Most gardeners and professional landscapers know that placing pine straw near the base of trees or other plants is very effective in protecting their root systems from extreme heat or cold. Pine straw ground cover is also an effective method of weed control because of light filtering and also because pine straw will stay in place very well even during stormy weather. Most professionals recommend that pinestraw should be applied annually. However, if it is only being used for decorative purposes, it can be applied about twice a year to keep the landscape looking fresh and vibrant.

If the main goal is to prevent weed growth and enhance the decorative look of your yard with ground cover, your application of pine straw needs to be thick, at least three inches thick. Some recommend up to six inches but that is usually not necessary, especially in shady areas such as beneath trees.

This is a nice technique to use for lining walkways and beneath benches or other seating areas which are not paved.

On the other hand if your goal is to use it in a garden or vegetable patch it is a good idea to extend the pine straw to the drip line of the plant. Keep it about two to three inches away from the plants base or the trunks of trees and shrubs. Pine straw applied in this way will also discourage rodents from feasting on the bark. As pine needles break down they slightly acidify the soil which makes this an excellent landscaping mulch for acid-loving plants, trees & shrubs such as camellias, azaleas, hydrangeas, fuchsias, gardenias, ferns, dogwoods, magnolias, holly and all evergreens.

It is always a good idea to use a pair of gardening gloves when applying pine straw.

The needles can be very prickly and harder to handle with your bare hands. Application is actually quite simple and consists of removing the bale ties and then simply taking handfuls of pine straw and shaking them over the area you are applying the straw to.

Usually pine needles (also known as pine mulch) are sold in bales like straw; each bale weighs approximately 25 pounds on average. Each bale will generally provide enough ground cover for around sixty square feet when applying the recommended 2 to 3 inches. Pine straw will adhere quite well to hillside slopes and will help to keep your landscape from having issues with erosion.