Unveiling the Secrets Straw vs. Hay - Which is the Superior Bedding?

While hay and straw are often confused, hay is grown and harvested specifically for feeding animals, whereas straw is the leftover stalks from ... Hay is dried grass used to feed animals in the winter. The grass is mown in the summer & spread all over the field to dry it in the sunshine. Straw is the stalk of a cereal grain crop such as oats, barley, rye or wheat. Straw must be seeded annually while hay is a perennial grass crop. Hay is mineral rich; straw has little nutrition. My main concern as a gardener is to build soil that produces nutrient-dense produce. Straw is lower in calories compared to other forages. For this reason, it can be an ideal option for mixing with good quality hay to 'dilute' the calories ... The fundamental difference between hay and haylage is the way that the grass is conserved. Haylage tends to be cut earlier in the season than hay. Straw vs Hay. Straw is excellent bedding material for animals, can be used for mulching around plants and keeping the soil moist in your ... it may depend on the hay or straw you get as far as seeds are concerned, hay that is over ripe and ready to drop it's seeds will have more than ... Straw is a good choice for mulching the vegetable garden provided it does not contain one of the persistent herbicides. Hay will add more nutrients, but is ... Color– While the color of both straw and hay can vary, straw is typically a yellow or golden color, and hay is typically a shade of green.