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Common household remedies request

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on Wed, 05/23/2012 - 12:14pm

Because I'm so overwhelmed lately (in a good way, as I hope people will shortly be able to see) I did something really, really dumb:

I left my straw bales outside uncovered, and it rained. And now they're a bit moldy.

Can I still use them for mulch?!?! Will the mold get on the plants and eat them? What are the consequences here?

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Submitted by Lex on

how moldy?

If it's not too bad, you might want to break up the bales and spread them out to dry. Personally, i wouldn't use moldy straw as garden mulch.

NWLuna's picture
Submitted by NWLuna on

Mulch, by its very nature, tends to nurture some molds. I'd worry more about animals who eat straw with large quantities of mold spores.

Hah! You left something outside and it rained? The nerve.

I hate it when I do that.

Submitted by hipparchia on

compost the moldy ones for next year and start over with fresh straw this year if you're worried about [and if you can].

lambert's picture
Submitted by lambert on

.... was use it; I need to get those beds down. I did wait a day to see if anything hideous happened to my squash, and nothing did.

The thing that got me was that the straw was actually warm on the inside, like compost; so I had visions of creating a giant ergot factory on the property which, entertaining as it might be, is not the goal.

I ended up throwing a few clumps that were just too icky into the compost, which I assume has more powerful micro-organisms than mere straw; and using the rest. Coverage isn't as good because it's clumpy, though.

Yeah, the local consult I got was exactly on the lines of: "You left something outside and it rained"? Well, yes. Yes, did.

Turlock