straw as mulch

[Smiles Jr.]

Hey guys, this is good discussion on hay and straw. Even here in rural Indiana there is some confusion among long-time farmers about the differences. I think that what happens most of the time is a farmer is brought up with dad's and grandpa's ideas of what these two things are. Even though the farmer next door may not see it the same way. That's probably why different regions across the country call their feed and straw different things.

Something that I have been using for the past 4 or 5 years in chopped straw. About 4 miles from my home I have a friend who 0wns a company on his farm that harvests and buys wheat straw and makes it into those thin straw mats that are used to shade, anchor, and keep moist the new grass seed planted along highways. These mats come in 10 ft. widths by 100', up to 500 ft. rolls. The straws are cut to certain lengths and placed onto biodegradable mesh and another layer of mesh is glued on top of the straw. Any pieces of straw that are 3" long or less are rejected and hauled off to farmers who want to add organic material to their soil or it is composted. Thorough composting of wheat straw takes a looooong time. I have a couple of piles of it that have been composting for three years and it's still not ready. Handling and getting rid of the little pieces of straw is labor intensive and costly to get rid of. Four years ago my neighbor purchased a pelletizer to try to make the little pieces of straw into fuel pellets for stoves and for bedding pellets for horse and other livestock. I helped him install the equipment and it worked good for a while but evidently he had a hard time finding a market for his product because I don't think he uses the pelletizer any more. Any time I want I can go there and he is glad to load my pickup and trailer full to overflowing with the pieces of straw. Last summer I brought about 10 loads to my little farm to use as mulch, flooring in my chicken coops, flooring in my rabbit barn, and lots of it got tilled into my gardens. I love the stuff.

 

[so lucky]

I use straw in my vegetable garden but not around ornamentals. Before I put straw on bare ground (or ground with a few weeds/grass) I put down a few layers of newspaper, then wet it down. Then the straw, then wet it down some more. Before planting, I am only hand digging my rows, not the paths, so the straw can stay in place on the paths. Weeds were *Not* a problem in my garden this past year.

 

[seedcorn]

What I love about using straw on my garden is come spring, you see most of the straw gone but little piles here and there. And in the middle of the little pile is a hole from a worm. I can take an area that has limited worms and in 2 years have it crawling with worms that are turning fiber into expensive fertilizer. I'm amazed at the value of their manure and the amount the little creature can make. Now if the worms would just eat ants and their eggs, they'd be perfect.

 

[the1honeycomb]

WOW!!! so glad I posted this! I really appreciate the information I plan on placing a few hay bales in the chicken coop right away so they can get busy eating the seeds, and I can put the leftovers in my garden! My birds love to get a fresh bale of hay or straw!
I am already doing the newspaper thing and I have used pine straw in the walk ways through my raised bed. I hope to plant Carrots and potatoes soon.!!
good luck to you all and thanks again

 

[journey11]

I think the grass that pops up is easy enough to pull out, so I do it anyway. Back when I had chickens, I did like Ridgerunner said...let them work it over first.

And I agree with Durgan. It doesn't break down easily at the end of the season, so I always rake it up and toss it on the compost pile. Straw+red clay=brick!

 

[Southern Gardener]

I also use straw for mulch - I run it through my shredder first because it's easier to handle and stays together better.

Thistle, $2 a bale?! Lucky you - I pay $7 at my feed store.