The Best Mulch

[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?

[KarenO]

wood shavings sold as pet bedding is what I use. Clean, stays put once you wet them down once, easy to water through, easy to incorporate into the garden soil at the end of the season, smells nice and most important, NO WEED SEEDS. It works well for smaller gardens but might get pricey for big operations.
Karen

[Freddy]

I would be one of those individuals. Sorry for the hijack.

[Redbaron]

grass clippings.

[FarmerShawn]

Whatever is available for cheap or free. I use grass clippings mostly, but fall leaves (shredded), pine needles from my inlaws, wood shavings and sawdust from my woodworking shop, even garden refuse and pulled weeds have served me well at different times. I was going to say that I'm not too concerned about appearance, but the sight of healthy plant nicely tucked in with any mulch is a beautiful sight in my eyes. I also admit that I'm not too worried about weed seeds, since I mulch regularly, which prevents weeds from germinating anyway. Getting enough material for mulching is my biggest problem.

[Barbee]

Free mulch is the best kind. With that said, my favorites would be:
Rye Straw
Wheat Straw
Pine Straw
Wood Chips
Newspaper
Sand
I like the above because I can till any of them right into the soil in the fall.

[Ed of Somis]

I keep hearing about "pine straw"....what is that? Freddy...you are fine. haha

[Ms. Jitomate]

Coconut coir liner for pots. I discovered this by accident when I was keeping some acquired freebies. I had a large pot with a guava tree that I had just re-potted when we were having some really hot days in spring, so I quickly picked up my free coconut coir liner for pots that had been lying around for months waiting for me to put it away, and I placed it on the surface. It was round so it fit just right on the round pot. One week later I checked it and the top of the pot just underneath the coconut coir was still wet!

This coconut coir liner did not have plastic, which I later discovered other coconut coir liners have to keep water from leaking out. They are not cheap but if you see one at a rummage sale, pick it up and try it. If I had a lot of large pots to mulch, I would buy a roll.

[Barbee]

Pine straw is just pine needles baled into small hand tied bales. They have sort of a waxy coating so rain/water doesn't soak into them. They are available everywhere down south but not so much in Ohio. I drove to KY to get some

[Ed of Somis]

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

[ScottinAtlanta]

I use shredded office paper and wheat straw. Both decompose completely by late winter.

[Barbee]

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

http://pinestraw.com/pine-straw-faqs.html

[Lee]

Yes.

Originally Posted by Ed of Somis

I have a huge pine tree that sheds needles...would that be the same?

[easttx_hippie]

I use shredded office paper from a friend and pecan shells that I get for free from a pecan processor. The shredded paper holds the water and the pecan shells look good. When I'm done for the season or the plant dies, I mix the pecan shells into the soil to add organic matter.

The magic word is FREE!!

Mac

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by easttx_hippie

...The magic word is FREE!!

Yes! I've used tree trimmings (usually I let them age in my paths first to get more composted, but it depends), always free from tree trimmers.

At a couple of the community gardens, I've used purchased straw bales, but I tend to prefer aged path mulch: it's easier to pile on and holds moisture better. The straw breaks down too fast for me.

I've also used free coffee grounds, but that was more of a soil additive (to fill the raised beds). It develops a hard, water-repellent crust if used as a top layer or too thickly.