i have straw everywhere here, but have never heard of (or had) the kinds of problems Barbara mentions.
i think it might depend on the straw, too, and where you're putting it.
the straw i've been using is very soft and breaks down pretty quickly --- don't know the composition.
*but* i've noticed the straw they sell at the grocery stores and similar IS very, very hard and stiff. i definitely wouldn't use it for any reason.
i have it in areas which have been dug up for different reasons or just never had any grass, and in all my garden beds. one area is very large. it was dug up for new septic last year, and ended up just a mess --- very uneven and rocky. i put straw down over the entire area maybe a year and a half ago? and it's almost all grass now. same with a few other smaller areas.
the biggest danger i've seen is that snakes just love it. ! i had a record crop of rat snakes this year because they kept having their little snake babies in the straw. !!! if you have poisonous snakes in your area, that might be a reason not to do it.
people have told me they've used hay to seed their lawns --- but that might mean foxtails, but might not, depending on the hay. one neighbor bought a huge round bale of bermuda hay and put it down, and now has a lovely bermuda lawn. hay is much softer, in my experience, so maybe that's an option? you can also get smaller bales of it. from what i've been told, the cost is much, much less than seed and it works just as well.
i think it might depend on the straw, too, and where you're putting it.
the straw i've been using is very soft and breaks down pretty quickly --- don't know the composition.
*but* i've noticed the straw they sell at the grocery stores and similar IS very, very hard and stiff. i definitely wouldn't use it for any reason.
i have it in areas which have been dug up for different reasons or just never had any grass, and in all my garden beds. one area is very large. it was dug up for new septic last year, and ended up just a mess --- very uneven and rocky. i put straw down over the entire area maybe a year and a half ago? and it's almost all grass now. same with a few other smaller areas.
the biggest danger i've seen is that snakes just love it. ! i had a record crop of rat snakes this year because they kept having their little snake babies in the straw. !!! if you have poisonous snakes in your area, that might be a reason not to do it.
people have told me they've used hay to seed their lawns --- but that might mean foxtails, but might not, depending on the hay. one neighbor bought a huge round bale of bermuda hay and put it down, and now has a lovely bermuda lawn. hay is much softer, in my experience, so maybe that's an option? you can also get smaller bales of it. from what i've been told, the cost is much, much less than seed and it works just as well.
