This area of our front yard was in very rough shape, wouldn’t grow grass, and the original tree ring was poorly done. So we redid it and edged out further. We want to mulch the entire area, but torn between pine straw or pine bark mulch. I suppose we could also do a regular wood chip mulch as well, but liked the natural look and benefits of pine bark mulch and pine straw. Any thought or other ideas?
by AcademicFan2291
22 Comments
Pine straw will stay in place better than pine bark.
Pine bark mulch/ gorilla hair is my go to
Mulch will last longer. Pine needles are also highly flammable
Are you against the dyes in black/brown mulch? I’ve worked a lot with chipped mulch and hate it not only aesthetically but I’ve heard from people in the tree business that workers pee in it cause there’s no where else to. I’ve smelt it in mulch drops before too the dyed stuff not so much
Pine bark, hands down. Sorry but pine straw doesn’t add anything to the soil, fades to blah and looks like a rat’s nest. Pine bark looks more professional, lasts longer, amends soil as it breaks down and holds it’s colour better.
Stone – you’ll never have to put more down, you can use a leaf blower on it for easy clean, and if you put down preen pellets and weed fabric underneath, you’ll rarely see a weed.
Why not both
The primary disadvantages of using pine straw include high flammability, which poses a fire risk near homes, and a rapid degradation rate that requires bi-annual refreshing. It is poor at weed suppression compared to bark mulch, can blow away in windy conditions, and can be slippery on slopes.
I think pine straw would be pretty but I would go with cedar chips for contrast if it was in my area
Fine cut cedar
The darkest green grass you can find to accent the lighter colored grass going to street.
It looks beautiful as is. Why not plant some ground cover or something.
I would plant a few misc shrubs in there and leave it. Looks great the way it is
Cypress is better tbh
I’d prefer more grass
Depends on what part of the country. Pine straw in the south; pine bark in the north. My take.
I’d fill that whole bed in with shrubs and native perennials.
If you’re not wanting shrubs, Asiatic Jasmine as a ground cover might be a good fit.
Never heard of anyone using pine needles as mulch, and for good reason.
Native wildflowers.
I don’t know, but I would bet money you live in Georgia. Looks like every street I’ve ever lived on
I’m in Georgia, and did pine bark mini nuggets and it looked great. Until it rained. Sooo much floated away. Tried some areas with regular hardwood mulch later. A little better, but it also washed out of my beautiful edges. Now as of last year I’ve finally gone to the pine straw. And now I see why everyone here chooses it. With all our storms, as well as elevation changes on the property, it just stays put. I don’t like the look as much as the bark, but it’s worth the tradeoff
Do both. Cut the out circle of the tree with mulch and hit the inner with needles.