Long Leaf Pine Straw
Quick Long Leaf Pine Straw Facts:
- Appearance: Good to Excellent
- Insulation: Good
- Cost: Average (equal to in cost when comparing with premium hardwood bark mulches)
- Thickness: 1 bales covers 35 square feet 2” – 3” thick
- Weed Control: Good
- Water Penetration: Excellent
- Moisture Retention: Good
- Decomposition Speed: Medium-Fast
- Durability: Good
- Comments: Often used with acid-soil loving plants
Benefits of Long Leaf Pine Straw as Mulch
- Pine straw insulates tender roots from temperature extremes. As a result, it keeps the soil warm during cold spells and cool during hot spells.
- Reduces water evaporation rates and moisture loss to your soil.
- Encourages water infiltration into your soil which reduces runoff.
- Pine Straw Eliminates erosion caused by wind and rain-splash impact.
- Protects against soil compaction in your beds by reducing the rain impact directly on the surface.
- Aids in promoting favorable soil balance for healthy root growth.
- Old needles to do not have to be removed. All you have to do is put fresh straw on the top of old straw to revitalize the color and provide beds with new nutrients.
- Pine straw is a RENEWABLE RESOURCE.
Environment
The number one mulching material used in landscape is long-leaf pine needle mulch (pine straw). Because pine straw is actually a leaf (needle), it will benefit the environment in the same way that decomposing leaves benefit the forest floor. It will recycle nutrients and maintains soil organic matter in a compost-like fashion.
NO Trees are destroyed in the process of harvesting pine needles so the carbon footprint for harvesting pine needles vs. other mulches is very low. The majority of pine needle harvesting is done by hand, manually using a rake. The pine straw is raked into piles, and then placed into a wooden box for baling.
Good for plants
Long Leaf Pine Straw creates favorable growing conditions for plants by creating an environment that stimulates healthy plant development. It promotes uniform plant growth because it slowly decomposes to release organic nutrients that enrich the soil. The biggest benefit to pine straw is insulation. Your plant’s root system and the lower stems of plants will stay cooler in warm weather and remain warmer in colder weather. A layer of long leaf Pine Straw will help keep the roots of tender plants from freezing.
During hard rains and heavy winds, pine Straw will interlock and hold together. As a result, it does not wash out of beds like other mulches. Many mulches do not allow water to runoff (rain and/or irrigation), but pine straw allows water to flow through to the soil underneath. It also allows water to flow through it which also helps conserve soil moisture by reducing water evaporation rates and moisture loss. Pine straw also has the added benefit of reducing erosion caused by wind and rain-splash impact. It does not wash away as easily as other mulches during heavy rain.
Popular
Pine straw has been a popular landscape ground cover throughout Huntersville, NC. We use pine straw that is from local suppliers. It is one of the most widely used mulches for all size projects. Long Needle Pine Straw is an aesthetically appealing mulch and can be used in a variety of landscapes. Pine straw will enhance the texture, color, contrast, weed-deterrent capabilities and uniqueness of your landscaping. The fine texture and uniform color of pine straw is more aesthetically pleasing to some people than traditional wood bark mulch.