Pine needles are an excellent material for mulching garden crops, fruit trees and shrubs, but there is a nuance.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh, an expert of the online publication Belnovosti, agronomist and landscape designer, tells us what those who use pine needles as mulch need to know.
How to Use Pine Needles as Mulch
It is important to remember that pine needles cannot be used to mulch crops that prefer alkaline or neutral soils.
The fact is that pine needles increase the acidity of the soil. However, the effect of pine needles can be neutralized by adding wood ash to the soil in the spring.
It is better to use only pine needles, as spruce needles rot quickly.
The thickness of the coniferous mulch layer should be 7-15 centimeters. Fruit trees and bushes need more mulch than garden crops.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
