Would this work for soil moisture retention

You should be able to find orchid bark at any gardening or “big box” store. It works great as a mulch.

Wood sucks for aeration or for breaking up soil. It’s extremely slow decomposing unless it’s the softest of the softwoods. It’s high cellulose is what keeps it together. It’s good for growing certain fungi. But bark used in landscaping is an insect magnet. Grasses also suck for the same reasons as wood. Great for ruminants. Not so great as a soil additive and should be used in small quantities in compost.

Week4@inCharge said:

I grabbed 15oz of saw dust from Amazon for $15. Went to PetSmart and found 1386oz of sawdust (pine bedding) for $8.
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That stuff looks too fine . The stuff I bought were decent sized shavings and I also sifted it to get the smaller pieces out before use.

would the straw bales that every place is selling right now for thanksgiving decorations not work for a soil cover?

1ManGrow said:

That stuff looks too fine . The stuff I bought were decent sized shavings and I also sifted it to get the smaller pieces out before use.

would the straw bales that every place is selling right now for thanksgiving decorations not work for a soil cover?

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Newspaper and grass would work, whatever floats your boat.

Compost in the soil to retain moisture. Mulch atop. Mulch can be plastic. Newspaper. Old grass (I hate old sour grass). Thick layer of straw. Avoid hay. Anything to block direct sunlight and provide shade.