5 Innovative Uses for Pine Straw

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Is your landscape covered in pine straw? Also known as pine needles, pine straw is essentially the adult leaves of a pine tree. They grow together in bundles called fascicles, with a typical fascicle containing about two to six individual needles.

While you can always rake and dispose of fallen pine straw, there are other ways to reuse or recycle them.

#1) Erosion Prevention

Sprinkling a light layer of pine straw over flooded sections of your landscape can protect the soil from erosion.

Normally, grass, trees and other plant life serve as a barrier against erosion. If there’s little or no foliage growing in one or more areas of your landscape, though, the soil may wash away during heavy rainfall.

Using just a small amount of pine straw, you can keep the soil intact while minimizing erosion caused during bad weather and severe storms.

#2) Protect Trees From Pests

You can also use pine straw to protect trees from pests.

Trees, especially young saplings, are highly susceptible to pest damage. If a rodent or vole begins chewing at the base of a young tree, it could induce enough stress to kill the tree.

To protect your trees from pests such as these, create a layer of pine straw around the trunk.

#3) Mulch Around Mailbox

It’s frustrating when weeds continue to emerge around your mailbox. Depending on the placement of your mailbox, it may not be accessible with a lawnmower.

Of course, you can always use a weed eater to eliminate weeds around your mailbox, but an easier solution is to mulch the area with pine straw. Just cover the exposed soil or grass with pine straw, at which point weeds won’t be able to grow here.

#4) Mulch in Flowerbeds

In addition to using it around your mailbox, you can also use pine straw as mulch in your flowerbeds.

Like when used around a mailbox, pine straw discourages weed growth when used in a flowerbed. It prevents the soil from receiving sunlight, and without sunlight, weeds won’t be able to grow.

#5) Chicken Feed

If you raise chickens, you can use pine straw as chicken feed.

Many people are surprised to learn that pine straw is just as nutritious as many other, higher-priced varieties of hay and straw sold by tack shops.

Just rake a few piles of pine straw and place it inside your chicken coop. It’s a cheap and easy way to source nutritious food for your chickens.

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