Use pine needle mulch in perennial beds such as strawberries and blueberries or around shrubs; wherever you have permanent plantings. Some people fear that pine needles are too acidic for use in our gardens. When pine needles fall to the ground, they have left their life source (the tree) and begin to decompose. The needles are an impressive 12 to 18 inches. Here are some of the reasons for using pines needles in wide-row edible gardens. In the growing rows, near plants, or even in the walking rows. Deciding the best mulch for vegetable gardens can be tricky when you don’t know much about the topic. (Read my post "Wide row planting & trench composting" for the details on this planting method. Looks aside, mulch can cost a lot of money if you have a large garden, so save yourself some money and use free pine needles instead. Straw is an excellent mulch to use nearly everywhere in the garden. This episode is meant for any level of gardener who wants to learn about the benefits of pine needle mulch. Let me count the ways: 1. Benefits of Pine Needle Mulch. So, the question was posed by a PVFS customer "Can I use pine needles as a mulch for my potatoes?" Free. mulches. It breaks down fairly rapidly, altho there's variation among the types of pine straw. If you're concerned about using pine needles because you've heard they change the pH of the soil, be aware that experts at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension say that while the needles are acidic, this cannot change your soil pH. And that’s when the pH increases (acidity decreases) and they turn yellow and then brown. And there are several different kinds of mulch, each with its own set of pros and cons. Mulching vegetable beds that are harvested daily may not be very practical because pine needles are prickly! Oak leaves and pine needles on the other hand are not a good choice. Vegetable garden and pine needles Asked February 13, 2015, 7:09 PM EST I have read several places where it is bad to have pine needle mulch in your vegetable garden, and other places that say there is … Marigolds, snapdragons, zinnias, dahlias and roses are just a few flowers that grow well in pine needle mulch. Pine needles blow out of place more easily than mulch, and you may find yourself raking it back into place from time to time. Pine needles: Best as a winter mulch for ornamental beds and shrubs, and excellent for acid-loving ornamentals and small fruits. )Pine needle mulch: 1) does a good job at limiting weeds. They are light and fluffy, so spreading them around is a piece of cake, and they don’t compact much as they decompose, so you don’t have to worry about them becoming too thick or forming a rain-impervious mat. Pine needles are acidic when they're green and may increase acidity in soil, but they become more neutral over time as they decompose. Like other wood mulches, pine bark mulch is available for purchase in different forms and textures, from finely shredded or doubled processed to larger chunks called pine nuggets. Pine straw is the name given to pine needles when they are used as top dressing mulch. 2) doesn't form a crust, so even a light rain filters to the soil and doesn't roll away. Pine Needles Can Work as Mulch Pine needles, also known as pine straw, make fine mulch for some flower beds. I’ve used pine needles, also known as pine straw, off and on in my garden, simply because I have an abundance of pine trees on our property. Pine Needles. Also, many berry bushes like acidic conditions raspberry, blueberries and strawberries benefit from the increased porosity when using such mulches. Both provide protection against weather and moisture loss, although hardwood mulch seems to outperform pine needles in preventing weeds. As pine needles decompose, they add acid to the soil. Email Gardentalkradio@gmail.com Pine needles make an excellent mulch for acid-loving garden beds. Digging down into the duff illustrates how this happens. In autumn, the most widely available organic mulches include leaves, compost, pine needles, wood chips, sawdust, and evergreen boughs. If you manage pests wisely with this product and plan for its initial costs, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages when using it. Using hands to remove pine needles can make you tired and exhausted, but it tells you the way how to get pine needles off the mulch. It's a lousy mulch in a vegetable garden, and it's not a great mulch in a perennial flower bed. Pine Needle Mulching. The odd hush under really old pine trees is created by the pine needle mulch deadening all sound. in regular soil and up to 5 … There are several reasons to choose pine needles for your mulching needs. I would advise against using pine needles to mound around potatoes and most garden vegetables. These pine needle straw mulch pros and cons will help you maintain healthier plants while reducing maintenance needs throughout the year. So why is pine straw a good mulch? It lasts a long time. If your yard is covered with pine needles from several mature pine trees, use the needles as landscape mulch rather than bagging and discarding them, especially around plants that benefit from pine needle mulch. Covering it with mulch helps keep the moisture from evaporating, and blocks the sun’s rays, keeping the soil damp and cool. Flower and Vegetable Gardens. But if you can get your hands on some, whether commercial product or your neighbor’s surplus, pine straw makes excellent and inexpensive mulch. A 2-inch layer of grass clippings provides good weed control. Pine Straw Mulch Application The recommended amount of mulch around plants is 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) Pine needle mulch collects for years under pine trees (and other coniferous trees that get labeled as pine trees), making a soft resilient carpet. Another way to use pine needles as garden mulch is to mix them in compost. This mulch isn’t suitable for more formal settings because it doesn’t look pretty once you get it layered on, but it does the job for less formal areas of your yard like your vegetable garden. make a much better mulch for vegetables than pine needles. Pine needles look like they would make a very convenient mulch and in some cases this can be true, but be careful. The pine needles will slowly degrade, at which point their nutrients will be released into the soil. A 1 1/2- to 3-inch layer of pine needles is ideal for all gardens. There are many more benefits to using pine straw as a natural mulch; read about pine straw benefits. Pine Needles as Garden Mulch. ... Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Pine needle mulch is a natural soil enhancer that reduces erosion, slows down moisture evaporation and keeps down weeds. The good thing about pine needles is that they smell good and they become attractive as they decompose. Vegetables prefer a soil pH level of 6.5 to 7 and your pine needles will help create the proper pH. Pull away the needles in spring when using pine straw for garden mulch, so that tender new shoots can easily penetrate to reach the sun and air. Pine Needles. Grass clippings. Baled pine needles are also found in garden centers for use as a mulch. Kinds of mulch. Despite our local concentration of pine forests, rarely is pine straw offered for sale. In some cases, though, bark of other evergreens, like fir and spruce, may be added into pine bark mulch. Avoid mulching any garden bed too deeply. 62 - we'll explain how you can re-purpose those pine needles in your garden. It’s the same for pine straw (pine needles) you can buy as mulch. 3) is easy to handle and remove when it's time for a crop change. These types of organic mulches are particularly useful as mulch for vegetable gardens since they add nutrients to the soil as they decompose. The fragrance of pine needles on sunny days is also an added benefit when they are used as garden mulch. Long and an attractive coppery color when dry, they make a gorgeous mulch and are extremely slow to decompose. In "Pine Needle Mulch Benefits, Exposed" - DIY Garden Minute Ep. They also allow water to seep through easily. Long needle pine straw is from the Southern Yellow pine tree. To keep the mulch layer consistent, replenish with 1 inch of pine needles each year, either in the spring or the fall. Pine needle mulch (aka pine straw) is the most common mulch material in my area. Once they dry, I like the look of the needles in the garden. Once that wonderful pine fragrance has gone out of the needles, so have the terpenes, the source of that fragrance. Joey talk about the myth that you can not use Pine needles as mulch Have a garden question send it. It goes on for years, as contrasted with littler mulch materials, for example, pine needles or leaves, the two of which decay quicker than bigger, chunkier pine bark. If you live near pine trees, this is an obvious choice. While pine needles don't break down as fast as some other types of organic mulch, they still break down. However, pine mulch isn't a bad thing and may be a good way to keep the weeds at bay. By the time pine needles are brown and dry, most of the terpenes have evaporated. You also need less long needle mulch to cover a large area. When you have collected all of those needles, there is one last piece of advice that not to throw them all in the trash. I like using it in my rose beds because it's so easy to move around when I need direct access to the soil around the plants. Mix in Compost. Adding pine needles or shredded leaves to your soil will also attract earthworms. Pine … According to "Decoding Gardening Advice" by Jeff Gillman and Meleah Maynard, pine needles may contain chemicals that keep seeds from germinating. Both are recommended for vegetable and fruit plantings. To use pine needles as plant food, simply sprinkle a small amount around your garden. (So don't put pine needles … Straw. Pine bark mulch is a compelling weed control around vegetables when layered 2 to 3 inches deep in the garden. The leaves of oak trees as well as pine needles are acidic, and can knock a soil’s PH out of balance over time. ... i know for a fact that copious amounts of pine needles will lower soil ph. Pine needle mulch — it's not just for blueberries anymore. Pine needles have been favored in landscaping projects ranging from residential to industrial and highway landscapes. More:Coronavirus 'victory garden': Plant yourself some food insurance during COVID-19 outbreak More:Harold Reid was driving force behind Statler Brothers Dr. Mike Goatley, an Extension Turfgrass Specialist at Virginia Tech and occasional guest on my radio and TV programs, says deciduous leaves (oak, maple, etc.) Pine bark mulch, as the name suggests, is made from the shredded bark of pine trees. I have a 40 acre farm and annually test soil ph in several different pastures. Which mulch … In addition, winter mulches can enhance the cold tolerance of perennial vegetables, herbs and fruits, helping to insure a strong comeback in spring. Pine needles and pine bark should be watched closely in vegetable garden as they can raise the acidic levels of the soil. 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