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Alabama Gardening

Pine straw vs shredded bark mulch

16 years ago

I am on a homeowners association board. We have been spending a great deal of money on pine straw mulch. I am satisfied with how it looks, but we also have an area that we cover with shredded pine bark mulch. It also looks good, but I am wondering which will last the longest, which will be best for improving the soil as it breaks down, and which will retain moisture the best. In other words, which will give us the most overall benefit or "bang for the buck"?

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Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
There are pros and cons of each material. By the way, do you mean pine bark chips or the shredded wood that is a by-product of tree companies? (I've never heard of 'shredded' pine bark, is why I ask.)

Anyway, there is no question that the wood product lasts much longer....pine bark can last for years without breaking down. Shredded wood decomposes faster than the bark, but will return more elements to the soil as it does so.

Many of the tree companies are now using a different kind of chipper that creates very attractive little chips rather than that shredded stuff. Very nice looking. A real plus about the mixed wood chips is that they can often be had for free, as tree companies are very happy to find a place to donate their chips to, rather than pay to have them accepted into a landfill. This is my preferred mulching material, by far.

Pine straw deteriorates quite rapidly in hot sun, first losing its color before it turns into dust. Pine straw needs to be obtained when it is fresh or the life span will be shortened even more. Pine straw adds organic compunds to the soil as it degrades, as do all of these materials, but they may be of limited value to the growing plants. Pine straw may need to be refreshed twice a year, which is a pain in the pocket book.

Pine BARK lasts longest of all, since it is composed of lignins that even microorganisms can't break down. It maintains its color and consistency for a long time.

My personal preferrance, after many years as a professional and now as a (fussy) homeower is the mixed wood chips from tree companies. One good application can last for up to three years before needing a top dressing, in my experience. Probably less in your climate.

All three are great at buffering the soil from excessive heat, moisture loss, freezing temperatures, etc.
rreznikoff
Original Author
16 years ago
I checked a bag of the mulch which I got at Lowe's and it says "Shredded Pine Mulch." I just assumed it was shredded bark because the color and texture appeared to be bark.
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I understand your frustration, Kathleen. I have been able to find all of the products (well, with some "authorized" substitutes) for the gritty mix, but have been unable to find the pine bark fines for the 5:1:1 mix. I can't find pine bark mulch or shredded pine bark mulch here. I haven't checked at Walmart, but according to Walmart's web site, my local Walmarts don't sell ANY sort of mulch, just various Miracle-Gro bagged products. None of the big box stores in my area have pine bark mulch; they do sell pine bark nuggets, but those, of course, are way too big. In fact, none of the nurseries in the area at which I have checked sell pine bark mulch, either - it used to be available, but I haven't seen it in the last few years. Shredded cedar mulch seems to be the mulch of choice around here - there's plenty of that! I haven't been able to find any sort of pine bark soil conditioner, either. I guess we both just live in the wrong parts of the USA to make finding the supplies easy - or even possible! And the cost of shipping if ordering supplies on line would be prohibitive - I can't even contemplate doing so because I don't have the $$$ to spare. I have read some posts where people say that the Repti-Bark can be used for both mixes, but this product is definitely not partially composted so I have my doubts that this is what Al meant should be used in his 5:1:1 mix. Here is a quote from a post Al made in 2009 in reference to the bark in this mix: I like bark best, and the best size for the 5:1:1 mix is sawdust to 1/4" pieces and partially composted, with most of the particles concentrated in the 1/16-3/16 size. I'm NOT suggesting you go out looking for bark that fits this description, but it will give you an idea of what works best. Sigh. Holly
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I think the shredded mulch may have retained too much water over the winter rains anyway - I had to remove some from around my lavenders which were getting moldy, the drainage is still poor in many places. Yes the kitties are lucky and happy to have a safe outdoor space now - they used to have a screened porch in our rental cottage for years, then we bought a condo which had no outdoor area. They definitely missed watching birds and squirrels. Here they are enjoying their "catio" planted with herbs sages and other cat-safe plants :) Some of these were taken before I added the mulch, when plants were pretty new last summer. Now they have grown but I'm battling whiteflies on most of it - sticky traps have not been very effective :(
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We use both. We grind our pine straw, but you can use it as is. If we have plenty of pine straw in the fall we use it. Daylilies love it.You can use 1/4 ground pine bark just as well for your mulch. We work 1/4 inch ground pine bark into the compost of our raised beds .. ratio about 1 measure of pine bark to three measures of compost. Then we use it as mulch also.When we can get it at a good price we prefer cedar shavings for the best mulch and oh so pretty! Your daylilies will love it. We get it at Walmarts, (it is used for pet beds. We could get it last year on sale for $5.00 a bale, now it is almost $7.00 a bale. Snakes don't like cedar , so we love it for that reason, plus earth worms thrive in beds that have cedar shavings. In any case you can use Snapshot ( pre-emergent for weeds) then use 3 inches of either pine bark, 1/4 inch ground pine bark, or cedar shavings. Your daylilies will be happy with any of these. Happy gardening! weednsmile
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collinw
16 years ago
Pine straw is better for inclines, since it tends to stay in place better, but it is acidic and will lower the soil ph a bit over time as it breaks down.

Fresh wood chips are fine as a mulch, but should not be mixed into the soil since they will require nitrogen as they break down, which is 'robbed' from the soil.This can be offset by the application of more nitrogen. Alfalfa pellets work well.

Cheers
tsmith2579
16 years ago
My objection to bark is that it gets so hot. I go barefoot and bark mulch in sunshine is hot, even on my tough feet. That indicates to me the soil under it will be warmer and will dry faster. Plus, I like the benefit of the pine straw as it breaks down and becomes black soil.

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