Comments on: Straw Mulch

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:31:47 +0000

I’ve got the same problem with little wheat shoots coming up all over. I LOVE the idea of less watering (drought area), but does it work to just turn the wheat seedlings over? My problem is that we mulched before our vegetables sprouted so we’ve got wheat shoots and no veggie seedlings yet. What to you suggest we do? My husband is determined to kill the wheat with chemicals but I’d rather not do that if we don’t have to. I really don’t want to have to pick them all out by hand.

By: cmf

cmf — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:18:14 +0000

Oh it’s straw — I grew up in horse barns so I know the difference — it’s just wheat straw and there’s a residual amount of wheat kernels in it. When I was a kid the oat straw in the midwest used to do the same thing in the barn aisles — we’d pick the juicy oat shoots and suck on their sweet ends. There’s a guy in Southern California who’s been in the news a lot lately for building a self-sufficient island on a city lot who swears by alfalfa hay mulch — he says the high protein content builds fertility into his soil. I can’t quite make that leap — in my head, alfalfa is animal feed, and considering the price constraints everyone I know who raises livestock is under this year …

By: MizMagee

MizMagee — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:05:11 +0000

I had the same problem with sprouting wheat when I mistakenly picked up a bale of hay rather than a bale of straw. Hay is for feed (so the seeds make it nutritious) and straw is for bedding and mulch. Anyway, just a thought.