So what’s the deal with pine straw? Hoarding, short supply, what is it?

Almost all pine needles outside big box stores in mid to western NC come from one company out of Georgia. They like you to take the whole truck or cage to be a buyer. They have reduced the size of a bale two years ago and are selling to the retail stores for $4 a bale if a steady customer. $4.25 if not. They deliver if they feel like it. There is little money in mark up. Too much hassle for a $5.25-$5.75 bail.
Pine needles are excellent for preventing weed growth. Mulch sucks. Weeds and termites love mulch. Almost all my local places stopped selling pine needles. I’m searching for 50 bails now.
 
Dale Gribble said:
$1-1.50’s a good deal.
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I was at $6.50 a bale all in last year, “installed”, and I have a berm in the back that is a bear to spread straw on, or do anything else on. I figured $1.50 a bail to spread because I’m used to paying $5.00 per bail with tax for crappy, trashy, dried out straw.
 
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LeeMajors said:
Do you call this a hose-pipe View attachment 333139
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I used to work with a guy from the Bronx and a guy from Gastonia. More than once they had this argument, hose vs hose pipe. Also about pen vs ink pen, and a few others.

The people I've heard use the term "pine straw" ain't native to this part of the country.

.
 
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Bail or bale? Can't have both.....Rodrigo is not from around here. He's from a foreign land, he has a 919 area code.
 
SPST said:
Most of the pine needles in Charlotte come out of Pageland, SC.
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Several companies there, but my buddy Derek might be the biggest hauler.

I got behind one of his trucks a couple months ago and seeing what time it was, figured the straw/needles/leaves were about to ride all the way back to Pageland. I knew the driver was a son of Derek's, so I called Derek and asked if that piece of a load was going all the way back to Pageland (we were in Cheraw).

Long, boring story short, he got detoured and was able to unload the 30 bales in my front yard for $4.50 per.

As much as I like to support my friends, a coworker of my wife sells pretty clean bales for $3 each. The needless are raked off her property next to her house, maybe 30 minutes from mine.
 
Gator said:
I used to work with a guy from the Bronx and a guy from Gastonia. More than once they had this argument, hose vs hose pipe. Also about pen vs ink pen, and a few others.

The people I've heard use the term "pine straw" ain't native to this part of the country.

.
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The forbears arrived 1720 in eastern NC.
 
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SimpleMan said:
Bail or bale? Can't have both.....Rodrigo is not from around here. He's from a foreign land, he has a 919 area code.
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Lives in Sanford, hauls from Pinehurst. His English is better than some locals. Don’t be dissin my boy. I’m pretty sure he’s legal.
 
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I think I’ll start a new thread on Friday night.

“Mulch snobs”
Is you is, or is you ain’t one?
 
After many hours of deep reflection and self examination this past week, I could buy the argument that they are pine needles while living on the tree, and pine straw when dried out on the ground.

Kinda like wheat has stems while growing that we call straw when dried out.

That's my profound realization for the week. Maybe the month.
 
I got text from the desert today. My deployed neighbor wanted to know if I had a spare bale of PINE STRAW for his wife’s gardening project.
 
I have spread sold and delivered a ton of pine STRAW in my time as a landscaper.....born and raised here in NC....ill have to ask my grandma what she called it when we used to go down in the pasture and rake it up and carry up by wheel barrow to spread around her house.
 
DurhamDad said:
After many hours of deep reflection and self examination this past week, I could buy the argument that they are pine needles while living on the tree, and pine straw when dried out on the ground.

Kinda like wheat has stems while growing that we call straw when dried out.

That's my profound realization for the week. Maybe the month.
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Once is dried and on the ground, you still can't drink from that "straw"
 
Needles to say, I've always called it straw and mostly heard it called straw.

It seems once everyone and their mother started advertising, it became needles. But I'm yet to hear anyone around here say, "I gotta get me some pine needles."

This is my buddy's business, and they say needles.

www.mcmanusfarmsinc.com

McManus Farms, Inc.

Top quality pine needles for commercial and residential landscapers and home owners.
www.mcmanusfarmsinc.com
 
kcult said:
Needles to say, I've always called it straw and mostly heard it called straw.

It seems once everyone and their mother started advertising, it became needles. But I'm yet to hear anyone around here say, "I gotta get me some pine needles."

This is my buddy's business, and they say needles.

www.mcmanusfarmsinc.com

McManus Farms, Inc.

Top quality pine needles for commercial and residential landscapers and home owners.
www.mcmanusfarmsinc.com
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I grew up in Inman, SC and Blue Ridge, VA and it was always pine needles.
 
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