Kay wrote:
In article .com,
La
puce writes

cineman wrote:
My advice would be not to put ivy shreddings straight onto your
bed
as even a small piece of stem can throw off roots , and as i said
before you would have the perfect groundcover. Keep in black
plastic bags under a bush or hedge for a few weeks just to start
the rotting process.

What about holly?! I'm having my holly tree professionaly pruned.
I
was offered the shreddings as they bring a machine with them. I
accepted thinking it would be a fabulous mulch but now I'm
wondering
if it's not too acid? Maybe only for the paths ... but even
though,
am I making a mistake?

Please can someone with botanical and chemical knowledge explain
this
thing about leaves being acid? I know that peat bogs are acid, but
could someone please explain the process by which pine needles.
holly
etc render the soil acid?

It's yer nitrogen balance, innit, missis? Yer plant, nah, that's like
all nitrogen and yer long-chain molecules an 'at. Yer calcium
compahns, onneuvverand, what is what achieves yer Swiss-style
neutrality, are fahnd in trivial quantities in yer average vegetable
material; an what there is, is leached aht by yer rainfall. Take it
from me, lady: you leave that stuff lyin abaht, you'll ave a bloomin
peat-bog before you can say "Paddy Murphy".

--
Mike.