Product recommendations not personally owned are based on the author’s knowledge of the company, product, reliability, and reputation. As pine needles break down they acidify the soil making an excellent landscaping mulch for acid-loving plants, trees & shrubs (such as camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas, fuchsias, gardenias, ferns, dogwoods, magnolias, holly and all evergreens). Lush, colorful flower beds increase curb appeal while attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The result is a pine straw mulch that holds its color 5 times longer than other types, a fluffier appearance that "tucks" better, and a resin content that significantly reduces decomposition. This is an important consideration. It is also an attractive natural ground cover around ornamental plantings. The pine straw also keeps the soil cooler in the summer. Your soil will be able to absorb nutrients more properly; It will not blow away and stay put for longer. That being said, pine straw is in no way the perfect mulching material. Pine needle mulch (pine straw) is the number one mulching material used in landscape plantings in the Southeastern U.S. Because pine straw is actually a leaf (needle), it benefits the environment in the same way that decomposing leaves benefit the forest floor, by recycling nutrients and maintaining soil organic matter in a compost-like fashion. Because of its combustion characteristics, pine needles are recommended for mulching only in areas at least 30 feet from the home (source). Is pine straw good mulch? Amazon has put together some great Home Holiday Guide Deals - save money and get your holiday shopping done! This is based on a study of multiple mulch materials and their combined combustion potential, taking into consideration temperatu… Purchase one bale of pine straw for every 100 square feet of landscape area to apply the pine straw … Find out how pine straw (pine needles, pinestraw) mulch outperforms traditional mulch. He takes a practical approach to yard improvement and enjoys putting best practices and “golden rules of lawn care” to the test. Use a garden fork to mix the needles into soil to reduce compaction and aid in oxygenation. I had a large flower bed next to our driveway in our previous home and heavy rains always resulted in bark mulch debris all over the driveway. But is it really worth the bother? Thriving Yard is an affiliate for companies including Amazon Associates and earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Not only does it increase percolation but it creates a network of needles that help hold down erosion and protect unstable areas. A good mulch will block out the light and therefore inhibit the growth of unwanted plant life. A nice gust of wind can litter your yard with pine needles. If your garden or flower bed is built with fir mounds this may get a little annoying. You can purchase it in bales from 15 to 40 pounds (7-18 kg.) If you are thinking about using pine needles to mulch your garden or flower bed, you will need to know the facts. if you don’t happen to have pine trees on your property. Because it is so lightweight, it is easily blown out of the flower bed or garden. Small or large quantities. USA Pinestraw offers the highest quality pine needle mulch on the market today. Shop pine needles & straw mulch and a variety of lawn & garden products online at Lowes.com. The large air pockets, however, help prevent it from remaining excessively wet and damaging roots. Pine straw piles provide cover for small insects and rodents. In my opinion, pine straw is best in beds with acid-loving plants such as azaleas, gardenias, hydrangeas, camellias and the like. In fall, rake up the needles and place them over spent tender perennials and other plants that may succumb to winter freezes. Pine straw mulch benefits also include improving soil tilth. Pine straw is very flammable when dry and is in fact the second most combustible commonly used mulch, second only to shredded rubber mulch. FOR OPTIMAL COVERAGE YOU NEED: ENTER YOUR TOTAL SQUARE FOOTAGE HERE: G E T P R I C E & O R D E R P L A C E Y O U R O R D E R. Fill out the form below. Pallets: From $979 9" A-Grade Pine Straw Mulch Commercial Delivery. The idea of free mulch is certainly an appealing one and depending on your situation this may be the deciding factor for you. Dead needles that have fallen from pine trees are harvested and turned into the mulch. A teepee of needles acts as a mini greenhouse, conserving heat and keeping soil from freezing to protect the root zone from extreme cold. away from the stems. Pine straw is the only mulch material on the planet that can enhance the beauty of your home, insulate your plants in every season, provide nutrients to the soil, suppress weeds, and protect the environment at the same time. Paul has a two-acre yard on red clay soil in Southeast Texas. A couple of months later, the author found themselves retracting most of their initial convictions in a post aptly titled “Eating my words on pine straw“. The bottom line is you have a lot of choices when it comes to mulching. A thick blanket of pine straw does an excellent job of maintaining moisture levels. Pine Straw offers unique advantages for mulching. It is cheaper than bark mulch by approximately .10 cents per square foot, plentiful and more beneficial than bark mulch. When deciding on a weed barrier for a flower bed or garden, one idea that comes up often is the use of Pine Straw. It is such a prolific nuisance that there are multiple sprays and chemical control... 5 Tips for Creating Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Flower Beds. This is not to say that pine straw holds in moisture more effectively than bark mulch. As an added benefit, it is also available for free to many homeowners who live in areas with pine trees. By its very design, pine straw is a poor solution as a weed barrier. There is no perfect solution so it may come down to price, accessibility, and the particular aesthetic look that you are going for. PINE STRAW MULCH. I also added in larger rocks to enhance the look. One of pine straw’s biggest advantages is also its downfall. It’s not perfect but there are definite advantages to this approach. It is difficult to keep weeds from pushing right through it unless you pile it on really thick. Pine straw mulch benefits are plentiful and said to help create ideal conditions for acid-loving plants. When applying mulch or pine straw, keep it below five inches. If it is too thick, it will no longer be effective and can do more harm than good to the plant. This attracts snakes in search of a food source. Pine straw is an organic landscaping mulch (garden mulch) that retains moisture, decomposes and is high in nitrogen. As pine needles break down, they slightly acidify the soil, making them an excellent landscaping mulch for acid-loving plants, trees and shrubs such as camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas, fuchsias, gardenias, ferns, dogwoods, magnolias, holly and evergreens. They can burrow down into a thick layer of pine needles easier than they may be able to with bark mulch or rock. H O W M A N Y B A L E S D O Y O U N E E D ? Pine Straw Mulch is also referred to as Pine Needle Mulch and does not exhibit all of the problems of hardwood mulch. Here’s equal time for any possible downside of pine straw. Provides a better moisture barrier for plants ; It’s easier to cleanup leaves and trimmings out of mulch; It stays in place better than pine straw; Offers a better weed barrier, and it’s easier to pull weeds for mulch. Nothing is ever harvested from the tree. The recommended amount of mulch around plants is 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) That is one of the key benefits that pine tree needles actually provide for the soil in the forest (source). This looser mulch allows water to infiltrate readily into the soil for plant availability and avoids wasteful runoff of irrigation. Pallets: From $1099 9" B-Grade Pine Straw Mulch … Any pine straw place will tell you how it is perfectly suited for hills and slopes because of the interlocking quality of pine straw needles. Use a garden fork to mix the needles into soil to reduce compaction and aid in oxygenation. Sign up for our newsletter. 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