Mulch

I generally have used cedar mulch in my yard. I want to say that my demands have been around 7 cubic yards for my beds and other areas (around trees, etc.).

I'm in the Dallas area, and I planned on having them deliver a couple of pallets of 3 cu ft bags and spreading it myself (which I really don't mind ... if I spread it out over a few days time).

Anyone have any ideas of cost similar companies that would do it in this area (e.g. bring bulk and spread it)? I need to be careful not to get tons of cricket eggs or bad larvae etc. from these people. I remember it costing about $750 last year, so that is what I am going on.

Thanks
W J

I am sorry I can't help, all I use for mulch is leaves and our own shredded plants, but $750 seem like a lot for mulch, do you not have access to leaves?
Josephine.

Same here... wow 750? That just feels to high to me. I call tree trimming companys and often get a load or three for free each year with no problem. Leaves and compost fill out the rest of the needs here.

Some cities around this area will supply free or low-cost mulch. Doesn't Plano have something going?

One of my favorite "Spring things" is seeing those big orange asplundha trucks! I'll chase them down on foot if I have to. lol
They have always been happy to dump at my house. If someone doesn't take them, I think they have to pay the dump. It's a win-win situation.

Right - just asking them when they are in the area, they are most of the time more then happy to give it away.

Mitch, do you let yours sit any length of time before using them?

6 m to a year if I can - I have used it raw and it does ok jsut gives me more mushrooms.

O.k, thanks. I have used them fresh and hadn't noticed any ill effects. Only after had I read I should be letting them sit.

I have used it fresh and nothing for me here, but I have seen a woman in Ovilia that spread fresh and had a bad case of this mold on her plants, she lost almost everything. If it was a healthy tree you should be fine.

as for the $750, I'll recheck my receipts, but my memory is not what it used to be

as for the ashplund trucks, you don't know what the old dying or dead tree was dying or dead from that they just cut. Termites, mold, fungus ... i dunno .....

Our crews here in the Spring that I've received chips from work for the electric co-op and are removing growth out and away from power lines. In a way I feel better about being able to see down the street and know exactly where my mulch comes from. I know whatever problem may arise would be something local and not trucked in from miles away.


When you purchase chips from a landscape company are they treated or sterilized in some way? Is that why they are so expensive?

I like pine straw as a mulch. It doesn't float away and unlike cedar it has a low p.H. and doesn't rob the soil of nitrogen. But boy is it expensive!
anyway I saw an ad in Neil Sperry's magazine for a company that delivers it by large bales, at a much lower rate.

The url for the pine straw is www.pinestrawdirect.com

good to have - that is good stuff.

I always grab all the pine straw from the neighborhood I can get (as well as leaves) my hands on. I think the pine straw on top of the leaves makes the best "insulating" layer possible, as well as holds the leaves in place. It also tucks around pots and growing containers well too--sort of like their own private insulating blanket. (I may be trying to give my pots and containers their own individual "Linus" blanket)

For frosts you can just grab handfuls of pine straw and throw them on top of pots and plants in the ground. Sure saves the work from hauling heavy, wet, cold containers.
:)

I'll try that. I'm always hauling pots in and out of my garage. Anytime I've tried using uncomposted leaves I end up creating snail and slug factories.

Pine straw allows the moisture to get to the soil better than other mulches too. When it breaks down, just mix it in.

Okay y'all

I looked at the pinestraw website and I am liking what I see ... particularly the easy spreading of the stuff. The photos, however, are really small on the website, so I am not sure how it will look.

Anybody done this at home, and have pics I can see? Lots of my area of yard is in bad need of some ground cover, and I would be liking to do this before the end of Feb.

Thanks

WJ

I just moved to new house and don't have any down yet. The looks are a matter of taste. I like it, my wife much prefers the looks of cedar mulch.
I should tell you I like the the look of it after it has been down awhile and settled a bit.

I use tree trimmings from county roads, too. What is better than native mulch?

I've used pine straw in the past (mainly to help out my acid-lovers). I liked the way it looked, although I like cedar better. Hard to say which smells better! Both do a good job mulching. The pine straw broke down faster and improved my soil more than the cedar mulch does.

Sorry no photos ~ but the color is pretty. I have seen it used in beds in many photos in Southern Living.

I put out the pine straw I ordered from pine straw direct and I am very pleased. They may be a little generous on the claim that its equal to fifteen bags of mulch but it does cover alot. It looks great in the bed I put it in. Also the fact that it was delivered to my door and I didn't have to haul it is way more convenient.