Does anybody use pine needles for garden mulch? I know they have a lot of turpentine in them?

-- jjjn (jjjn@bellsouth.net), June 14, 2001

Answers

Notice how very little grows where a pine tree drops its needles?

Not only are there the "natural herbicides" (tanins - which can be converted to turpintine), but the needles also make the soil very acidic. Which is why wild blueberries (sometimes called mountain huckleberries) do so well in conifer forests.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), June 14, 2001.

I use pinestraw and oak leaves (southern species) for nearly all of my mulch and they work fine for me (naturally). In the second year you might have your soil tested to see if you need to add lime but since here in Florida we have a limestone bedrock I haven't found it necessary yet.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), June 14, 2001.

we use pine needles a lot around our blueberries and strawberries. I really like them and would use them in more places if I had more. Really keeps the weeds down and it is easy to spread a little lime in the spring and then put more down. (we don't lime the berries, just other areas where acidic would be detrimental)

-- diane (gardiacaprine@yahoo.com), June 14, 2001.

Around acid loving plants, they are the best. Azaleas etc. I've even seen tomatoes with pine straw.

-- Joan Murray (alandjoan@juno.com), June 14, 2001.

where can I find them in bulk, in the va, nc area? Thanks Diuqytrof

-- Who wants to know? (fortyquid@hotmail.com), August 27, 2001.