Ok guys here is the questions whats the best type of mulch to use out of theses on it may come out of the chook pen before going on to the garden so take that in to mind as well. List is.

1- Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.

Pros and Cons for the lot would be good.

Lucerene is full of nitrogen, which is why it’s the recommended hay for no-dig beds.

I remember something somewhere about woodchips not being a good mulch. Something in my water unit at uni. Don’t think I’ve got the notes any more. Became rabidly anti-uni once I graduated :-) But vague memory of there being some issue with the way water and wood worked together in the garden.

I do remember that if the mulch is too thick it’s actually detrimental, ‘cause it stops water getting through to the soil. And if it’s too fine it creates easy pathways for water to evaporate out of the soil.

I love to dig in mine alot. Remember Hay isnt very cheap at the moment around here not much rain fall for growing it yet.

Wood shavings draw Nitrogen out of the soil

Grasshopper said:

Wood shavings draw Nitrogen out of the soil

Ok, chooks would bring it back up with the droppings in the Shavings wouldn’t it poos got Nitrogen in it? Also it will be used as bedding first in the chook pens and there’s going to be about 10 of them and then put to use on the garden or composted in big piles if i am not using it straight away.

veg gardener said:

Ok guys here is the questions whats the best type of mulch to use out of theses on it may come out of the chook pen before going on to the garden so take that in to mind as well. List is.

1- Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.

Pros and Cons for the lot would be good.

They are all good mulches but it depends on what you want out of a mulch.

Wood shavings rot best mixed with the deposits from the horse stables.. always gotta be careful whith chookshyte
Sugar Cane mulch dunno because I can only get it here if I buy it from the store with the big B and I prefer to source my mulch for no cost but it sounds similar to rice straw.. slow to break down.
Straw of any kind is good mulch
old lucerne hay.. is one of the bestest.

I have never used the sugar cane one but I have heard it is very good

roughbarked said:

veg gardener said:

Ok guys here is the questions whats the best type of mulch to use out of theses on it may come out of the chook pen before going on to the garden so take that in to mind as well. List is.

1- Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.

Pros and Cons for the lot would be good.

They are all good mulches but it depends on what you want out of a mulch.

Wood shavings rot best mixed with the deposits from the horse stables.. always gotta be careful whith chookshyte
Sugar Cane mulch dunno because I can only get it here if I buy it from the store with the big B and I prefer to source my mulch for no cost but it sounds similar to rice straw.. slow to break down.
Straw of any kind is good mulch
old lucerne hay.. is one of the bestest.

Hey Rough, the shavings will be mixed with alot of different deposits from goats the chooks and the horses. I can get sugar cane where i get my grains from for my chooks same with the shavings.

*Mulching vegetable gardens: One rule for the vegetable garden is never mulch onions as the bulbs need to swell and ripen in the sun. Virtually all other vegetables love mulch but never use pine bark or wood chips because you are constantly digging the vegetable patch and these mulches should not be dug into the soil. Pea straw makes an excellent mulch that will be taken into the soil by the worms and will enrich the soil. Barley straw is just as good as pea straw and will suppress the weeds, hold in the moisture and keep the soil cool in the summer.

If you mix mushroom compost with old sheep manure you get a magnificent feeding mulch that can be placed over pea or barley straw. Water in the feeding mulch with a liquid fertiliser of seaweed concentrate and water. This will further enrich the soil and create a super feeding mulch that the plants will thrive on.*

Taken off the gardening Australia site. May be some help to me.

veg gardener said:

roughbarked said:

veg gardener said:

Ok guys here is the questions whats the best type of mulch to use out of theses on it may come out of the chook pen before going on to the garden so take that in to mind as well. List is.

1- Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.

Pros and Cons for the lot would be good.

They are all good mulches but it depends on what you want out of a mulch.

Wood shavings rot best mixed with the deposits from the horse stables.. always gotta be careful whith chookshyte
Sugar Cane mulch dunno because I can only get it here if I buy it from the store with the big B and I prefer to source my mulch for no cost but it sounds similar to rice straw.. slow to break down.
Straw of any kind is good mulch
old lucerne hay.. is one of the bestest.

Hey Rough, the shavings will be mixed with alot of different deposits from goats the chooks and the horses. I can get sugar cane where i get my grains from for my chooks same with the shavings.

perhaps it is is wisest to separate some of the deposits into different branches of the organic bank.

roughbarked said:

veg gardener said:

roughbarked said:

They are all good mulches but it depends on what you want out of a mulch.

Wood shavings rot best mixed with the deposits from the horse stables.. always gotta be careful whith chookshyte
Sugar Cane mulch dunno because I can only get it here if I buy it from the store with the big B and I prefer to source my mulch for no cost but it sounds similar to rice straw.. slow to break down.
Straw of any kind is good mulch
old lucerne hay.. is one of the bestest.

Hey Rough, the shavings will be mixed with alot of different deposits from goats the chooks and the horses. I can get sugar cane where i get my grains from for my chooks same with the shavings.

perhaps it is is wisest to separate some of the deposits into different branches of the organic bank.

Should have explained myself a bit more. We collect the horse droppings out of the paddocks same with the cows, the goats when we clean out the stable they are in we rake it into a big pile and move it to where i make the compost this sometimes have shavings in this stable. Then for the chooks i use the shavings on the floor and the nesting boxes of the pens. and then combine it into a big mix with the skidsteer.

I like sugarcane mulch, and I don’t think you can go wrong with lucerne mulch.

bluegreen said:

I like sugarcane mulch, and I don’t think you can go wrong with lucerne mulch.

Wasn’t sure what one i should be using.

veg gardener said:

bluegreen said:

I like sugarcane mulch, and I don’t think you can go wrong with lucerne mulch.

Wasn’t sure what one i should be using.

I don’t think there is any SHOULD about it. I suggest you use whatever you can get hold of the easiest or cheapest.

1— Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.
————————————————————

barley straw is mite resistant and cheap as here ($1 per bale) so that is my preferred deep litter in the chook pen.
old lucerne is the best mulch but its pretty volatile when wet so i wouldn’t use it for the chooks deep litter.

sawdust blows around too much and i haven’t used suger cane or wood shavings.

i’ve just topped my spuds with – barley straw, pine needles, lucerne and pea straw – whatever is available and cheapest.

spuds with – barley straw, pine needles, lucerne and pea straw mulch – mounded up 300mm high.

pepe said:

1— Wood shavings – Use these in the stables and the chook pens as bedding.
2. Sugar Cane Mulch – Can use this in the chook pens as well in the nesting boxes can buy it cheap like the shavings in bags.
3. Straw – Don’t use much of it around here.
4. Old lucerne hay – I chuck so of it in to my pens as well so its mixed in with the shaving is the chooks haven’t ate the lot.
————————————————————

barley straw is mite resistant and cheap as here ($1 per bale) so that is my preferred deep litter in the chook pen.
old lucerne is the best mulch but its pretty volatile when wet so i wouldn’t use it for the chooks deep litter.

i can get Cow hay for 6.00 for a bale. normal hay is about 15 dollars. cow hay is the really old and wet stuff.