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Anyone ever made needle mould?
LG_
Posts: 4,356
I've read that it can be useful but takes much longef to break down. There are fallen needles a few inches thick under a row of leylandii at he end of my garden, I was wondering if it was worth gathering them to make leaf mould (am assuming the process will have started) or should I put them kin the green bin / straight in the compost heap?
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
- Cicero
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I think I read that they take about double the time, ie 2 years.
we have a big pine in our garden and I too add them to the compost bin.
The tree in my garden produces vast quantities of needles about 9 inches long and double (like hairpins) which get hooked onto everything. I used to put them in the compost but they take forever to rot down so now they mostly go in the council bin.
Sounds like you have a Corsican (aka Black) pine, SG.
I have needle mould but only by way of neglect. I cleared a bank of brambles last year and there's about five years worth of needle drop. All but the top wee bit have rotted away and I just mix them in when I'm planting. The soil underneath seems quite good. I did read somewhere that they can be acidic so check that as well in case it's relevant LG.
Not sure, BobThe Gardener, it has huge pine cones as well - about 10 cm long or more. Also my husband has just corrected my initial information - the pine needles have 3 spines to a bundle rather than 2. I'm wondering whether it's Pinus Ponderosa. (BTW my profile picture is also of the tree)
I have. It takes ages to happen even after putting the collection bin in the greenhouse. I keep it separate