Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 21:50:47 -0500 From: Joe Cumbee <acumbee@surfsouth.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg20$foo@default> Subject: Re: Pine Needles for Increasing Acidity?
Mellard, David wrote:
> >Sarracenias are grown in nothing but pine straw(needles) with about an
> inch of sand >sprinkled on top. I have used it for years in
> in-ground bogs and children wadding >pools as my containers.
>
> Hi Joe,
>
> I'm going to try this in a new outdoor bog so I thought I would quiz you
> to make sure I understand this simple concept.
>
> I'll probably run the pine straw through a mulcher, add it to the lined
> bog, and top it off with acid sand. It's truly that simple? How much
> settling takes place? No other ingredients? This just amazes me. Do
> you see any advantages over the standard milled sphagnum/sand mix.
> David
David and other Interested CPers,I have never shredded the pine straw
(needles), but it should be ok to do so. Mulching them might make them
decompose faster (I don't know if this would be good or bad). I just soak
the straw (whole) in water for about a week or two, or longer if you can
wait. (If I am in a hurry, I take a potato rake and pull up straw that has
fallen into our pond and settled to the bottom.) Once the needles are well
soaked there is very little settling. The sand on top pretty well holds
the needles down. Using pine needles makes weeding an easy, very easy and
almost enjoyable task. The roots of the weeds just slide right out. I
think that shredding the needles might make them more compact thus holding
on to weed roots tighter. One advantage over milled sphagnum is the cost,
with over 100 acres of pine trees I have an inexhaustible supply of straw,
and there's more just across the road. I use enough peat moss as it is with
other mixes. I apologize for my first letter, I had several misspellings
that my son pointed out to me. I hope this helps.
Joe
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