I looked into this @Uff when I was dealing with some of the brash from the storm, and the RHS info if I remember rightly said not in any appreciable amount. It's okay to mulch with coniferous shreddings anyway.
It would make a good path surface, nice and soft and clean underfoot, but you may feel it's wasted on paths. I cover some paths with shreddings and every now and then if it's turning into soil I scrape it into the borders and top up with fresh shreddings.
Thank you Woodgreen. I have access to masses of the stuff, in the woodland that grows sitka spruce, would that be useful for adding to my heaps please?
I would use it myself, it is a nice 'open' sort of material. The stand of Norway spruce here kept incredibly weed free thanks to the needles shedding to form a thin mulch and judicious ground cover planting. I never thought of it as being possibly more acid than anywhere else, and the things I planted beneath them did very well. Just hope some have survived, I'll know when I can get in and unearth them.
For using in compost bins/heaps I suppose it's down to good mixing and keeping the moisture level right.
Thanks for all the input. These trees do dump all this stuff onto the lawn below and onto my concrete patios and walkway so it does need to be raked up and removed. I am in the city. Space is limited for storing "dumpy bags" (I like that term . . we don't use it here). In the past I have used it on the paths at my veg garden (alottment) combined with woodchips but after reading this thread (yes all of it) I thought I may be missing out on a valuable resource for my compost. As you say, Woodgreen, scraping the paths when it starts to break down and then putting it in the compost. I could perhaps use it as a mulch for my blueberries as well.
Perhaps I will keep some in a small dumpy bag to break down on its own into leaf mold but how long will this take. There will be more next year.
I'd use it for the paths or your blueberries @BeeCee. It won't break down in compost in the same way as other foliage, as I said earlier. It's a different type of material. Better as a mulch or similar, on it's own. It won't really change much in structure, even when bagged up by itself, although some will gradually become more usable over time
Whereabouts are you though? 'Ordinary' leaf mould can take a couple of years to break down.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm in Vancouver, British Columbia. I like to get info from British sites as your climate is more similar to me than any other Canadian or American areas.
Ah - Vancouver, and BC in general, is like a bigger, colder version of Scotland. It's a beautiful part of the world. I have relations there - in Vancouver and also in Sardis. My aunt married a Canadian - he was in the Air Force, and she moved there after the war
I think you're better just carrying on as you are with your cedars. It's certainly a good resource for a mulch, and ideal for your paths.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Leaves with lots of grass all mown up along with duck bedding and about 20 mashed up pumpkins. This is a new bin not sure if I'll be able to keep the mass production going, I'm bursting at the seams and a good way off putting mulch on the beds.
As a relatively new disciple of 'active' composting, I'm amazed just how easy it is to 'work' the heap.
I recently set up a new heap and within a week was recording temperatures upto 64°C. Over the next 10 days, despite partial turning, it got down to 42°C. On Saturday I turned it over completely (ie. out of one bay into the other), added a bag of new material including grass cuttings, and two full watering cans. Two days later and I'm recording 58°C again!
Assuming this bodes well for good compost next season, I'm a happy boy.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Posts
It would make a good path surface, nice and soft and clean underfoot, but you may feel it's wasted on paths. I cover some paths with shreddings and every now and then if it's turning into soil I scrape it into the borders and top up with fresh shreddings.
Too good to waste, anyway @BeeCee
The stand of Norway spruce here kept incredibly weed free thanks to the needles shedding to form a thin mulch and judicious ground cover planting. I never thought of it as being possibly more acid than anywhere else, and the things I planted beneath them did very well. Just hope some have survived, I'll know when I can get in and unearth them.
For using in compost bins/heaps I suppose it's down to good mixing and keeping the moisture level right.
Perhaps I will keep some in a small dumpy bag to break down on its own into leaf mold but how long will this take. There will be more next year.
It won't break down in compost in the same way as other foliage, as I said earlier. It's a different type of material. Better as a mulch or similar, on it's own. It won't really change much in structure, even when bagged up by itself, although some will gradually become more usable over time
Whereabouts are you though? 'Ordinary' leaf mould can take a couple of years to break down.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have relations there - in Vancouver and also in Sardis. My aunt married a Canadian - he was in the Air Force, and she moved there after the war
I think you're better just carrying on as you are with your cedars. It's certainly a good resource for a mulch, and ideal for your paths.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Leaves with lots of grass all mown up along with duck bedding and about 20 mashed up pumpkins. This is a new bin not sure if I'll be able to keep the mass production going, I'm bursting at the seams and a good way off putting mulch on the beds.
I recently set up a new heap and within a week was recording temperatures upto 64°C. Over the next 10 days, despite partial turning, it got down to 42°C. On Saturday I turned it over completely (ie. out of one bay into the other), added a bag of new material including grass cuttings, and two full watering cans. Two days later and I'm recording 58°C again!
Assuming this bodes well for good compost next season, I'm a happy boy.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful