I'm not too worried about weed seeds, since I mulch regularly, which prevents weeds from germinating anyway. Getting enough material for mulching is my biggest problem. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

July 20, 2014	#6
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	Free mulch is the best kind. With that said, my favorites would be: Rye Straw Wheat Straw Pine Straw Wood Chips Newspaper Sand I like the above because I can till any of them right into the soil in the fall. __________________ *Barbee*

July 20, 2014	#9
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	Pine straw is just pine needles baled into small hand tied bales. They have sort of a waxy coating so rain/water doesn't soak into them. They are available everywhere down south but not so much in Ohio. I drove to KY to get some __________________ *Barbee*

July 20, 2014	#2
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,929	wood shavings sold as pet bedding is what I use. Clean, stays put once you wet them down once, easy to water through, easy to incorporate into the garden soil at the end of the season, smells nice and most important, NO WEED SEEDS. It works well for smaller gardens but might get pricey for big operations. Karen

July 20, 2014	#3
Freddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 52	I would be one of those individuals. Sorry for the hijack.

July 20, 2014	#8
Ms. Jitomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Gabriel Valley, CA Posts: 99	Coconut coir liner for pots. I discovered this by accident when I was keeping some acquired freebies. I had a large pot with a guava tree that I had just re-potted when we were having some really hot days in spring, so I quickly picked up my free coconut coir liner for pots that had been lying around for months waiting for me to put it away, and I placed it on the surface. It was round so it fit just right on the round pot. One week later I checked it and the top of the pot just underneath the coconut coir was still wet! This coconut coir liner did not have plastic, which I later discovered other coconut coir liners have to keep water from leaking out. They are not cheap but if you see one at a rummage sale, pick it up and try it. If I had a lot of large pots to mulch, I would buy a roll.

July 20, 2014	#14
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I use shredded office paper and wheat straw. Both decompose completely by late winter.

July 25, 2014	#15
easttx_hippie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Piney Wood Hills Posts: 423	I use shredded office paper from a friend and pecan shells that I get for free from a pecan processor. The shredded paper holds the water and the pecan shells look good. When I'm done for the season or the plant dies, I mix the pecan shells into the soil to add organic matter. The magic word is FREE!! Mac Last edited by easttx_hippie; July 25, 2014 at 02:50 AM. Reason: spelling error