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Pine Needles??

Solem22

Solem22

Last year I used pine needles to cover one of my garden beds. I am planning to prep all my beds in a week or so for the upcoming season. My question is, should I just till in the pine needles? I did not do anything to this particular area as far as amendments last year so it is basically just red clay. I do plan to add amendments and try to make the soil less dense this year.
 
Any ideas about this? Has anyone used pine needles before?
 
i had some pine needles get mixed with my soil a few years ago and it didnt seem to hurt anything.. infact the bhuts i had in that container seemed to do better than the others ... likely a coincidence but still no issues .
 
motocross308 said:
i had some pine needles get mixed with my soil a few years ago and it didnt seem to hurt anything.. infact the bhuts i had in that container seemed to do better than the others ... likely a coincidence but still no issues .
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Good to know. Thanks for the reply!
 
It is slightly acidic but its ok and it looks good in my opinion :) just as the tree itself. Some plants like that, peppers don't really, but it won't hurt them.
 
Here in New Zealand we have swathes of forests dedicated to growing Pinus Radiata which is what we call the Monterey Pine.  Anyway in these forests nothing grows on the ground due to some function of the pine needles dropped I guess. Perhaps they acidify the soil too much?  Having seen these bare patches under many pine forests I would not use pine needles in my soil.
 
There has been much debate and research into whether pine trees acidify the soil or not but what is known is anything below a couple inches is nearly always unaffected.  IF there is acidification of the soil it is only on the top most layer.
 
Last year I was reading some dude's blog and he mixed pine needles into his container mix nearly one part needles per 2 parts everything else.  The pepper, eggplant and tomato plants that grew in those pots did better than all the rest.
 
millworkman said:
There has been much debate and research into whether pine trees acidify the soil or not but what is known is anything below a couple inches is nearly always unaffected.  IF there is acidification of the soil it is only on the top most layer.
 
Last year I was reading some dude's blog and he mixed pine needles into his container mix nearly one part needles per 2 parts everything else.  The pepper, eggplant and tomato plants that grew in those pots did better than all the rest.
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Perhaps the pine needles in the forests form a physical barrier which prevents growth and it isn't a function of acidification.  I haven't read on the topic, it was an observation so I am happy to admit I may be incorrect on the cause.
 
I use pine needles as a mulch for my garden plot and also my azaleas. They do provide some acidity but not enough to drop pH to a level that's undesirable. Peppers prefer soil somewhat on the acidic side - also helps with uptake of some important trace metal elements.
 
My problem with pine needles is they take FOREVER to break down.
 
It's like using city compost,You can't use your hands to mess with it unless you like getting cut up from glass every so often.
 
I regretted adding pine needles to my compost 1 year,For 3 I found EVERY sharp end of EVERY needle stuck in my hand at 1 time or another.
They REALLY burn too.
 
I do see the soil on my parents land as being acid from centuries of pine needles breaking down etc.
 
In a compost pile I doubt it matters,LOTS of organics are acid as they break down but in the long run aren't a problem.
 
millworkman said:
It learns what you normally talk about. :)
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I don't talk about that. It is just whacked out. I never typed pimp. I typed pine. I used pine many times while making a list for wood. I have also used ash for my list of compost stuff. I don't know how it typed ass. Me being tired doesn't help.
 
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