Asked May 27, 2020, 2:07 PM EDT
Hello, I recently was given a package of Pennington Seeding Straw with Tackifier, which was purchased at Lowe's. I can't seem to find a link to the actual product to show you, but it seems pretty similar to a lot of the other items that appear when you search for "seeding straw" on Google. I am curious as to whether this is safe to use in a vegetable garden. I have been told that using straw as a mulch is a great way to maintain soil moisture and prevent weeds, but I am not sure if I should be putting this tackifier into plants that I intend to eat. Do you have any insight on this type of product? Thank you!
Erie County New York
Expert Response
It seems there are inorganic and organic tackifiers:
https://graniteseed.com/erosion-control/tackifiers/
There also seems to be some products that claim to be an organic mulch with tackifier. For your vegetable garden, I think you would be safe to use the organic straw with the botanically derived tackifier but I haven't come across much information on these botanical glues. They are probably fine but realistically just a straw mulch works and will typically stay in place one wetted.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 27, 2020, 9:21 PM EDT
