I'm a Pine Straw man myself. Wood chips:

1.) Float and wash in a heavy rain
2.) Are termite food
3.) Deplete nitrogen as they break down.

Pine Straw:

1.) Does not float - the needles mesh together
2.) Are not particularly attractive to insects
3.) Look better
4.) Help acidify the soil

kaitain4- Wood chips will only tie up nitrogen if they are in the soil, not on top of the soil. Also, pine straw does very little to acidify the soil. But I do agree that it makes a better mulch, if available, than wood chips. I guess it comes down to weighing availability, cost, and appearance preferences. If I needed 200 cubic yards, I suspect cost (and the mulch itself) would weigh pretty heavy ;-)

tj

K4, I'm a fan of pine needles also but I do believe there are many inaccuracies floating around about the use of wood chips.

The nitrogen being tide up is only at the soil surface where the mulch breaks down. Only in the case of shallow root annuals and veggies would that be a concern. Even in that case a high nitrogen fertilizer could be used like blood meal or liquid fish emulsion.

For me the cost of mulch products has soared and they offer no advantages IMO over wood chips which are free.

Pine straw does NOTHING to acidify the soil - that's a gardening myth that persists regardless of the scientific documentation available to debunk it.

And I agree with both previous posters that nitrogen depletion with wood chips used as a mulch is a non-issue.

IME, floating mulches or those that wash away are only a concern if on a slope with a decent grade. Most wood chips are heavy enough to withstand some serious rains unless on a steep a slope. And any mulch is not very effective in that situation - groundcovers would be better.

And appearance is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I prefer a mulch that is invisible as such - compost is my mulch of choice (it also eliminates any need for supplemental fertilization).

The biggest plus to wood chips is that they are most often available in quantity and for free.

Here is a link that might be useful: Myths about mulching with wood chips

I use pea gravel with a top layer of pond gravel (1/2 -1") thrown in on top for a dept of 1-3 inches. Heaver boulders thrown in of 100-300 lb. variety to help accent the whole thing and give it some character.

I deal with none of the issues mentioned above.

Dave

"...Pine straw does NOTHING to acidify the soil ..."

Actually, it's a relative thing. It depends on the soil's pH to begin with. Even if you put down a mulch with a neutral pH on a higher pH soil it will "acidify" (bring it toward neutral) to some degree. Whether it is enough to make a difference is another matter. It depends on a slew of factors (pH of mulch, how fast it breaks down, amount of mulch, pH of soil, etc).

tj

Now I'm totally crazy and did a video segment on mulch.

Here is a link that might be useful: Video Clip

Pure nonsense...I never used 1 wood chip in my years of conifer gardening.

Nothing against wood chips..but the old adage that your garden will suffer if you don't use it is a myth that is blown out of proportion.

I am sure the wood chippers love this myth and who wouldn't at the price they charge for it. Oh yes...all the colors black... red... brown...maybe pink will be in the offering this spring.

A conifer with pink dressing. Bring it on.

Dave

Davesteg...I love the look or your pebble mulch, but must be very labor intensive for upkeep. Your beds always look perfect!
Is it a lot of work to keep the leaves out and needles cleaned up?

Barbara

I don't think I could afford to use 'pebble' mulch for all my beds. With several hundred conifers now and japanese maples as well, I'd need some 40-45 cubic yards of pebbles, which last time I looked I think ran about 60$ a cubic yard... $2500?

Barbara... not any more up keep then a mulch bed. I clean all beds in the Spring as most people need to do then... nothing.

Will...I by my pebble when on sale in the fall. 20 bags for $30.00 and stock pile for next season. At the price of mulch which you need to replenish every year I figure I am ahead of the game.

It's all in what you want...nothing against you mulchers if you like that brown out look. I prefer the natural pebble/ rock setting most conifers grow in.

Dave

Dave, I think you might have that somewhat backwards :-) No one is proposing that one's garden will suffer without a wood chip mulch and I have never heard any 'old adage' claiming such. Quite the opposite. What the link I referred to was attempting point out and what steve's video clip reinforced is that - contrary to common belief - wood chips are a perfectly reasonable mulch and do not provide the drawbacks that many associate with it, like nitrogen depletion, spread of disease pathogens, attracting insects, etc. And I think you are confusing wood chip mulch with the dyed shredded bark mulch that many, for whatever reason, think attractive. Wood chip mulch is the remains from the activities of tree services and arborists - minced up tree limbs from pruning or removal. And it is usually available for FREE! It is a waste product that these services need to dispose of in quantity and typically only a phone call to a local tree service will result in a pile of chips, often a BIG pile of chips, in your driveway.

And the claim that one can alter a soil's pH by using an "acidic" mulch is much the same as that of the issues surrounding nitrogen depletion. What change does occur is minimal and is restricted to the surface of the soil. Soil acidity is determined primarily by its mineral content and the amount of natural rainfall, not by the plants growing in it or what they shed. That's why it so difficult to significantly or permanently alter soil pH through amendments or other means.

And I'm not sure how conifers grow in your neck of the woods, but with the exception of subalpine species, most conifers I see in their natural setting are in wooded areas that are heavily carpeted in duff, moss or low undergrowth.....not too many pebbles or rocks to be seen :-)

But the use of mulch is a very personal thing and preferences tend to be regional in nature. Just about any mulch is better than bare, exposed soil, however most horticulturists favor organic mulches that at least offer ongoing soil improvement as they breakdown and decompose over time.

I'm going to call around today for sure, I need another 10 cubic yards for my upcoming projects and I'd sure be happy if it was inexpensive/free!

Dave, I might change my 'front walk/entry' conifer beds to pebbles some day. Since it's relatively narrow(4.5' or so) and not too long(about 110'), it shouldn't cost too much and since most of the plants are mini's, it might help brighten it out a bit and make it more attractive. There's no doubt your beds look fantastic with the rock and I have seen it used at Coenosiums as well.

gardengal48..I have no argument with what you are saying about mulch. You are right in your assessment of the mulch myth.

To me it's a highly promoted organic product sold by nursery's for a quick fix in covering bare ground. In my estimation...better then nothing. When I look at the alternatives with not much price differentiation then rocks and stones become the order of the day. If done right will carry the day over mounds of brown material.

If your a mulcher then go for it. If you like it that's all that matters. I just equate it with Popular Trees. You could never like it if you tried. Ring a bell Ken.

Dave

I use woodchips for mulch, and have for 30 years. Love it! In our wet, western Washington climate pebbles are not a viable option over a large area. They would have to be at least six inches deep to inhibit weeds. Pebbles do very little to improve the tilth and organic content of the soil.
I think a pebble mulch looks more appropriate in the desert, rather than a temperate rainforest in which I live. It's also difficult to move once put down so changing a bed's lines means a lot more work than moving chips. Round pebbles in a sub-alpine design look out of place. Sub-alpine rocks are sharp edged.

I till in chips before planting and add chips after and have had no noticable nitrogen deficiencies. I attribute it to the granular size of the chips. It has relatively little surface area to absorb it. Sawdust is a completely different matter. It really absorbs nitrogen fast. Sooner or later that nitrogen is released in to the soil though.

I use woodchips for my paths as well as the beds. That way I have no problems with artificial edging. In the case of the picture below I used fresh Black Locust chips for the path and aged chips for the bed. It really stands out in the dark. I prefer raised paths over raised beds. That way, I'm not walking in a wet ditch. The cabin is sort of a man cave.
I have all the chips I can handle because a tree service parks their trucks, chipper, and stump grinder here.

Woodchips should be thought of as a temporary ground cover until the plant groundcovers take over. Then it's just a matter of adding a top dressing of woodchips or compost as needed.

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I'm not a "mulch expert" by any means, so this thread is quite interesting. We use primarily the big pine bark nuggets in our garden beds and enjoy the look of them. They help retain soil moisture in the hot, dry summer months and do, to some extent, reduce weeds.

I've seen some beautiful conifer gardens with stone or pea gravel mulch and do think it's a good look. My only concern with using stone or gravel would be during the hot summer months. When they heat up in mid-summer would stone mulch reduce soil moisture and/or increase soil temps?

Thanks for the great info.

Dave

Botann...Most of us don't have the luxury of your wet temperate Washington climate. None of us can compete with the 30 years of time invested putting together the beautiful setting you have. In your case wood mulch is a natural.

So....we do the best with the knowledge and plants that work best for our area. In my case I am not trying to duplicate temperate Washington State forest conditions with moss on top of my shed.

Limestone out croppings, loose stones and pebbles are the norm around here. With berms and rock out croppings built into the design...along with companion plants most conifer beds show quite nicely. I use many ground covers to soften the design to make it more natural looking.

Again ...yours is one of the best and I would love to have an area like yours to work with.

Dave