But can they really make soil too acidic? The fact is that pine needles have almost no effect on soil acidity. Dig the needles into the soil so they can decompose and lower the pH around plants. Click here for the full disclosure statement, common garden advice to separate the myths from facts, Comparing Home Soil Test Kit Versus Lab Test, why eggshells are not really plant problem solvers. Not only are they easy on a gardener’s backs, but they also don’t compact soils. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They form a loose mat and stay put. Abundant and free in most parts of the country, pine needles are a great source of organic matter for the garden. Not true. Pine needles will rob moisture from the soil, starving your grass. Check out the latest price of Hapi-GRO 3 Cu. Many things, such as climate, rainfall, irrigation water, and the soil itself, influence soil pH. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. That concern is largely misplaced, however. Pine needles decompose very slowly so that they don’t need replacing as often as other mulches. However, top dressing, or mulched materials break down so slowly that they hardly make a difference to a soil's pH. Pine needles are full of acid, so they’re not the best option for all of your plants. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. The brown pine needles, also called pine straw, are not acidic. The biggest knock against pine needles is that they will lower the pH of the soil, making it too acid for plants to grow. They may interfere with seedbed preparation and may result in soil nitrogen depletion. We all know that nothing is perfect, including pine straw mulch. When left on the surface, pine needles break down at such a slow rate that they have little affect on soil pH. Using pine needles as mulch in the vegetable garden. You may think pine needles create acidic soil in which grass doesn’t grow. Once you know how to compost pine needles, you dont have to worry about any adverse effects. Pine needles do not acidify garden soils. Read this article to find out more about composting pine needles and see if this composting practice is right for you. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Pine needles do not acidify garden soils. Garden Benefits of Pine Straw A major benefit of pine straw, an organic mulch, is the effect of the organic matter as it breaks down in the soil. They moderate soil temperature in summer and prevent winter soils from freezing and heaving. Are Pine Needles a Good Choice for Mulching? Examining the Effect of Established Conifer and Deciduous Trees on Soil pH [, The Influence of Tree Species on Forest Soils: Processes and Patterns (PDF) [, Linking Litter Calcium, Earthworms and Soil Properties: a Common Garden Test with 14 tree species [. If you are in the Wildfire Interface, composted mulch or cedar bark products are better, safer choices. Many things, such as climate, rainfall, irrigation water, and the soil itself influence soil pH. If you happen to have pine trees growing in your yard, or close to your garden, you can collect fresh pine needles and add them to your compost pile. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This is acidic on a pH scale of one through 14, with one being the most acidic and seven being neutral. This can save you a lot of time when it comes to weeding, watering, and fertilizing. By the time pine needles gets old and are ready to drop off the tree they are barely acidic. Shake and toss pine straw the way you would regular straw, so it forms a 4″ fluffy layer. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Pine needle mulch’s acidity remains at the soil’s surface and does not alter the soil around plant roots. I knew from past experience that this gardening myth was so deeply ingrained in garden lore that with some gardeners there was nothing I could say that would cause them to change their minds. Pine needles have a pH between 3.2 to 3.8, indicating high acidity. Pine needles form a loose mat and stay put. Pine straw is flammable. 2. Plus, because pine needles take their time decomposing in the soil, they can last much longer than some other mulch types. That would suggest that the pine needles are decomposing rapidly enough to lower the soil pH. Do pine needles alter the soil pH? Due to these it prevents soil erosion and is beneficial in irrigation, especially in hilly regions. Because pine needles break down slowly, they are not useful additives to turn directly into garden soils. The mulch conserves soil moisture because it reduces daily evaporation. They allow irrigation and light rains to get through to the soil, rather than washing to the bottom of the slope and carrying away precious topsoil. The acidity in pine needles will leach into the soil, killing grass and inviting weeds. All content copyright © 2007-2020 by PrescotteNews & may not be republished or reproduced without written permission. Colorado State University states that in the vegetable garden you should not plow in woody materials such as bark or wood chips. A 2-4″ inch layer is ideal. Majority of Arizona seniors say they have become more tech savvy since the start of the pandemic, reveals study, Public Comment Requested for the Draft Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis: Abandoned Cherry Creek Mines, ‘Tis the Season to be Jolly: Arizona among the drunkest states over the holiday season, reveals survey, Arizona Weekly Gas Price Update for week of December 7, 2020, No cold elders: Volunteers provide firewood for Navajo families ahead of winter. They used pine needles as bedding because the pine needles soak up acidity in the chickens’ urine. A reading of 7.0 is neutral, below that is acidic, higher than that is alkaline. Of course, this is not fail-safe. They need to be mixed in the soil to a depth of 8 inches. These cookies do not store any personal information. I ask Stephen Legaree to share his thoughts on the topic. 5. assured him that pine needles are not a problem as far as acidifying the soil is concerned. If your pets swallow the needles it can cause them considerable pain. Give the rest away to friends and fellow gardeners in the neighborhood. But can they be composted? The idea that pine needles cause soil to acidify is an “old wives tale”. But for those plants that prefer acidic soil, it’s one of the best ways to use pine needles on the homestead. Pine needles do not acidify garden soils. Be sure the pine needles are both pest-free and disease-free. Use collected pine needles around fire-resistant plants like roses, lilacs, rhododendrons, azaleas, and maple trees. Pine needles provide a useful cover for topsoil by forming a loose mat. Recommendation – If you are fearful of wildfires and just can’t leave an insulating layer of needles behind after cleanup, try using a 2-4″ layer of shredded cedar bark or Watters Premium Mulch instead. Let’s unpack the assumptions and see if this is fact or folklore. When used as mulch, pine needles help keep the moisture in, suppress weeds, increase soil porosity, and eventually add nutrients back to the soil as they continue to break down. Nov 5, 2015 - Pine needles are a great source of organic matter for the garden. Get all the latest news for the quad city area   – Email Newsletters you can trust. Jul 13, 2020 - The idea that pine needles will change the pH of your garden soil and negatively affects some plants has been shared by gardeners for years. Pine needles make a great mulch, but do they make soil acidic, or is this a gardening myth? You should also opt for pine needles or pine straw in particularly windy or rainy areas. All Rights Reserved. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The pine needles will block out sunlight, preventing any underlying weeds from growing. If you already have native pines and junipers on your property, you know how thick the needles’ layers can be. Pine trees drop lots of needles, especially those 50-foot giants! Read this article to find out more about composting pine needles and see if this composting practice is right for you. You can keep weeds out of your garden by covering the exposed soil with pine needles. Empress of Dirt Creative + Frugal Home & Garden Ideas. Because pine needles contain high levels … Composted material and bark products don’t burn as quickly as pine straw. A 2″ layer of pine straw settles down to form a 1″ mulch cover. I’ve already mentioned that availability can be a problem. [convertkit form=1175393] Importance of Mulching. Once pine needles settle, very few float away in heavy rain. Gutter guards protect rain gutters, but piles of needles are on the ground. 6. When pine needles fall to the ground, they have left their life source (the tree) and begin to decompose. Which is why it is important that you keep them away from your garden while deploying the pine bark mulch. Snippet: 6 reasons to use pine needle mulch. It is true that pine needles have a pH of 3.2 to 3.8 when they drop from a tree. Whether you use pine needles in compost or as a mulch around your plants, they provide essential nutrients and improve the soils ability to hold moisture. Pine needles decompose very slowly so that they don’t need replacing as often as other mulches. Pine tree needles work well as a mulch in your garden because they do the same exact thing that arborist or other types of woodchip mulch do. Pine straw is the name given to pine needles when they are used as top dressing mulch. You’ll find that several soil benefits occur when you begin using pine needle straw mulch for your lawn and garden needs. No matter their drawbacks, I collect and use pine needles for my gardens. Protect your Pine Trees – Drought has put pine trees at a high risk this winter. It turns out that fresh pine needles taken directly from a tree are slightly acidic. The presence of decomposing pine needles or pine straw mulch in a home garden is not going to change your soil pH, harm your plants, or boost the ‘acid-loving’ ones. Just sprinkle a thin, but complete, layer over the soil to prevent the growth of weeds. You’d have to actively work the needles into the soil for them to have any real effect on its pH. Add 3 to 5 inches of pine needle mulch to your garden beds in the fall. Ft. Pine Bark Organic Mulch on Amazon Here. Plants like roses, lilacs, rhododendrons, azaleas, and fertilizing this category includes. Trees at a high risk this winter needles or pine straw, be aware can. And fluffy, but those needles are decomposing rapidly enough to lower the pH level affects many things such! Sheds water away from your plants layer of pine needles create acidic soil in which grass doesn t... Assumptions and see if this composting practice is right for you tale ” of … do you have an of! 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