Pine Straw

“Shotgun” fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus) is becoming more common in the US. Pine Straw is great at helping to prevent the spread of shotgun fungus. Because hardwood mulch is the food source of the fungus, completely removing the hardwood mulch is the first step to getting rid of the fungus. When the infected hard wood mulch is removed completely, the black spots should stop appearing on the side of the house. The second step is to apply pine straw in a very thick manner to the desired area. We recommend that you use either our Standard pine straw (9″ needle) or our Longleaf pine straw (14″ needle) and leave a 3 inch gap between the pine straw and any permanent structure. Remove old pine straw and apply pine straw mulch on a yearly basis.

Yes. At a depth of about three inches, pine straw ground cover can be an effective method of weed control. The deeper the pine straw is applied, the better the weed control. One way that pine straw helps to control weeds is by blocking the light so that it does not get to the infant weeds and without light, weeds have a hard time surviving.

PineStraw.com

Pine straw should be spread 3 inches deep on the ground surface. You will receive the pine straw from PineStraw.com packed in boxes or on pallets, the pine straw should be taken from the boxes in handfuls and shaken over desired area so that it is distributed in a loose, fluffy manner. While this is a bit time consuming, it will achieve two very important objectives, providing a very attractive ground cover and yielding the correct square footage from each box. Applying the straw in a clumpy fashion will result in a much less attractive look and will cover a smaller area. All of the figures on our web site are calculated at a three inch depth. A three inch depth is needed to ensure proper looks and weed control. In an attempt to appear more competitive, companies selling Pine Straw on the internet will calculate the depth at 2.5 inches, or worse, not even list a depth at all. This is a attempt to mislead with the overall amount of Pine Straw they are actually selling. 120 square feet of Pine Straw at a 3 inch depth is the same as 160 square feet of Pine Straw at 2 inches.

A wide variety of plants thrive with pine straw mulch, including azaleas, camellias, hostas, ferns, hydrangea, magnolias, coleus, rhododendrons, snapdragons, cineraria, bleeding heart, geranium, lily of the valley, rose of sharon, rhodies, hellebores, astilbe, strawberries, blueberries, and choke cherry. Because this is not an exhaustive list, please consult your local professional for answers to questions about specific plants not named here.

There are 3 major types of Pine Straw and they are:

1. Longleaf Pine Straw - ( 14 Inch Pine Needle – a.k.a. – Long Needle Pine Straw, Pinus Palustris ) – The thickest needle with the heaviest wax coating resulting in extreme durability. Very few companies actually carry Longleaf Pine Straw due to the fact that it’s scarce. We carry this product in box and pallet form.

2. Slash Pine Straw - ( 9 Inch Pine Needle – a.k.a. - Slash Pine, Pinus Elliottii ) – The most popular type sold on the market and has a combination of durability, cleanliness, and affordability. We carry this type Pine Straw under the name brand Standard Pine Straw®. If you are having trouble deciding what type of Pine Straw to purchase, this type of Pine Straw is a good place to start.

3. Loblolly Pine Straw - ( 6 Inch Pine Needle – a.k.a. – Short Needle Pine Straw, Pinus Taeda ) – The worst of the three major types of pine needles, we do not carry the Loblolly Pine Straw due to the poor quality of the product and the fact that it does not last very long. If you are looking at purchasing Pine Straw and the price is too good to be true, there is a reason. A lot of the copy cat web sites sell Loblolly pine straw because its the only type they can get due to their geographical location in the U.S. If a company or web site does not list the type of Pine Straw they are selling, there is a good chance that its because it is Loblolly. Companies will substitute cheap Loblolly Pine Straw and try to pass it off as Slash Pine Straw, or make a list of reason why its “almost” as good as the other types of Pine Straw. Companies that do this will often try to get the customer to focus on the weight of the product to say you are getting more pine straw and avoid talking about the lifespan and quality of Loblolly Pine Straw. A dirty product loaded with sand, sticks, excessive moisture, and other types of debris will weigh more than a fresh, clean batch of Pine Straw.