TREE AND SHRUBSLeaf it to me

Straw as a mulch alternative?

I would like to recycle my fall straw bales (used as decorations) to mulch around my garden plants. Is this a good idea or should I stick to traditional mulch? What would be the benefit of mulch that straw would not have?
Extra info:
Zone 6
mostly shrubs in a shade garden: japonica, azaleas, boxwoods, hydrangeas, clematis, viburnum, etc.

Alternative? It’s my main much!

The one problem is while straw is suppose to be weed free, don’t believe it. Those wayward seeds still find their way into the bale…….not a lot, but expect to find new little “grass” plants every once in awhile….oat or whatever the straw is from. Under those shrubs, they may not even germinate.

One way we get around it is to “treat” the straw bale first by solarizing it. We wet it down and then cover with clear plastic and let the sun cook it thus killing the weed seeds. Not done in winter though, this is for bales we are going to use in spring/summer….but gathered the previous fall.

Color is the yellowish going town but gradually goes grey/brown and blends in with the ground well. Since going under shrubs, shouldn’t be too bad at all, you can still cover with leaves if that’s what you’ve done in the past.

You can put it down too thick and retard water penetration, but if you are growing those plants, you get a heck of a lot more moisture than we do, so probably a mute point.

Aucuba japonica Variegata

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