Know your garden mulch: Hay vs Straw
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2024
- Hay vs Straw. In this video, I’d like to quickly explain what each of these mulches are, how they’re different, and why we use one over the other. Plus, and perhaps most importantly, I’ll also go over some quick disclaimers and safety considerations about their use.
Table of Contents
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - The difference between hay and straw
4:06 - Hay and straw as garden mulch
7:55 - Disclaimers and Safety considerations
I’m a hay guy. My main reason comes from “hay bale” gardening (where you place the bales “cut side up”, water, plant a few weeks later in the now decaying hay bale and you have an instant raised bed that is basically a compost bin in cubic form). At the end of the growing season you have wonderful, rich compost after a pleasant crop. The weed problem is not a problem and the nutrition locked in the hay is the kicker for me. P.S. - It doesn’t hurt that I have a neighbor that will sell me the bales for $2 each if I pick it up in the field as he is baling it.
Many people refuse to use hay bales like this, due to the seeds. Years ago, Rodale Institute indicated Hay bales are nutritious. The straw bale info I have read indicates one must add amendments to the straw bale.
I'll stick with hay!
I managed to convince my parents that mulching works and now we use everything we get from the garden as mulch - hay, freshly cut grass, tree branches (or even a Christmas tree) processed through a crusher, fallen leaves, straw left over from the natural insulation a family member used in building a tiny house etc., you get the idea. But there's never enough mulch and the hay that we use under strawberries has been the worst offender when it comes to sprouting loads of weeds :D
I use straw because the hay goes to the cows and calves. There are always oat seeds left behind, so instead of weeding, I pull up the young tender chutes for compost on the spot. About 33 years chemical free farm land. I lend a hand in exchange for a garden space. We'll be around 5,000 sq. ft. total surface area next summer. Pretty cool setup.
Team hay here, for a very simple reason. Up here in New Hampshire, straw bales literally sell for $15-20 because there is no industrial cereal farming. Much hay can be had for ~$5, or for free if I am willing to wait for my mom to give me the bales she deems not fit for her horses to eat.
Seeds sprouting from the hay is an occasional minor issue but is easy to manage. The nemesis of my no dig / deep mulch gardening experiments remains the infernal rhizome spreading crabgrass, which will happily come right up through an infinitely thick layer of any kind of mulch in my experience.
Try 5-6 layers of cardboard.
I agree with 98% of this. Your use of sawdust in the garden garnered a strong eyebrow raise from me. I'm all onboard with wood chips. I'd opt for straw only if/when the day comes, primarily due to the weed seed factor with hay.
That said, thanks for a thorough video. Excellent production, well-spoken, and no fluff. 👍
Sub'd! :)
Last year I used leaves after having some straw with persistent herbicides ruin some garden beds. The leaves were mulched with grass clippings - piled them on very thick in the fall, left them all winter. By the time spring came around, there was only about 1” of leaves left. BUT wow, nice compost in my beds. The only things that didn’t like leaves was the asparagus bed - the stalks were all sort of ‘demented and twisted’ looking. Still tasted good. :). Waiting with bated breath for the next in this series.
I put woven weed barrier fabric OVER my mulch (I use leaves which I get free) which allows it to breathe and break down and ZERO weeds can come. The weed barrier fabric is the topmost layer you see. It's working great.
I love partially broken down hay as mulch for the winter. Straw is ok but it has lots of seeds and we are much too windy for it most of the time. During the growing season I swear by grass clippings. Mats to resist wind, softens heavy rain fall, locks in moisture, and feeds the soil and soil life with every rain.
Nice one as usual, delivering the message in an easily understandable manner. Thank you.
Thanks, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! :)
Salt marsh hay is a great mulch where it's available because any seeds that may still be in the bale can't germinate in normal garden soil. It doesn't break down as fast as regular hay or straw do, though, which is either a pro or con, depending on your point of view. The further you get from the US East Coast, the more spendy it's likely to be, though.
We managed to score 9 five foot round bales of spoiled hay (timothy + hairy vetch) this season that was left out uncovered for 3 years. Amazingly it was still green inside. They were free for pickup, but the seller used his tractor to load our trailer, so I gave him $100 bucks for the time and fuel. He has about 20 left too, and I'm getting those in the spring.
You gave him a $100 to load 9 bale of hay???
Just found your channel and this video made me a subscriber! Happy to see hay not vilified.
Good video like usual. Keep them coming. Something I think needs to be known is alfalfa hay vs. grass hay. Grass hay is what you talked about. Alfalfa hay is that, alfalfa, which is a clover, it is cut when green like the grass hay, dried for a few days then bailed, and often is sprayed to kill anything else.
Alfalfa hay contains the leaves of the plant which I have found really aids in the nutrients and decomposing of the plant.
I get my alfalfa hay by going to feed lots in my area and scooping up the loose and moldy hay. Always been free and been paid once.
I can't use straw, i have an abundance of clay in the soil, so using straw will end up making bricks.
Again Keep up the good work.
I’ve got a video on my channel talking about my experiences with farmer’s lung after spreading old round bales for our pigs last year. It’s not fun and I still see issues from it today a year later.
Definitly take it seriously and take precautions.
I use straw bales to make a 10x20 rectangle, then fill with leaves, grass clippings, yard waste, ect. To make a raised bed....
WORKS GREAT
Great video! Full of info and reasoning which is so hard to find on TH-cam!
First of your stuff I've watched but you have a new sub here! Please keep it up!
The local Father and Sons hardware store sells full sized straw bales for about $5 after tax. Their 1/4 size hay bales are about $3. So, I've always gone with hay. I weave it into the dead stems of my mums and asters, tuck it in under my rosemary and lemon verbena, pile it over my berries, asparagus and garlic then move it all into my RS bed for my potatoes every spring. This has worked fairly well for me over the past 5 years.
I usually buy 2 bales in the fall and they last me until the following august and rots down A LOT over our fairly hot and humid summers. I layer on all of the fallen leaves after harvesting my potatoes and come spring, I till the leaves and most rotted layer of straw into the regular garden beds along with some kitchen-scrap compost.
Glad that you listed so many +/- to the variety... there will never be "the perfect" anything for the garden... EVERY garden, EVERY planting, EVERY mulch, EVERY "weed" has its own constructs... let alone water, temperature, sun, critters, release of soil bound nutrients, soil organics, on and on!
I use horse bedding as mulch and for hot beds the seeds often sprouts out😂 I’m only a year 2 gardener this has been a very helpful video!
Thanks for the video and explanations.
My vote is hay...I have used straw but I find the hay stays put better...my all time favorite is fresh grass clippings (basically fresh, green hay from my yard) which I use around my tomatoes, peppers, garlic and leeks....works amazingly well!
Keep up the great videos...reallybappreciate them and Merry Christmas to you and Paula!
Mike 🇨🇦
This video sounds just like farmer Jessie at no till growers. The way you talk is almost identical. And so I subscribed!
Nice animation! Greetings from Toronto haha
I use both but have had some problems with sprouts. Ultimately I have time to pull weeds so we don’t mind
Hay has a better possibility of having seeds in it, like weed seeds where straw usually doesn’t. That’s why we use Straw for mulch, and for walking paths between beds.
Agreed. After Halloween each year I can easily find 6 to 8 square bales from fall decorations that their glad to dispose of.
I'll lay them outside exposed for a season so they sprout and die off, freeze, etc. I think it helps tremendously with germinating unwanted weed seeds.
Oh wow, that mold from hay. I do have hay with that problem. Now, I'm rarely inhaling it but that is a good warning I didn't know about. Will be more careful with that stuff in the future. Luckily, all more or less all my hay was already used up and this summer I cut my grass and dried it for hay. Been more careful with drying it. Will keep even a closer eye on that.
If you have enough grass in the summer use it fresh on beds and safe hay for mulching in winter. Fresh grass is a miracle for plants.
@@svetlanapil8089 Thanks, I don't do that. I should try that as well.
@@TheSoapThatCan , it's more bioactive mulch.
Thank you ~. Tammy
I like to use Timothy. And quackgrass for mulch.i use other things also. Cut hay when there are no heads forming .If you use either one they will react differently wet or dry . Grass hay spreads real easy when a foot tall .
In my experience I have had more sprouting from straw than hay, but as you said that is variable. The sprouts are not a huge issue they pull easily. Hay is preferable to me because of the lower C:N ratio so I think it is more nutritious in general and is more prone to break down. I wish I could find spoiled hay for free, but the best I have found is a better deal. I have even got bales spoiled hay for free from a local Big R. Look forward to your experiment results.
A small diffrence you forgot to mention, and it seems pretty obvious when you are used to carry bales, it's the weight. For the same bale's size, straw is lighter.
Sorry for commenting here with an unrelated topic: what vegetables to plant outside of the fence to protect from Deer/Pests? Thanks
I'd also suggest that the mulches might offer habitat for slugs & other thatch-bugs that eat seedlings, though now that temperatures are below 84f the slugs will be sluggish & not as much of an issue. I prefer only cooked mulch in that it should have a baked-brown color that lets you know it has been cooking. I haven't checked the temp of my pile today but odds are it is well over 140f if not maxed out at 164f. IDK why I like it cooked but it just seems better, or I feel better seeing it with that cooked-brown-color.
I use straw because Bermuda is used in hay around here and it is nearly impossible to get rid of.
Rice straw mulch for life! 🤘🤘
From what I’ve come to know the straw or the wheat fields get sprayed that’s why I won’t buy straw. The hay bales I buy from a fellow who only spread cow manure in his field prior to harvesting it.
Yup, I always tell others to experiment for there own results! Hey I am like you,hay is just as good as anything if managed properly.
I'm about to start using chipped palm leaves instead of wood chips bought from wood plank retailers as garden path covering..
Nice video! I've been using mostly woodchips. I think they are safer.
Hey Crina! Yeah, that's a safe way to go for sure, especially if you can find a lot of them. Have you found a reliable source?
@@BackToRealityI live in a suburban area. Any local tree company will drop mulch from cutting down trees for free at your house. Only issue is you don't know how much you are getting. There's also a website that will match you with tree companies to get you free wood mulch as well. But r has the same issues when you only need a yard or so.
All the best ...
Thanks! Same to you!
Thanks.
You're welcome! :)
In colorado I havent seen any sereal grain fields, therefore I don't think we have any local straw. Not only it's more expensive then hay, I can't find out if it's clean of herbicides or not. I prefer hay. That we have localy grown. Weeds haven't been a problem since growing anything in high altitude no soil colorado is a challenge and when they do pop out my homegtown soil under the hay is so loose pulling them out is a very easy task.
Your older video doesn't cover your sawdust source, soooo... :) where do you get sawdust - and, by the way - did you try growing mushrooms in it?
Hay is good but has seeds in it so I prefer pine straw in the garden it's cheap and does good to the ground
Wouldn't using kitchen scraps to mulch plants risk getting the roots and stems moldy, or even burned?
After watching the series, I’m Ruth Stout growing potatoes here in South Carolina (8b/9a). We’re using hay. What we’re seeing is that about half way into the mulch (3 of the 6 inches) there’s a white layer of mold growing as a bit of a layer. Is this normal?
Yes, it’s the mycelium that is breaking down the stems and leaves
The difference is pretty simple : people left the rural way of life and now that they want to get it back they remembered it was their grand parents, not even their parents, that knew stuff. At least it's not them, for sure. But it's never too late. But now they think there are rules like "you should not do this or that" and with internet they think they know or a lot of other people know. The only thing you should remember is : DO. Experience yourself. Sure reading, listening to and watching people is great, but don't forget to do.
Hay there, thanks very mulch for sharing. 😂
I'm going to say what i think before I start. Hay is grass, and anything else growing among the grass, taken from fields to feed animals. Straw is the by product of grain production It's the part of the grain plant that is discarded.
Brilliant! Anyone who doesn’t understand now, needs a new career/hobby 😂
Straw is half the price of hay in my part of the world. That is my reason for using straw.
Well.... I like Oat straw AND it DOES make more Oats!
I like hay because its softer and breaks down quicker, im trying to improve my soil
Long time, no see (just a random comment for the youtube gods)
The only problem I’ve had with hay is when it isn’t deep enough. I use it because of wind. Straw is gone.
Wait you've ben making shorts???!! why did youtube never show them to me!!!!
Hey!
Hey! :)
Be very sure your mulch product has not been subject to any herbicide treatment. Even manure can carry residual herbicide from treated products.
Always question outside inputs if you count on those yummy goodies of your love and labor. 👍
I was not able to garden for 2 yrs and got a late start this year. When I turned my attention to my raised garden beds they were covered in 3-4 foot weeds. Even the pathways. Ugh. Took me 2 weeks to clear, pulling them out by the roots.
One raised bed, though, had nothing growing in it. Odd I thought. Then I realized that it was the one bed I had mulched with hay - coastal hay. I had recently heard that hay could have weed killers in it. That’s the only explanation I can surmise. This was purchased at our local feed store. This year I will not be using hay. I will use pine straw which is organic. Hope this works!
Where’s Paula?
I’m an organic farmer. It’s VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE to find straw that has not been heavily doused with glyphosate.
No thank you.
HAY ALL THE WAY. 100%
Hay , dear friends, goes in the front end of our critters. Straw is what we give them for a clean bed. They wont eat it. Poop n pee on it. Thats it.
Hay is hay.
Straws are at McDonald's 😂
Lol, and if they've switched to using paper straws, then they're also compost! ;)
Try feeding straw to your horse and you will see the difference.
Hay is for HORSES (food)
Straw is for STABLES (non food)
So tell me.
Hay and grass are obviously for sheep and cows, because they have the multiple stomach and digestion system to process it effectively.
Horses don't have that specialized apparatus. So how do horses benefit from eating grass or hay?
Don't even mention pine straw to them
lol
Hay+straw= glorified grass clipings.
After viewing some videos on making hay, I now make hay out of the grass clippings from my single family home.
I spread those out on the ground during the summer to let them dry, and then fork them into a bin to collect during the summer. If it rains, I'll put a tarp over my "hay" to protect it.
In the fall, it's leaf season and I have lots of leaves but not much new grass.
So that's when I make compost heaps, layering leaves with layers of the "hay" I've collected and made over the summer from grass clippings.
Seems to work very well.
Its like the difference between uncle hugs and uncle kisses
Straw is for bedding hay is for eating? Boo yeah, i f-ing knew it.