The Best Mulch

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

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?

Favorite is wheat straw. It breaks down quickly to make nice organic matter and is easy to work with. Looks nice.
I mainly use pine straw, leaves and hardwood chips because they are free and readily available since I now have 21 acres of mostly woods. I also had pine straw in AZ. I have also used animal bedding (pine shavings) with good results. Just make sure they have aged some before mixing them into the soil or leave them on top. They really only steal nitrogen if mixed into soil fresh, not as mulch.