Mulching

[Dianna]

Do you mulch your gardens? I read something about a synthetic pine straw mulch today and it looks very interesting.

Textraw is made from recycled polypropylene in the form of pine needles. The website has a frequently asked question that answered a lot of questions for me and made me want to try it. Has anyone heard of it or tried it?

I have tried cypress chips in my garden beds and in the pathway between the garden and gazebo, but during a heavy rain, they float out into the lawn. We cut all of the scrub pines down on the land when we bought it and I hate the thought of paying for pine needles. If I did pay for them, I would like for them to last a long time. Sounds like textraw might be a good option...

Anyone have an opinion on "fake" mulch?

[Pharmerphil]

we used to use straw, now the price of it is CrAzY here in Mn.

[barleychown]

My thought on mulch is that it needs to DO somthing for my soil. "Real" mulches slowly break down and nourish the soil. I like that.

My main mulch this year is chipped trees from the trimmer companies that work for the power company. Best of all...they were free!

[Patty S]

My opinion is much the same as Sarah's; mulch should benefit the soil. Since the Texstraw is obviously a plastic, I would think that it's intended to be used more for an ornamental effect.

I don't really understand how it could be effective for erosion control, as the web site states, cuz plastic (in the shape of pine needles) "which does not absorb water..." would float into your yard, the same as your chips do!

When thinking about synthetic "mulch" that will never break down, I can't help but wonder what would eventually happen as the stuff keeps getting worked into the soil. If you have lots of clay, it seems like it would losen it up a little... Perlite works that way & doesn't break down either, but would be mighty expensive for large areas.

If you're trying to keep the weeds down, I don't think any amount of "stuff" you dump around in your yard & gardens is going to do anything in the long run, unless you use a preemergent. I've started using Preen® around my yard, even in the areas where we've put down fabric & bark.  I'm just tired of the weeds outnumbering my choices of plants, & am sick of bending over to pull them out.  One day I think I'll bend over to pull a weed & not be able to straighten up again! 

I suppose it's just a matter of preference, depending on what you want your mulch to do. 

[duh]

I hate to be a wet blanket but I'm not happy with the nonbiodegradable mulches either.  I agree that they would probably float well.  The best way to keep a mulch in place is by using edging at least two inches taller than the height of the mulch covered ground. 

For me I love the price of grass clippings.  And it is working very well around my tomatoes and peppers this year.  It's keeping the moisture in place very well.  And if the lawn is mowed before the grass produces seed heads you don't have to worry about weeds being added to your garden.  And it is thick enough that other weeds have a hard time getting through.  Although I have one weed type that seems to be able to get through anything but I keep pulling and pretty soon I'll have a handle on it.  Most of the problem comes from the weeds that surround my garden.  They don't get cut down before they form seeds so it is a constant battle.