Pine straw an alternative to mulch
Longleaf pine straw an alternative to hardwood mulch
GLENMOORE » Longleaf pine straw is a popular southern landscaping product — used as mulch in a variety of applications.
That product is now available locally.
Mid-Atlantic Pine Straw Mulch is owned by Katharine and Bill Strock, who sell, deliver and can install the mulch. Their customers are property owners and landscapers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
“Many people from the northeast travel to the southeastern U.S. for vacation and admire the look of pine straw mulch, but when they get home, they don’t know where to purchase it,” Katharine Strock said.
Strock said the longleaf pine straw mulch helps to inhibit weeds and because the straw interlocks, it doesn’t wash or blow away like traditional hardwood mulch can. She added that it is good for use in vegetable gardens, flower beds, along driveways and for both residential and business use.
So what exactly is longleaf pine straw?
It’s actually the needles from the longleaf pine tree, according to Strock.
The longleaf pine tree grows in the southeastern U.S. Strock said Mid-Atlantic Pine Straw Mulch deals with vendors in South Carolina.
“They have specific tracts of land just for growing and harvesting pine needles,” she said. “We package the needles into bales, load a tractor trailer with the bales and bring them here.”
The needles, which range in length from 8 to 13 inches, come in just one color — a red
dish/amber, according to Strock.
“They hold their color very well,” she said.
According to information on the company’s website, the pine straw is hand-raked into a pile once the needles fall off the trees. Workers then shake the straw to remove any debris. It is then compressed, tied into bales and loaded onto a trailer.
Katharine and Bill Strock discovered longleaf pine straw mulch while living in North Carolina. Originally from the Exton area, the couple relocated south in 1998 due to a job transfer. While there, they grew to love the use of the needles as mulch in their own landscaping.
Katharine Strock said she noticed that people from the north would vacation in the area and wanted the look of the longleaf pine straw at home.
They started an e-commerce business in 2007 to sell the product — a business that they operated until relocating back to Pennsylvania in 2013.
“We had our regular jobs, and having the business was a fun thing to do on the side. It grew into a successful and fairly large business, Strock said.
The couple moved back to Pennsylvania in 2013, giving up the North Carolina business. About 18 months ago, they decided to launch the new venture.
“It’s a renewable, sustainable resource,” Strock said of longleaf pine straw mulch.
For every bale of longleaf pine straw sold, Mid-Atlantic Pine Straw Mulch donates a seedling to the Longleaf Alliance, which contributes to the sustainability of the longleaf ecosystem, according to Bill Strock.
“The more demand we create for longleaf pine straw mulch, the more trees are planted, and that’s a good thing for the environment,” he said.
“We let the Alliance know how many bales we sold and they do the planting — one for every bale,” Katharine Strock added.
Pine straw slowly decomposes to release organic nutrients into the soil. According to information on the company’s website, because the needles are technically a leaf, “it benefits the environment in the same way that decomposing leaves benefit the forest floor.”
One of the biggest differences between longleaf pine straw mulch and traditional hardwood mulch, according to Strock, is that the longleaf pine straw is easier to install.
“It comes in bales and is spread by hand. It’s lightweight, so you don’t need a wheelbarrow,” she added.
A bale of longleaf pine straw mulch weighs about 14 pounds. Katharine Strock added that 2.5 bales of longleaf pine straw mulch is equivalent to one cubic yard of hardwood mulch — covering roughly 100 square feet at two to three inches deep.
Operating out of their Glenmoore home, the couple ships needles to customers out of state, can install the mulch for customers, will deliver quantities of bales and sell individual bales.
Locally, Mid-Atlantic Pine Straw Mulch can be purchased at Maxwell’s Hardware, 418 Brandywine Ave. in Downingtown. Customers can pick the mulch up at the store or have it delivered.
For more information about the Longleaf Alliance visit https://longleafalliance.org/
For more information about Mid-Atlantic Pine Straw Mulch visit https://midatlanticpinestraw.com or www.facebook.com/ MidAtlanticPineStraw/