From: Bob Randall <YearRoundGardening@comcast.net>
To: mailing list at ibiblio - Northamerican Allied Fruit Experimenters <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [nafex] mulching trees
Date: Mon, 25 May 2015 12:13:05 -0500
Mulch hay often has a strong lignin component (Acid Detergent Fiber ADF)— at
least the worst hays from the point of view of feeding horses do.
Here, (what is in the feed stores) —herbicide free mature grass hay and straw
hay-- as a mulch under trees has been very good. I think shredded (not
chipped if you can get it) composted ramial wood (aka native mulch) works
even better (but that is in an area where there is a lot of both hay and
ramial wood mulch) and I need to pay for whatever I use.
If one were cheaper or easier to get where I was, I would quickly take either.
I think either would work much better than turf or any green, succulent
plants. I’m pretty sure I can find some studies on that if I go back a few
years and look, but they would only apply in particular climates. Ramial
lasts under a tree much longer in wet hot climates than does hay and is weed
and herbicide free here. What will work in any given place is always more
complicated. See