pine needles in the mix?

a friend of mine who is a farmer told me i could have a couple buckets full of some ferts they are using for their farm this year. the stuff smells very earthy and healthy, but has pine needles mixed into it. will this be a problem for my plant? he told me they use it on their fields because it helps airate the plants just like pearlite would.

any thoughts?

thanks
 

sven deisel

Well-Known Member
i have never heard if it pine is very high acid and have you ever seen anything growing under a pine tree
 

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
I did a quick internet search & looks like your friend might be right - I would PH the soil first & adjust if necessary. Also I would not recommend using it if you're working indoors - too many pests are carried into grow rooms using outdoor soil.
Outdoors I might add some bat guano, blood & bone meal and about 20% pearlite for good measure.
But thats me.
GWN
 
well i found this:
"Numerous authorities use Pine Needles to mulch around the garden. The American Rose Society applies them by the truckload to specimens at their official Rose Garden in Greenwood, Louisiana. Pine Needles are TREASURED in some Southern communities on a level beyond comprehension -- one exclusive Texas neighborhood is said to truck them in from Georgia, according to claims by the Villager Nursery, a California garden center that pushes Pine Needles as a first rate option to be used by the pickiest gardeners. Villager Nursery maintains the pH of Pine is not the strong Acidic amendment some people think it is; it typically tests, they say, around 6.5 -- an ideal pH for most plants. "

also the pine needles are brown and dead

so i guess the only real answer will come from experimenting then
 
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