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| What is Textraw® and what is it made of?
Textraw® is synthetic pine straw made from recycled polypropylene. Polypropylene does not absorb water or chemicals. It recycles easily, from bottle scrap, carpet backing, fiber and yarn. Textraw® has been designed to simulate a consistent mixture of 10 - 14" reddish-brown pine needles that fall in the spring from the old, original long leaf pine trees, which are just about gone. Most natural pine straw today comes from loblolly or slash pine species, with needles that are shorter, typically 6 - 10". Because they don't contain as much resin, loblolly and slash decompose and lose their color quickly. |
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Will Textraw® fade?
Textraw® contains ultraviolet inhibitors to keep its color from fading due to sunlight, just like indoor-outdoor carpet does. Textraw® has been tested in a xenon arc accelerated weatherometer to the equivalent of 4 years outdoor exposure in South Florida without any significant color loss. We estimate the surface layer of Textraw® will easily maintain its color for 4 years. Areas not exposed to sunlight will last indefinitely. As Textraw® is occasionally flipped and fluffed, needles on the surface are turned under, and the life of Textraw® is increased. |
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Isn't natural pine straw better for my plants and soil?
Actually, natural pine straw contains virtually no nutrients, other than acidity. For some plants, that acidity is a small plus. For others, it is a minus. Since Textraw® does not mat down or thatch like natural pine straw, it maintains its breathability, which helps oxygenate soil and deter mold and fungus growth. |
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Is Textraw® safe for the environment?
Textraw® is safe for the environment. It is made from post-industrial recycled product. After its useful life is over, clean product is capable of being recycled. Textraw® photodegrades into carbon, hydrogen, calcium carbonate and iron oxide, all harmless components. |
Is any maintenance of the product required?
Textraw® should be turned, or fluffed, to maintain its appearance. Fluffing not only turns under organic debris such as leaves, but extends its life by exposing all needles evenly to the sun. Since Textraw®'s useful life-cycle depends on it staying in place, care must be taken not to overmow or edge with a weed-eater, and to maintain tucked borders with an application of Stay-Put. |
How much Textraw® will I need?
A Twenty (20) pound roll of Textraw® will cover 40 sqaure feet to a depth of 3.5". This is equivalent to two 15 lb. bales of natural pine straw. Textraw® equals about 2/3 of a cubic yard of wood mulches, such as hardwood, cypress, colored mulch and mini-bark. |
Just a few of the benefits from using Textraw!
- Cuts mulch and maintenance costs 30%
- Reduces weeds and insects
- Made from Recycled material
- Better for plants
- Looks great year round
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StayPut
Textraw StayPut is made for severe slopes.
As shown on the left, the recommended ½ pound per square foot 3.5” deep Textraw is shown on a 60 degree slope. After mixing 1:1 with water, StayPut has been applied at a rate of 500 sq ft per gallon.
StayPut is also ideal for border edges, acting like a long-lasting “hairspray” to maintain carefully formed tuck-and-rolls, or in areas with moderate water flow and leaf fall, to prevent Textraw from migration.
Stay Put acts as a surface tackifier, maintaining maximum volume of the installation every time it is fluffed. |
Comparison
Textraw vs. Pine straw
| Feature |
Textraw |
Pinestraw |
| Dependable year-round production |
Seasonal; spotty |
| Consistent longleaf pine reddish-brown "spring" needles, the most prized |
Inconsistent; depends on season, species, freshness, weather |
| Consistent mixture of 9-10" strand lengths to simulate highly-desired old, original longleaf pine needles |
Highly variable by species on pine; mostly loblolly and slash, with 6-10" needles |
| UV-stabilized; tested; warranted to retain color for 4 years |
Decomposes immediately; turns brown; bleached gray in 6-12 months |
| None; does not decompose |
100% loss; most in first six months |
| Clean, easy, quick |
Gloves recommended |
| Turns, fluffs easily; extends life |
Crumbles when turned or fluffed; top-dress every 4-6 months |
| Passes moisture to soil and helps prevent evaporation; patented concave needle profile funnels all moisture to soil |
Needles absorb and trap moisture |
| Highly resistant to foot traffic and handling |
Becomes increasingly brittle with age |
| Over years, breaks down into harmless carbon, hydrogen, calcium carbonate and iron oxide |
Increases acidity |
| Maintains breathability; helps oxygenate soil and deter mold and fungus growth |
Mats, thatches and becomes spongy; decomposes and acts like second soil layer, causing roots to grow "up" |
| None, always clean, pure , sterile bales |
Even when hand-combed, contains weeds, grass seed, mold spores, pine pollen, insects, fungus, mildew, sticks, twigs, leaves and pine cones |
| Does not attract insects |
Damp environment attracts insects, especially ants, roaches and termites |
| Rake out old straw once; pre-emerge once; less weeds |
Rake out old straw annually; pre-emerge annually; more weeds |
| Requires sustained exposure to flame to burn; will melt |
Highly flammable when dry |
| Not affected by herbicides or pesticides |
Absorbs chemicals |
| Will not absorb water; lighter than water and will float; not recommended for low-lying areas subject to flooding or run-off |
Will wash-away if used in areas subject to flooding or run-off |
| Post-industrial recycled product; clean product can be recycled at end of useful life |
Unregulated; mechanized raking increases tree mortality; over-harvesting negatively affects forest growth and soil productivity, causes erosion and loss of wildlife habitat |
| Yes |
No |
| 40 sq ft @ 3.5" depth |
Depends on bale size |
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