What do you do for mulch?
lindalana 5b Chicago
23 days ago
last modified: 23 days ago
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What mulch do you use?
Comments (6)I used straw in my garden which is just 20 feet from our back door. Bad idea. House finches and sparrows are using it as an unending supply of nesting material. We are on the third clutch of chicks for the finches. Several of their nests were flimsy the piles of straw have fallen or blown onto our deck, entry area and into the pool. What a mess. oldroser, is there a commercial name for that biodegradable black mulch you mentioned? Where did you purchase it? I'd like to try it....See MoreGarden questions since it is too hot to actually garden.
Comments (4)My little Japanese maple, type unknown since my landscape guy took the tag with him, is suffering like yours Faye, with curling leaves and quite stressed looking. This is its first summer and it was planted in late June, so I dare not move it. It is so hot in the little rock garden where it's planted that I can't stand there in the afternoon. I just hope it will make it. The other little plants they put there, some boxwoods and azaleas and a rhodie, all look "ok". They have at least put on some growth in the month they've been out there, but everything is suffering. Our new lawn looks as barren as a lunar landscape. Last night it went down to 59, but right now it's 95. I guess we're all going to have to be patient, but I'm ready for Fall. I hope you get some answers on the disc question. Our front area was terribly compacted by the construction, and I'm looking for some way to help restore it. Best of luck to you on your projects....See MoreWhat do you use for mulch?
Comments (9)We've used pine bark, which we can purchase in bulk for about $30 per cu yd. There's a place just a few miles away that offers pine bark in three sizes - small, medium, and large. They charge to deliver, but I have access to an open trailer, so we spread a sheet of plastic under the bark and haul it home. This year, however, we've started using grass clippings. I purchased a bagger for the John Deere riding lawnmower, and every time I mow, I get more clippings than I can use. The grass clippings quickly form a fairly (but not 100%) effective weed barrier. As they decompose, they add valuable nutrients to the soil. Best of all, grass clippings are free. Our mowing season begins in late March and ends in late October, so there is a continuous supply available....See MoreWhat type of mulch do you use?
Comments (19)Barb - pine straw is indeed pine needles. The place I am planning to get it from ships 40 lb bales - awkward and heavy, thus the shipping charge I am sure. According to their site, "Each bale covers approximately 120 square feet at 2.5 inches thick" which is plenty for me, probably for several years, so it really is cost effective. Of course, free would be better, but....If you find anywhere locally that has pine straw available, and it is nice clean stuff, please let me know! Glad you find my novice posts on the Conifer Forum useful; I love conifers, and would really like to get a nice collection of dwarf specimens going, but the expense....There are some wonderfully knowledgeable collectors on that forum and at least we get to see pictures of how it should be done! kareng_grow - obviously, you don't have the right kind of pine trees there....:p Sorry you hate the stuff, but it seems to be recommended by a lot of people so I would like to try it out. The link below gives reasons why pine straw is a good mulch to use - of course, it is from a place the sells the product so they aren't gong to say it is lousy, but it matches what I have read elsewhere from actual gardeners. Of course, what won me over is their 11th reason - that zoos use it. :-D (In a list titled "Ten ways..." they include 12 reasons - ??). mtny - thank you for letting us know why you don't like pine bark mulch. I am planning to start using ponderosa pine nuggets as a mulch and I am also concerned about transporting pine beetles along with it; unfortunately, the companies that sell the nuggets don't, obviously, list their sources, and certainly don't state that it is "from pine beetle killed trees." How do you avoid this potential disaster? Holly Here is a link that might be useful: Reasons to use pine straw...See Morelindalana 5b Chicago
12 days agolindalana 5b Chicago
10 days agolast modified: 10 days agodjacob Z6a SE WI
3 days agomiles10612
3 days ago
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