Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Monday, October 27, 2014 11:14:11 AM UTC-7, Bob F wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
The street where I have lived for [censored] years is afflicted with
horrible trees;

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7497036_casuarina-trees.html

If it isn't the effing needles, it's the effing sharp seeds or the
effing sap on parked cars.

The City won't take out "healthy" trees. Whoever was the "forester"
that put them in, could be 100 years? (I wasn't there g) didn't
know much about species.

(Ex: He put in a variety of Ficus that has GIANT above-ground roots
that wreck sidewalks and trip people.

ID'd as Indian Laurel Fig, Ficus nitida
Scientific Name: Ficus retusa ssp. nitida (Th.) Miq.
Synonym: Ficus microcarpa var. nitida)

Back to subject: Those effing needles obscure plantings and clutter
up my arrangements.
They do not compost well, or at all, so I gave up and just rake
them out and put in
yard waste bin..

This is a huge PITA, so I wonder if I can just apply small nugget
mulch right on top of needles. Would presence of needles under
mulch interfere with function of mulch: to help conserve water in
our drought, as well as aesthetics.

Tree supposedly originated in OZ. Hope somebody has an educated
opinion on whether it's safe to mulch over needles.

I had an opoportunity once to receive a pickup load of pine needles.
I jumped at the opportunity, and they make great long lasting mulch,
that does an excellent job of keeping weeds down. I imagine yours
would do similarly.

Interesting! Trying to connect this in my mind with my experience in
composting.
Needles never DID compost. Is this good or bad for my objective of
mulching over needles? Sorry for sounding opaque g


It's good if you don't want to have to keep adding mulch. If you goal is to add
nutrients to the soil, the needles could slow that down a bit, but I wouldn't
expect much slowdown because the added mulch will speed up the composting of the
needles by keeping them more moist.