How to Sell Pine Straw
Landowners growing pine trees to sell for timber may not realize they have an annual cash crop when the trees shed their needles every autumn. Pine needles, sometimes called pine straw, are sold to landscapers, garden centers and nurseries for use as mulch. Pine straw mulch remains loose and allows air and water to infiltrate the ground below, unlike firmer mulches that tend to crust over. Pine straw is a popular mulch in the southern United States.
Contact your county extension office to find pine straw producers in your area. Call several and ask their current price. Also ask if they will rake and bale the pine straw for you or if you should deliver it to them raked.
- Landowners growing pine trees to sell for timber may not realize they have an annual cash crop when the trees shed their needles every autumn.
- Pine straw mulch remains loose and allows air and water to infiltrate the ground below, unlike firmer mulches that tend to crust over.
Wait for the pine needles to fall.
If you must rake the needles yourself, use a standard garden rake. Avoid using a rake with metal prongs because they are more likely to damage the soft earth beneath the needles.
Shovel the pine straw into a wheelbarrow or large yard waste bag. If you have access to a truck, cart the pine straw to the truck and dump it out.
Drive to the pine straw producer you've chosen. He will weigh your pine straw, pay you, bale the straw and sell it.
- Wait for the pine needles to fall.
- If you must rake the needles yourself, use a standard garden rake.
Benefits Of Using Pine Straw Mulch?
Pine straw mulch comes from a variety of pine tree species. Pine straw mulch prevents erosion by protecting the soil from wind and rain as the needles interlock and hold together under harsh conditions. Because it doesn’t float or wash out of beds as wood mulches tend to do, pine straw mulch keeps your walkways cleaner. 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 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.
- Pine straw mulch comes from a variety of pine tree species.
- Because it doesn’t float or wash out of beds as wood mulches tend to do, pine straw mulch keeps your walkways cleaner.
Benefits Of Using Pine Straw Mulch?
Pine straw mulch comes from a variety of pine tree species. Pine straw mulch prevents erosion by protecting the soil from wind and rain as the needles interlock and hold together under harsh conditions. Because it doesn’t float or wash out of beds as wood mulches tend to do, pine straw mulch keeps your walkways cleaner. 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 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.
- Pine straw mulch comes from a variety of pine tree species.
- Because it doesn’t float or wash out of beds as wood mulches tend to do, pine straw mulch keeps your walkways cleaner.
Tip
Landowners with several acres of pine can buy a pine straw baler through Agriquip or other companies. The equipment is pricey and isn't recommended unless you have a lot of pine trees.
You will get more money up front if you rake and deliver the pine straw yourself, but you'll spend less of your own time if you choose a pine straw company that rakes and bales for you.
Related Articles
References
- Mississippi State University: Pine Straw
- Pine Straw Direct: The Pine Straw Mulch Advantage: How Pine Straw Outperforms Other Mulches
- Texas A&M University Cooperative Extension: Pine Straw as a Groundcover Mulch
- University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry: Missouri’s Mulch of the Future? Pine Straw, MU Researchers Say
- Pine Straw Direct: The Pine Straw Mulch Advantage: How Pine Straw Outperforms Other Mulches
- Texas A&M University Cooperative Extension: Pine Straw as a Groundcover Mulch
- University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry: Missouri’s Mulch of the Future? Pine Straw, MU Researchers Say
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