Let's talk mulch vs pine straw (Raleigh, Brunswick: new home, landscaping, to buy)

[pinkjewel]

decided to delete my post, but couldn't figure out how to delete the whole thing.

So, for those of you using mulch at the coast has artillery fungus been a big problem? I just don't care for pine straw as much, especially as it's always been considered quite flammable

[Dregg]

I prefer the look of the dark mulch as opposed to the red pine straw. I'm waiting to see what others have to say.

[ljd1010]

We much prefer dark brown mulch. Hate, hate red mulch! Pine straw can be a fire hazard if placed close to the house.

That being said, we did have some artillery fungus issues when we lived in the Raleigh area. It was bulk mulch, placed by the landscaping company who did the yard maintenance on all homes in our previous community. Guessing they purchased the cheapest mulch possible.

We now purchase our mulch prepackaged in bags at Lowe’s, and have not had an issue in the 3 years we’ve owned our current home.

[pinkjewel]

Totally agree with disliking red mulch- and large nugget mulch! I prefer the dark, finely shredded mulch,too. I've always had mulch and am not a fan of pine straw. But the guy that's been doing our lawn maintenance keeps telling us that artillery fungus is a big problem and we should keep using pine straw which is what the previous owners used. Since he contradicts himself frequently and I never know what to believe I thought I'd see what experience has actually been here. Wonder if it's the specific mulch he gets. We just have way too many beds to buy mulch by the bag, so we need to get bulk mulch especially since it would need to be quite thick for it's first application. We just decided to switch our lawn maintenance to someone new starting May 1st, so we'll see what he says.

[Mr. Purple 2]

I have use both pine straw and mulch around my home in Brunswick County. If you have a brick house, I wouldn't worry too much about the fire hazard. It decays nicely so can add more straw each year without it building up around your foundation. Some of the plantations are not allowing pine straw at new home construction due to Fire Wise rules.



Mulch does have problems with fungus in Brunswick County. Be careful not to put too much down since it will raise the soil level around your house and take a long time to decay. Some people put down too much mulch and after a few years you will have remove it to lower the ground level. That is not a fun job if you plan to do it yourself.

[Buxton Bagpipes]

I much prefer pine straw to wood mulch. Been using it for decades and luckily none of my houses have burned down.

[Charlie&Rose]

Snakes like pine straw.

[JulieThruTheGlass]

I have been told that certain bugs (cockroaches, for instance) like to hide and, presumably, snack on mulch. As for personal experience with the mulch/bug connection, years ago, while weeding the mulch in my yard, I lost track of time. Just as the sun began to set I felt a swarm of insects stinging my ankles and lower leg. These were not mosquitos, and it happened so quickly that I didn't see the insects. I just felt the sting, the intensity of which felt like that of those green-head flies in NJ. This was a long time ago and, to this day, I still get outbreaks that cause intense itching, redness and discoloration.

I suspect the insects were in the mulch chips when I purchased them and also wonder about the source of the wood.