Pine Needle Compost

By composting what otherwise would be yard waste your pine needles can be converted to a rich compost which can be used in the garden for soil improvement increasing drainage or added as mulch around plants.

Pine needle compost. Many people who have put ponderosa pine needles into their compost have concluded that pine needles at best do not make good compost. Dump them straight into the pile and follow your usual practices for layering or folding in new material. Another great use for pine needles is using them as fire starters. Composting pine needles is easy when you already have a healthy compost pile set up.

Some believe that they cannot be made into compost at all. You can safely add pine needles to compost without fear that the finished product will harm your plants or acidify the soil. Another reason why gardeners avoid pine needles in compost is that they break down very slowly. Small wood chips not pine bark which decomposes slowly twigs vegetable scraps newspaper shreds are all just a few examples of what you can use to make layers.

Ponderosa pine needles are also covered with a thick cuticle that is decomposition resistant. Their acidic nature makes pine a good addition to the soil of acid loving plants. Examples of plants that do well in acidic soil are raspberry rhododendrons gardenias and strawberries. Mix the pine needles with the leaves if they are chopped they decompose faster and one way to chop them is to run over them with the lawn mower and they will decompose faster.

Most compost is naturally alkaline. The composting process should take two to four months from beginning to end. Pine needles decompose very slowly and should be mixed with a good variety of other composting material for best results. Other uses for pine needles.

Whether or not to use pine needles in your compost is a bit of a prickly question. Working pine needles into the soil without composting them first may temporarily lower the ph. When the pine needle compost is ready to use it will be brownish in color and have a very earthy smell. All you need is a handful of dry pine needles to add in with your kindling this can be wood or.

So if you have them planted in your garden you can add in some pine cones or needles next time you make a compost pile. This can be good whether you are out camping or if you happen to live in an area with pine trees and you have a fireplace. Pine needles are good for compost as they are a rich source of carbon for your compost.