Best Rakes for Pine Needles

Options for using spruce needles:

1. Mulch

Most often, the needles are collected for mulching plants in the garden and vegetable garden. Under a layer of needles 3-5 cm thick moisture can be stored for a long time, thereby reducing the need for irrigation. In addition, a thick layer of mulch protects beds from weeds and helps to create a favorable microclimate for plants. In this case, you do not have to waste time on weeding and loosening the rows, because the mulch works for us.

There are several other advantages of shelter of pine needles, which favorably distinguish it from other types of plant mulch:

• The carpet of pine needles can not be changed for a long time, because, unlike straw or grass, the needles interrupt for several years;
• Under the mulch pine needles do not start snails and slugs – they scare away the essential compounds that are present in large quantities in pine and spruce needles;
• Coniferous mulch passes water well and is not drunk with moisture, so it is less likely to appear mold and other fungi. Phytoncides contained in needles, also prevent the development of pathogens.

2. Compost
Fresh needles sometimes have an oppressive effect on plants. But if your area grows a lot of pines, spruces and other conifers, their needles can also be used for fertilization. You just need to do it correctly, having prepared the raw material beforehand using composting.

Coniferous needles rot slowly, until their full decomposition should wait at least 5 years. To speed up this process, it is better to place them in a compost pit mixed with leaves and other plant residues.

To reduce the acidity of future compost, each layer of needles should be covered with ground limestone, dolomite or powdered chalk. It is advisable to spill layers of compost on top with a strong solution of cow or chicken droppings. If there is no such thing in the farm, you can replace it with a solution of urea (at the rate of 200 g per 10 liters of water).

3. Warm beds
It has been known for a long time that organic matter produces heat when decomposed. This property is often used by gardeners, getting the earliest vegetables on their plot without much expense for heating. For this purpose, even in autumn, dig a trench two bayonet depth shovels, which is then filled with plant residues.

The needle can be used as a filler for a warm bed, pouring it with a thick layer at the bottom of the trench. Coniferous needles are poured with wood ash, then put small branches, logs, roots and stems of weeds, and then fill the voids with a small amount of soil. From above, pour a fertile layer – garden land mixed with humus. The thickness of this layer should be at least 15-20 cm.