Mulching is a great way to provide nutrients and protection for your plants, while also beautifying the area around them. It’s important that you use a mulch of the appropriate type, though. There are many types of mulches available, but one of the most common is needle mulch.
For acid-loving garden plants is recommended to use a mulch of needles. For this purpose, autumn and early winter are the best seasons to spread the accumulating needle litter under bog plants and in heather gardens.
For what plants is suitable needle mulch?
Needle litter has a lower pH than bark mulch, which prefers acid-loving plants such as rhododendron, hydrangea, snow heather, and lavender. It is also suitable for covering the open spaces between blueberries and cranberries.
What needles are suitable for mulching material?
Recommended needle litter of larch, bald cypress, and redwood. But all other needles of coniferous trees are suitable, for example, fir, spruce, and pine.
What are the advantages of needles?
A mulch layer of needles does not crust. In particular, the long, structurally stable pine needles let rain through well and form an airy protective layer for the soil. Needle litter decomposes slowly, is easy to handle, and can also be removed quickly if bead. If you have pine trees in your area, the material is even freer of charge.
How to collect pine needles from the lawn or garden
- Use a plastic bag to collect the pine needles from around trees and other plants. This reduces stress on any plant life in your yard, while also protecting it from damage caused by removing the needles with buckets or shovels.
- Use a rake for pine straw in piles or in smaller spaces
- Make sure that you collect the pine needles when they are dry. This ensures proper decomposition of your mulch, which can take up to six months for optimal results. If it is raining outside, wait an hour before removing the needles from their original location.
- Place the needles in a compost pile.
- Store them in your shed or garage until you are ready to use them. This is especially helpful if you have extra pine needles that will not decompose quickly enough for immediate mulch use.