Pine wood mulch = hardwood mulch

[gasman]

If I hypothetically used chipped pine instead of hardwood mulch for the root zones of large trees would that be bad?

 

[pmuscato]

No

 

[RedlineIt]

I do know that Pine NEEDLE mulch is on the acidic side, will lower the soil pH ever so gently over time as it breaks down.

Pine wood mulch, not so much.

But if your Pine chips have alot of needles included, you can expect it to contribute to a minor, gradual slump in soil pH. Good or bad, depending on the soils you're starting with.


RedlineIt

 

[treeseer]

What kind of trees, what kind of soil, what kind of site?

i agree with everyone else so far, but depth and aging may not be so much an issue, depending.

 

[gasman]

Thanks for replies

What kind of trees, what kind of soil, what kind of site?

i agree with everyone else so far, but depth and aging may not be so much an issue, depending.

I have about 8-10 yards to spread.

Typical Central Virginia conditions. Acidic clay soil with not much top soil.

Mostly on edge of Virginia pine dominated woods. Native trees. Oaks, E. Red Cedar, dogwood, Tulip poplar, Sycamore, Holly etc. Also a grouping of large White oaks grouped by themselves on top of a slope.

A dozen I think very old and possibly unwell ornamental (Bradford?) pears in a row basically in the full sun. I am not too worried about them. But don't need to hasten their demise either.

I can't mulch everything listed with this batch. Where would depth and aging matter?

All wisdom is appreciated.

 

[pinus]

It is interesting for me that clay soil can be acidic?
Sands can be acidic, as they are based on silica. Clay contains a lot of Ca-Al based compounds and is usually from neutral to alkaline...

 

[treeseer]

Welcome back, pinus. I think pH depends on parent material and vegetation, so clay soils can be either high or low.

The aging issue can be dealt with in part by broadcasting fertilizer before spreading chips, so chips don't rob N as they decompose. the depth issue comes to play where roots run deep and smothering is a concern. I think that is a concern more than a reality.

Watch your weeds befor eyou spread. Hint: wiry grasses colonize mulch, and are hard to get rid of after you spread chips.

 

[a_lopa]

Depends on what species of pine,cypress pine makes an excellent mulch,better than hardwood.

 

[pinus]

Treeser, nice . Our clays here are limestone rich and rather alkaline.
Talking about mulch, I remember one case with big oak here, were the border of its canopy was exactly and sharply projected onto the potato field in the form of stunted plants under canopy.
So, it wasnt only problem of oak roots and shading, but something chemical stressor relased from oak canopy. So, mulch from chips of different trees can act differently in the chemical sense...

 

[treeseer]

I remember one case with big oak here, were the border of its canopy was exactly and sharply projected onto the potato field in the form of stunted plants under canopy.
So, it wasnt only problem of oak roots and shading, but something chemical stressor relased from oak canopy. So, mulch from chips of different trees can act differently in the chemical sense...

We call that allelopathy. Subterranean chemical warfare between plants. Nut trees are notorious for that==Carya, Juglans etc., but oaks not so much.

 

[gasman]

Job done. Thanks guys.