The Bales of Straw Needed to Mulch an Irregular Area calculators computes the number AREA COVERED of regular square-bales of straw or hay needed to cover an area such as a field, garden or planter to a depth adequate to suppress the growth of grass and weeds. To compute the Bales of Straw Needed to Mulch a Rectangular Area, CLICK HERE.
INSTRUCTIONS: Choose your length units and enter the following:
The Bales of Straw Need to Mulch an Irregular Area calculator will then compute the area in square feet and divide by the number of square feet covered in a single bale of straw. This will result in the total number of bales needed for ground cover of the area.
Mulching is different than ground cover for planting. For mulching, one wants to suppress the growth of grass and weeds. For ground cover, one wants to protect grass seed and young seedlings to encourage grass growth and moisture retention. The differences is in the depth of the straw laid. This calculator computes straw deep enough to suppress weed growth.
Mulching is an excellent way to help your garden, plants, shrubs or trees in your yard. Mulch slows the growth of weeds, while allowing water and air to get to your plants; it also provides a pleasing visual boundary to highlight your plants.
To help you know how much mulch you need for a job, the vCalc mulch calculator helps calculate the volume of mulch needed. The volume equations, mulch cover (area), mulch cover (circular) and mulch cover (rectangle) both use the dimensions of the area to be covered and the desired depth of mulch in order to calculate the volume. The volume is returned in cubic units (system units such as cubic feet) or in standard bags. Bags of mulch in the U.S. typically come in units of 2 cubic feet. Note: most experts recommend a depth(d) of 1" to 2" of fine mulch or 3" to 4" of coarse mulch.
The mulch cost equation allows you to enter the cubic measurement (ft3 or m3) and then lets you enter the unit price for a cubic foot of mulch. vCalc uses the volume and unit price to compute the total cost. Local pricing should always be used. However, for the convenience of the user, a periodic Internet survey is made of mulch prices. The most recent observations are as follows: