I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.

Steve

Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.


With hay then you'll be sowing a lot of
grass seeds and possibly encouraging voles, which can
sometimes be destructive & ring-bark new trees.

--
Anton

The message
from "anton" contains these words:


Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.


With hay then you'll be sowing a lot of
grass seeds and possibly encouraging voles, which can
sometimes be destructive & ring-bark new trees.

For many years I used a lot of hay mulch under the trees in our last
garden; grass growth from the seed was never a problem (but I had
chickens scrabbling in the decomposing hay for worms). But as Anton
says,don't let it become a hideout for voles where they can sit chewing
bark; keep the hay a good 6" away from young trees' trunks.Very small
trees can have the bottom of their trunks protected against voles with
tubes made from a plastic bottle.

Janet

How old are the hay bales? If they have been outside all the time and have
gone through a summer or two and been rained on, the seeds will have
sprouted and then died. If not, this summer, water them down a time or two
and they should be safe the next year. Good luck. Dwayne

"anton" wrote in message
...

Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.


With hay then you'll be sowing a lot of
grass seeds and possibly encouraging voles, which can
sometimes be destructive & ring-bark new trees.

--
Anton

In article , says...
How old are the hay bales? If they have been outside all the time and have
gone through a summer or two and been rained on, the seeds will have
sprouted and then died. If not, this summer, water them down a time or two
and they should be safe the next year. Good luck. Dwayne

"anton" wrote in message
...

Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.


With hay then you'll be sowing a lot of
grass seeds and possibly encouraging voles, which can
sometimes be destructive & ring-bark new trees.

--


thanks for the information, I think I shall try it out. I suppose I ought
to test it out against other mulching methods to determine how effective
it is. I am sure our cats will engage with any vole situations that might
arise (I won't be holding my breath tho').


cheers

Steve

In article , Stephen
Birchall writes

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.

We have a build up of old hay and bedding straw from time to time. It
comes in with our regular deliveries of stable manure. I put it by until
I am going to begin a fresh compost heap, then I use it as a base which
will soak up any stray juices which may collect at the bottom of the
heap. By the time the heap is built, then matured, then used, the hay
and straw base resembles the rest of the compost.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for
newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and
am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any
useful
tips.

----------
Over the past 5 yrs I have been planting small (and I mean small!) trees and
shrubs in what was a paddock but is fast becoming a woodland. All these
were planted into the existing grassland, with compost added, and then
mulched with old hay.
None of them have shown any vole damage, and all have grown well except a
special crabapple that I bought as a larger tree because that was the only
size available. It has not grown at all, whereas all the whips are romping
away.
Moral of the story is; don't waste money buying larger specimens if you can
buy them small.
So I would use the straw, it also provides nutrients as it rots down.

If you ever come across a book called "The No-Work Garden" by Ruth Stout,
it is well worth reading. She mulches everything with hay.

Best wishes,
Marina

In article ,
says...


Stephen Birchall wrote in message ...

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for
newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and
am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any
useful
tips.

----------
Over the past 5 yrs I have been planting small (and I mean small!) trees and
shrubs in what was a paddock but is fast becoming a woodland. All these
were planted into the existing grassland, with compost added, and then
mulched with old hay.
None of them have shown any vole damage, and all have grown well except a
special crabapple that I bought as a larger tree because that was the only
size available. It has not grown at all, whereas all the whips are romping
away.
Moral of the story is; don't waste money buying larger specimens if you can
buy them small.
So I would use the straw, it also provides nutrients as it rots down.

If you ever come across a book called "The No-Work Garden" by Ruth Stout,
it is well worth reading. She mulches everything with hay.

Best wishes,
Marina


we've got 2 acres here, the top acre paddock, which I want to establish
some trees etc on to encourage as a wildlife area. It is a bit exposed,
so I'll need to plan carefully. We've been here about 16 months and the
local farmer cut and baled the hay from the paddock last summer. I
wouldn't describe it as good quality hay, could sell it at £1 a bale, but
prefer to devise alternative uses for it - would be useful as a wind
break, 2 bales in a V formation (perhaps 2 more on top) agin the wind to
give a nice shletered southerly aspect. Once the trees start to go into
the paddock, I am going to have to think of an alternative way to keep
the grass in some sort of order - I was thinking of an Allen scythe, but
these don't seem to be on the market nowadays.

I like the sound of "the no-work garden", I'll have to track down a copy

cheers

Steve

In article ,
says...
In article , Stephen
Birchall writes

I have a few doz hay bales that I am thinking of using as mulch for newly
planted trees. I've not seen any info on this in the literature and am
wondering if it is a good idea or otherwise and if anybody has any useful
tips.

We have a build up of old hay and bedding straw from time to time. It
comes in with our regular deliveries of stable manure. I put it by until
I am going to begin a fresh compost heap, then I use it as a base which
will soak up any stray juices which may collect at the bottom of the
heap. By the time the heap is built, then matured, then used, the hay
and straw base resembles the rest of the compost.


I like this idea !

thanks

Steve

In article , Stephen
Birchall writes

we've got 2 acres here, the top acre paddock, which I want to establish
some trees etc on to encourage as a wildlife area. It is a bit exposed,
so I'll need to plan carefully. We've been here about 16 months and the
local farmer cut and baled the hay from the paddock last summer. I
wouldn't describe it as good quality hay, could sell it at £1 a bale, but
prefer to devise alternative uses for it - would be useful as a wind
break, 2 bales in a V formation (perhaps 2 more on top) agin the wind to
give a nice shletered southerly aspect. Once the trees start to go into
the paddock, I am going to have to think of an alternative way to keep
the grass in some sort of order - I was thinking of an Allen scythe, but
these don't seem to be on the market nowadays.

They are -we bought one for the Nature Park last year. Well worth it,
lot less work than a strimmer. Less than 500 pounds IIRC. Stihl,
possibly?

For diversity of plants, which is foundation for diversity of higher
life, important thing is to reduce nutrient levels by removing the
mowings.

If you're moving over to woodland, you could get away with just cutting
a circle around the young trees. As they grow, they will begin to
suppress the grass growth.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/