Re: Pine needles

Title: Re: Pine needles
Do the recent cautions about using pine needles mulch apply, also, to the use of redwood debris and Deodar cedar needles?  Redwood debris blows into our garden from neighbors’ every autumn when our winds are from the North.  They pile up against our brick wall and turn into lovely soil by spring which I often use in the garden, including where I grow dry climate plants.  About a third of my garden is sited under  three 70’ tall Deodars which constantly drop needles which would, in any case, be impossible to remove.  They eventually become part of the soil under the trees.  I’ve always assumed they were helpful and had never thought of their effect on our native clay soils.  I grow a mix of plants in my garden, moving more and more to native California plants and those from other mediterranean climates.   I wonder if the years of cedar and redwood composted material will be problematic.  Any thoughts?

Sylvia Sykora
Oakland, CA



On 10/24/08 10:24 AM, "CDOXIADIS@telefonica.net" <CDOXIADIS@telefonica.net> wrote:

Hi Pamela--

--If your soil is alkaline and your plants mediterranean it's probably not a good idea to mulch them with pine needles. Maybe what you see is not drying but the effect of the rising acidity on alkaline loving plants.  In Corfu I only use pine mulch on my potted hydrangeas, gardenias, camelias, etc. On the ground, only around Lavandula stoechas, though it doesn't seem to help much--they're still pretty sorry looking.

Cali

Corfu, Greece
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