Due to the abundance of pine trees (introduced by the British, and now unbelievably ubiquitous) we have a surplus of needles with which we are mulching our beds. This means that very often I have to answer the question about pine needle acidity.
One thing I got from this site below is that it could be effecting the germination of new seeds, so when we get back I'll pull a load off the beds and save it until the plants are emerging. This might explain why the response has been a little slow considering how many seeds we put in.
So, for those who want to know, pine needles causing acidity in soil pH is indeed a MYTH. The biggest problem will be the terpenes which readily dissolve in water and air anyway, normally when the pine loses its scent. So maybe trace elements remain, but generally, it's fine.
One thing I got from this site below is that it could be effecting the germination of new seeds, so when we get back I'll pull a load off the beds and save it until the plants are emerging. This might explain why the response has been a little slow considering how many seeds we put in.
So, for those who want to know, pine needles causing acidity in soil pH is indeed a MYTH. The biggest problem will be the terpenes which readily dissolve in water and air anyway, normally when the pine loses its scent. So maybe trace elements remain, but generally, it's fine.
Here are some other facts to consider:
Pine straw in itself is slightly acidic at 6.0 - 6.5.
Normal rain water tests at 5.6.
So why hasn't the soil at a pH of 7.0 in the salvia bed become more acid?
Soil is not a static medium. Its components react with one another. In the case of rain water and pine straw, those interactions have a neutralizing effect on their initial acidity.
Research by others, more carefully and scientifically done than my experiment with the salvia bed, shows both small increases and small decreases in soil pH from using various mulches such as oak leaves, pine straw, and shredded cedar. However, the changes were so minuscule that they were totally insignificant, and there was no negative impact on plant health.
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2702/#ixzz2RHb1sdkj
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