Are pine needles (ground up with a lawn mower) good for compost?

Thanks

Bill Donovan

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 09:03:23 -0500, "Bill Donovan" opined:

Are pine needles (ground up with a lawn mower) good for compost?

Thanks

Bill Donovan


They are excellent. I collect pine needles from any neighbors who have conifers which
shed. We don't have all that many in Austin. I will sometimes drive to the piney areas
near Bastrop (an hour or more drive) just to collect pine needles.

animaux wrote in
:

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 09:03:23 -0500, "Bill Donovan"
opined:

Are pine needles (ground up with a lawn mower) good for compost?

Thanks

Bill Donovan


They are excellent. I collect pine needles from any neighbors who
have conifers which shed. We don't have all that many in Austin. I
will sometimes drive to the piney areas near Bastrop (an hour or more
drive) just to collect pine needles.


Probably if you age them enough and mix them with other things, you will
be okay, but for the record:

http://www.alumni.ca/~wilmota/
"... This indicates that the chemical compounds could theoretically be
extracted from the pine needles and used on unwanted grass and weeds as a
natural herbicide. In order to do this, pine needle composition was
researched, and it was discovered that pine needles contain polyphenols
and monoterpenes, both of which have been connected with the inhibition
of the growth of some plants. Fresh pine needles were then broken down
and the compounds extracted with either ethyl acetate or water, and
tested on dandelions and grass. Isopropanol was added to the ethyl
acetate extracts, as they were not of appropriate consistency to spray on
plants. Several different concentrations of each extract, a 5:1 water to
isopropanol blank solution as well as a synthetic herbicide were tested
for comparison. Grass and dandelion seeds were tested with the same
concentrations and conditions to see if these compounds would inhibit
germination. " SOME PLANTS


I also found that walnut leaves have inhibitors too, according to he
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c...mposttext.html

Now I've never composted pine needles myself, and I'm just reporting this
in case someone has used pine compost and wondered why all their plants
died.

-- ST

My Irislove to have them mixed into the soil around them.


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"Salty Thumb" wrote in message
...
animaux wrote in
:

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 09:03:23 -0500, "Bill Donovan"
opined:

Are pine needles (ground up with a lawn mower) good for compost?

Thanks

Bill Donovan


They are excellent. I collect pine needles from any neighbors who
have conifers which shed. We don't have all that many in Austin. I
will sometimes drive to the piney areas near Bastrop (an hour or more
drive) just to collect pine needles.


Probably if you age them enough and mix them with other things, you will
be okay, but for the record:

http://www.alumni.ca/~wilmota/
"... This indicates that the chemical compounds could theoretically be
extracted from the pine needles and used on unwanted grass and weeds as a
natural herbicide. In order to do this, pine needle composition was
researched, and it was discovered that pine needles contain polyphenols
and monoterpenes, both of which have been connected with the inhibition
of the growth of some plants. Fresh pine needles were then broken down
and the compounds extracted with either ethyl acetate or water, and
tested on dandelions and grass. Isopropanol was added to the ethyl
acetate extracts, as they were not of appropriate consistency to spray on
plants. Several different concentrations of each extract, a 5:1 water to
isopropanol blank solution as well as a synthetic herbicide were tested
for comparison. Grass and dandelion seeds were tested with the same
concentrations and conditions to see if these compounds would inhibit
germination. " SOME PLANTS


I also found that walnut leaves have inhibitors too, according to he
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/c...mposttext.html

Now I've never composted pine needles myself, and I'm just reporting this
in case someone has used pine compost and wondered why all their plants
died.

-- ST


---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.547 / Virus Database: 340 - Release Date: 12/2/03

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

pine needles contain polyphenols
and monoterpenes, both of which have been connected with the
inhibition
of the growth of some plants.

Do NOT use pine needles as mulch with blueberries!

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)

On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 09:03:23 -0500, "Bill Donovan"
wrote:

Are pine needles (ground up with a lawn mower) good for compost?

Thanks

Bill Donovan


Yes! However, if you azalas or other acid-loving plants pine needles
make excellent mulch.

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 18:12:29 -0800, Tom Jaszewski opined:

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

What speculations are you talking about. I think I've seen a few and wondered if they
were the same. I suppose we love pine needle mulch down here because it doesn't compact
like shredded wood in the sun and though delicate, breaks down very slowly. If I HAD to
buy mulch, I'd buy pine straw bales.

Pine needles are not always an appropriate mulch. For me to assume
that because I like something makes it the best choice seems silly and
baseless. This really becomes obvious when assessing compost derived
from different sources bilogically. Pinus for the most part are fungal
dominated soils. Pine mulch isn't a very good choice for vegies and
turf. IMHO (and some smarter than I)

BTW Vic how the heck is your garden these days? and you? :)




On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 04:02:17 GMT, animaux wrote:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 18:12:29 -0800, Tom Jaszewski opined:

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

What speculations are you talking about. I think I've seen a few and wondered if they
were the same. I suppose we love pine needle mulch down here because it doesn't compact
like shredded wood in the sun and though delicate, breaks down very slowly. If I HAD to
buy mulch, I'd buy pine straw bales.

I have never been better and the garden is trying to sleep. The days are 70s and we had a
few almost freezes, nothing too speak of. I believe our garden is finally at a stage
where things can be allowed to grow and things are settling in. The coming spring will be
the fourth in this garden and it should be the best year to date.

I keep threatening to rent a sod cutter and this winter on a warm day I intend to do that
and remove many thousands of sq ft of sod. Sod, the waste of the century, IMO, of course!

Other than that, my life is indeed beyond my wildest dreams. I don't like the idea of
having anything in common with Rush Limbaugh, as it seems he now includes, with bravado,
terminology of recovery in his lengthy diatribes of hatred. I'm a liberal and want to say
FU, but I'm a Buddhist, so I say ILY. That'll have to do.

How's the slots?

V

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:35:47 -0800, Tom Jaszewski opined:

Pine needles are not always an appropriate mulch. For me to assume
that because I like something makes it the best choice seems silly and
baseless. This really becomes obvious when assessing compost derived
from different sources bilogically. Pinus for the most part are fungal
dominated soils. Pine mulch isn't a very good choice for vegies and
turf. IMHO (and some smarter than I)

BTW Vic how the heck is your garden these days? and you? :)




On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 04:02:17 GMT, animaux wrote:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 18:12:29 -0800, Tom Jaszewski opined:

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

What speculations are you talking about. I think I've seen a few and wondered if they
were the same. I suppose we love pine needle mulch down here because it doesn't compact
like shredded wood in the sun and though delicate, breaks down very slowly. If I HAD to
buy mulch, I'd buy pine straw bales.

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:35:47 -0800, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

Pine needles are not always an appropriate mulch. For me to assume
that because I like something makes it the best choice seems silly and
baseless. This really becomes obvious when assessing compost derived
from different sources bilogically. Pinus for the most part are fungal
dominated soils. Pine mulch isn't a very good choice for vegies and
turf. IMHO (and some smarter than I)



I do a considerable amount of composting - about 35 yards per year,
probably more next year. I use a lot of leaves, grass clippings and
manure. The leaves invariably have some pine needles mixed in. One
year later , when I have beautiful compost the one defect is the pine
needles. They are black from the surrounding compost but otherwise
unaffected. I have no idea how long it take to compost them as I
have only been doing this for three years and it takes longer than
that.

John

Feel free to tall me it's none of my beeswax, but I'm curious what sect of
buddhism?

Dave

"animaux" wrote in message
...
I have never been better and the garden is trying to sleep. The days are
70s and we had a
few almost freezes, nothing too speak of. I believe our garden is finally
at a stage
where things can be allowed to grow and things are settling in. The
coming spring will be
the fourth in this garden and it should be the best year to date.

I keep threatening to rent a sod cutter and this winter on a warm day I
intend to do that
and remove many thousands of sq ft of sod. Sod, the waste of the century,
IMO, of course!

Other than that, my life is indeed beyond my wildest dreams. I don't like
the idea of
having anything in common with Rush Limbaugh, as it seems he now includes,
with bravado,
terminology of recovery in his lengthy diatribes of hatred. I'm a liberal
and want to say
FU, but I'm a Buddhist, so I say ILY. That'll have to do.

How's the slots?

V

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:35:47 -0800, Tom Jaszewski
opined:

Pine needles are not always an appropriate mulch. For me to assume
that because I like something makes it the best choice seems silly and
baseless. This really becomes obvious when assessing compost derived
from different sources bilogically. Pinus for the most part are fungal
dominated soils. Pine mulch isn't a very good choice for vegies and
turf. IMHO (and some smarter than I)

BTW Vic how the heck is your garden these days? and you? :)




On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 04:02:17 GMT, animaux wrote:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 18:12:29 -0800, Tom Jaszewski
opined:

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

What speculations are you talking about. I think I've seen a few and
wondered if they
were the same. I suppose we love pine needle mulch down here because it
doesn't compact
like shredded wood in the sun and though delicate, breaks down very
slowly. If I HAD to
buy mulch, I'd buy pine straw bales.

Tibetan Buddhism in the Mahayan tradition. I study under, but not directly, Pema Chodron.
She is a western born Tibetan Buddhist nun, who lives at Ghempo Abbey in Nova Scotia. Of
course, I also study the working of The Dalai Lama, naturally!

Victoria

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 01:16:19 GMT, "David J Bockman" opined:

Feel free to tall me it's none of my beeswax, but I'm curious what sect of
buddhism?

Dave

"animaux" wrote in message
.. .
I have never been better and the garden is trying to sleep. The days are
70s and we had a
few almost freezes, nothing too speak of. I believe our garden is finally
at a stage
where things can be allowed to grow and things are settling in. The
coming spring will be
the fourth in this garden and it should be the best year to date.

I keep threatening to rent a sod cutter and this winter on a warm day I
intend to do that
and remove many thousands of sq ft of sod. Sod, the waste of the century,
IMO, of course!

Other than that, my life is indeed beyond my wildest dreams. I don't like
the idea of
having anything in common with Rush Limbaugh, as it seems he now includes,
with bravado,
terminology of recovery in his lengthy diatribes of hatred. I'm a liberal
and want to say
FU, but I'm a Buddhist, so I say ILY. That'll have to do.

How's the slots?

V

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 14:35:47 -0800, Tom Jaszewski
opined:

Pine needles are not always an appropriate mulch. For me to assume
that because I like something makes it the best choice seems silly and
baseless. This really becomes obvious when assessing compost derived
from different sources bilogically. Pinus for the most part are fungal
dominated soils. Pine mulch isn't a very good choice for vegies and
turf. IMHO (and some smarter than I)

BTW Vic how the heck is your garden these days? and you? :)




On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 04:02:17 GMT, animaux wrote:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2003 18:12:29 -0800, Tom Jaszewski
opined:

All speculation and falsehoods aside, it makes a fantastic mulch for
Pinus plantings of the same species.

What speculations are you talking about. I think I've seen a few and
wondered if they
were the same. I suppose we love pine needle mulch down here because it
doesn't compact
like shredded wood in the sun and though delicate, breaks down very
slowly. If I HAD to
buy mulch, I'd buy pine straw bales.

In article ,
Jim Lewis wrote:
pine needles contain polyphenols
and monoterpenes, both of which have been connected with the
inhibition
of the growth of some plants.

Do NOT use pine needles as mulch with blueberries!

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)



Why not?


billo

"Bill Oliver" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jim Lewis wrote:
pine needles contain polyphenols
and monoterpenes, both of which have been connected with the
inhibition
of the growth of some plants.

Do NOT use pine needles as mulch with blueberries!

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to
the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)



Why not?


See above. Blueberries are sensitive to those things -- a fact I
discovered after I mulched my 2 dozen blueberries with pine straw
then complained to my local Florida fruit-specialty nursery that
the plants weren't doing well. They said to get rid of the pine
straw, give the plants a one-time dose of Miracid, and mulch with
oak leaves. I did and my berries have been doing better every
year since.

It pays to deal with a specialty nursery, or at least a _real_
nursery and not one of those mass-market "home centers."

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)