Strulch

[Trac]

My allotment shop has bags of strulch.
Has anyone used this as a general mulch?
I'm thinking of using it for raspberries and strawberries but not sure whether straw would be best.
Any ideas?
Many thanks,

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

We use it in our garden. It was recommended to us by our garden designer (after our landscaping was done, she did all the planting schemes and actual planting for us and she recommended it).

We have it on all of our borders and as I had three bags leftover, I've since used it to mulch my raised vegetable beds to protect them over winter - I've removed most of it now but still got it under the broad beans, onions and garlic. I've also got it under my strawberries but I'm going to remove it today actually (I'm sure I read somewhere that strawberries are better off unmatched until they start forming fruits). I'll probably use it in place of straw under the strawberries again when they are fruiting.

I've also used it as a mulch layer around my soft fruits (raspberries, tayberry and blackberry) and bamboo. What I did with my these was weed the bed, apply some BF&B, then some rotted manure around the plants (but not touching them), gave them a good drink and then topped with strulch.

The strulch itself has no nutritional value (which is why I used rotted manure as a first layer of mulch) but it looks good (I like the smell too) and it does seem to do a good job of keeping down weeds. It doesn't eliminate them - some perennial weeds will grow through it - but if any annual weeds germinate its normally just underneath the strulch layer and you can just pick them out easily.

You just apply it reasonably thick, then water it down to make it knit together.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

A few photos in my Garden album:
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0o5nhQSTeFp4q

[Trac]

Many thanks, this is really helpful and insightful.
It sounds like its main and best purpose is as a mulch as as you mentioned it offers little nutritional benefit – as a mulch I think it may be very good and effective in keeping weeds down.
Ref mulching garlic – I just mulched with more compost over winter and the garlic that I am growing looks amazing – 3 varieties germidour, casablanca and cristo. They all look good.
I did garlic last year and didn’t bother to mulch it but had to work at keeping the weeds down from spring onwards and the garlic was quite good.
I have just panted brand new strawberry plants and will mulch them but only once they flower – I normally use straw and then afterwards put in compost bin but I may try strulch this year.
It sounds like strulch would be good for vegetable mulch so will use it for this too.
I shall also try it around my berry bushes – your method sounds good and effective, weed, apply BF&B then rotted manure around plants, water and then mulch with strulch – will certainly try this too
Many thanks for your ideas – I am going to try them.
Much thanks!

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

No problem. It also supposedly keeps slugs and snails at bay but something is still munching on my lupins and salvias!

It also has a high iron content. If you’ve got any made of red cedar in your garden try and keep it clear as the iron can stain the cedar.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

A little update on the Strulch/slug situation.

Strulch do recommend nematode treatment for molluscs and it seems the main thing Strulch does is keep adult slugs and snails away from the treated area and reduce the chances of them laying eggs in the soil.

I went out for a slug hunt tonight. I found a couple of snails on the path and a caterpillar but plenty of baby slugs. No adult slugs at all. So it seems our nematode treatment in Autumn, before the beds were planted and mulched, did their job. What we are left with are the baby slugs that must have hatched from eggs already in the ground. It seems their favourite plants by far are achilliea (the white/beige slugs), saliva and agastache.

I’ve ordered some more nematodes and I’m hoping that will wipe out the remaining population. Only question now is whether I need to remove 25sqm of Strulch first or if I can wash the nematodes through.

[stuffys]

On a separate note, watch out for the strulch getting too dry and the potential for catching fire. An ember from the adjoining allotment started a fire in my newly build wooden fruit cage with 5 fruit trees, that was covered in strulch. If it had not been for the quick response and action of some of my fellow allotmenteers, I could have lost the lot.

[Snadger]

On a separate note, watch out for the strulch getting too dry and the potential for catching fire. An ember from the adjoining allotment started a fire in my newly build wooden fruit cage with 5 fruit trees, that was covered in strulch. If it had not been for the quick response and action of some of my fellow allotmenteers, I could have lost the lot.

Brings to mind the time I used the wood ash from the woodburner on my strawberry patch which had a straw mulch. I didn't realise some of the wood ash was sill hot until I noticed the straw was smoking!
I remember using the watering can and emptying the water barrel on to the bed to put it out.

[ESBkevin]

While straw can mulch to regulate the soil temp and reduce moisture loss, it has little nutrient value while it's golden and retains it's form. It can also house slugs and snails. However over time it will break down and feed the soil. You can boost the composting process by sticking a spade full of soil and a couple of worms in the top of each open sack and watering well. Adding a handful of grass clippings from time to time will also help. Then just leave them 3+ months (you could tip out the bags and make a compost heap instead). The resulting composted material is much more useful for the soil as a mulch.
All organic material is good, but well composted is the best way to use it.

Research straw bale growing for more information on the style of gardening.

[ameno]

While straw can mulch to regulate the soil temp and reduce moisture loss, it has little nutrient value while it's golden and retains it's form. It can also house slugs and snails. However over time it will break down and feed the soil. You can boost the composting process by sticking a spade full of soil and a couple of worms in the top of each open sack and watering well. Adding a handful of grass clippings from time to time will also help. Then just leave them 3+ months (you could tip out the bags and make a compost heap instead). The resulting composted material is much more useful for the soil as a mulch.
All organic material is good, but well composted is the best way to use it.

Research straw bale growing for more information on the style of gardening.

Actually, depending on your main reason for mulching, composted material actually might not be better.
The more decomposed the material is, the quicker it will be incorporated into the soil by invertebrates, microorganisms and just rain washing it in.
This is good if your main purpose is to feed the plant and the soil. But if you want the mulch primarily to retain water and suppress weeds, then this is actually a bad thing. You want the mulch to last, not to disappear withing two months and then need reapplying.
If water retention and weed suppression is your main goal, straw is ideal as a mulch for vegetable crops, as it only needs applying once in about May or June and will last the whole summer, but should then have fully decomposed by the following spring, so you don't have to worry about dealing with residual mulch from last year.
For permanent planting, like fruit bushes, something like bark chips may even be worth considering, as these will last for two or three years before they need topping up. Again, for water retention and weed suppression. Obviously you would need to look elsewhere to feed your plants.