PINE NEEDLES
Three trees in my garden drop a large quantity of pine needles in my garden every year. These are; a Cedar Deodara, a huge Christmas tree (a Norwegian pine) and a Parasol pine. What could I do with these needles? Can I use them to mulch around vegetables, fruit or flowers? Can I compost them? Should they go into the leafmould container? Thanks D.G by e-mail
Reply
So many questions! You are not alone with the problem of pine needles. There is a mountain of pine needles sticking to people’s socks in the front room weeks after the Christmas tree has been shredded. Opinions vary widely on the use of pine needles in the garden. The Americans approve of their use as mulch. Although they are acidic, the feeling is that they do not greatly acidify the soil. They are long lasting and look good. We have mainly acidic soil here so people seem less enthusiastic about using them. As long as you don't pile them up a foot high you could use them as mulch around shrubs, hedges and perennial plantings. You could also try them around established vegetables, but only if your soil is not already really acidic. They are very slow to decompose, so they are not suitable for adding to either compost or a leafmould heap in any quantity. I think its better to use them in small amounts and layer them into the compost bin.
Three trees in my garden drop a large quantity of pine needles in my garden every year. These are; a Cedar Deodara, a huge Christmas tree (a Norwegian pine) and a Parasol pine. What could I do with these needles? Can I use them to mulch around vegetables, fruit or flowers? Can I compost them? Should they go into the leafmould container? Thanks D.G by e-mail
Reply
So many questions! You are not alone with the problem of pine needles. There is a mountain of pine needles sticking to people’s socks in the front room weeks after the Christmas tree has been shredded. Opinions vary widely on the use of pine needles in the garden. The Americans approve of their use as mulch. Although they are acidic, the feeling is that they do not greatly acidify the soil. They are long lasting and look good. We have mainly acidic soil here so people seem less enthusiastic about using them. As long as you don't pile them up a foot high you could use them as mulch around shrubs, hedges and perennial plantings. You could also try them around established vegetables, but only if your soil is not already really acidic. They are very slow to decompose, so they are not suitable for adding to either compost or a leafmould heap in any quantity. I think its better to use them in small amounts and layer them into the compost bin.
Horticultural.
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