Four Rivers Lawn Care & Landscaping provides full service lawn & landscaping services in Mount Juliet, TN. When considering the type of mulch your want to utilize in your garden or shrub bedding, most people tend to go with a wood mulch. However pine straw is becoming more popular these days and for good reason bringing many benefits to your garden. We have provided several benefits below we recommend pine straw over mulch in a lot of situations.

• Natural and Sustainable: Pine straw mulch comes from a variety of pine trees dropping their needles, or straw, naturally. These are raked up and baled for use as mulch making pine straw a renewable mulch source.
• Improves Soil: Pine straw mulch improves soil in several ways. It insulates plant roots from extreme temperatures and conserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation. Pine straw mulch prevents erosion by protecting the soil from wind and rain as the needles interlock and hold together under harsh conditions. By reducing the impact of rain on the surface of the soil, pine straw mulch also prevents soil compaction. If you have acid-loving plants like azaleas or roses, pine straw creates a chemically balanced soil to ensure that these plants thrive. Although there is little direct nutrient value in pine straw mulch, it does release organic matter as it breaks down and improves soil texture by encouraging beneficial micro-organisms and allowing air to infiltrate the soil.
• Low Maintenance: Because it doesn’t float or wash out of beds as wood mulches tend to do, pine straw mulch keeps your walkways cleaner. It also breaks down slowly, so frequent reapplication or topping up is not needed. It remains loose and doesn’t form a crust on top as grass clippings or leaves tend to do. There is no need to mix, refresh or fluff pine straw mulch because it stays loose and friable.
• Controls Weeds: A thick layer of pine straw mulch around your plants prevents the establishment of weeds. Wood mulches tend to create an ideal bed for weed seeds to germinate. Pine straw mulch allows the weed seeds to fall through, where they don’t take root.
• Visual Appeal: Pine straw mulch has a fine texture and uniform color that is aesthetically pleasing in the landscape. It looks natural with most landscapes and provides a neutral backdrop that highlights your plants rather than demanding attention. Pine straw mulch also prevents mud and water from splashing up onto your plants, which keeps your gardens and beds looking fresh and clean.
• Cost: Pine straw mulch can cost three times as much as a bag of wood mulch, but it covers much more area, making the cost comparable to other mulches. When you’re looking at coverage, pine straw mulch can be less expensive than many wood mulches.

Call Four Rivers Lawn Care today for all your lawn care and landscaping needs in Mount Juliet and surrounding area.

615.855.9787