If the purpose of using a pine straw or mulch is to control the growth of weeds you should place a fabric or cloth underneath.
Pine or hardwood mulch.
Pine needles require little maintenance as it does not wash out of beds as mulches tend to thereby keeping your walkways cleaner.
In fact cypress mulch is more acidic than hardwood mulch meaning that it can cause problems for plants that don t prefer acidic soil.
This allows the absorption of nutrients while preventing weeds.
Pine bark mulch makes a good mulch for mulching planting beds and it s also a great additive or can even be used as the base for a good potting mix.
When applying mulch or pine straw keep it below five inches.
It also comes in many sizes from shredded to large nuggets.
In spite of the name hardwood mulches disintegrate quicker in the scene than cedar or pine bark mulch inferable from a higher cellulose content.
Pine needles are naturally acidic as they break down making them excellent for mulching around plants that prefer acidic soils azaleas rhododendrons camellias etc during heavy rain events pine needles tend to stay put and not wash away making them an excellent choice on slopes.
Organic mulches including pine bark and hardwood chips nourish the soil and plants as they decompose.
The advantages of pine needles over mulch include.
This mulch comes in a variety of sizes ranging from small shreds to large nuggets.
Hardwood mulches are derived from the shredded or chipped bark and heartwood of trees including oak poplar and maple.
Pine bark mulch doesn t break down as quickly nor does it contain the nutrition that hardwood bark has but it s still a great mulch to use for growing and potting soil.
Furthermore it breaks down slowly so frequent topping up is not necessary.
But so are most mulches.
Hardwood mulch decomposes more slowly so it may not require two applications each year.
Hardwood mulch hardwood mulches are gathered from the destroyed or chipped bark and heartwood of trees including oak poplar and maple.
It repels water more readily than most pine mulches and is more likely to be washed away in areas with heavy rainfall or flooding.
If it is too thick it will no longer be effective and can do more harm than good to the plant.
Despite the name hardwood mulches actually decompose faster in the landscape than cedar or pine bark mulch owing to a higher cellulose content.
Trees landscaping beds and gardens with the proper mulch fare better on windy days and hilly.