I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?

--
Malcolm

On Apr 28, 2:41*pm, Malcolm wrote:
I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?

--
Malcolm
HI Malcolm:

These are guesses:
It is very slow to break down but I think it will be harmless in
compost.
Ok as mulch but to leave to sit for 6 weeks sounds like a good idea.

You do not have termites and you probably do not have a wooden house
anyway (if you live in UK).

Des

In message , Malcolm
writes

I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and
confusing, so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?

We had some to dispose of in a Country Park, as they get all the
shredded Xmas trees.

We spread it on a really boggy path, and converted it into a pleasant
green lane, which smells delightful as you walk along it.
Could be used for cheap garden paths?
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

On Apr 28, 2:41*pm, Malcolm wrote:
I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?

--
Malcolm

I had conifers which I shredded when I took all the lower branches
off. I just put the entire lot in a corner behind a huge shrub and
left it there until I remembered it some months later and then raked
it on as a ground cover between shrubs. The original shrub did
wonderfully even though the shreddings, several bags worth were only
about a metre from it.

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:


I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder.

What experience here can I draw on, please?

There are no termites on the isles ... I hope. (Incidentally, NZ
flatworms seem to have died the death this past chilly winter).

I use chipped conifers for paths (ideally, lying on top of carpet
with a canvas back) and it lasts for years;

I beat you by nearly two hours. :-)

which tells me it wouldn't do much good in either a compost heap or as
a surface mulch to feed soil and plants

Janet.

Smells nice to walk on though...
--
Gordon H
Remove "invalid" to reply

On Apr 28, 6:14*pm, Janet Baraclough
wrote:
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:

I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)
The online advice so far can be summarised as:
OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.
OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.
I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!
What experience here can I draw on, please?

* * There are no termites on the isles ... *I hope. (Incidentally, NZ

Hi Janet:
you do not even get them much in Europe outside of Mediterranean
regions. There is one introduced species in the north of Germany and
one on the Atlantic coast of France. This does not stop some pest
companies re-using US pest literature, either on purpose to generate
false concern about termites, or through sloppiness. Rentokil UK have
yards and yards about termites and here is a site that claims specific
treatment options for every large town in Northern Ireland.

http://tinyurl.com/d6waux
or long version:

http://articles.directorym.co.uk/Mak...n_Ireland.html

Des


* * Janet.

In article ,
says...

I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?


Each year I get given the Christmas trees (30+)from the village to shred
and I put it straight on the ground, it takes ages to break down so its
an excellant mulch and I have seen no adverse effects
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article ,
says...
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:


I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?

There are no termites on the isles ... I hope. (Incidentally, NZ
flatworms seem to have died the death this past chilly winter).

I use chipped conifers for paths (ideally, lying on top of carpet
with a canvas back) and it lasts for years;
which tells me it wouldn't do much good in either a compost heap or as
a surface mulch to feed soil and plants

Janet.

Actually there are! its a small area of north devon near saunton sands, I
think it has been contained and is on its way to being eradicated
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

In article ,
says...

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
In article ,
says...

I've lopped some branches off a Sitka spruce and have put everything
small enough through a shredder. I went on the Internet looking for
advice on whether these chippings could be used either as a mulch or
added to my compost heap. The advice was both conflicting and confusing,
so I thought I would ask here for clear, unambiguous answers :-)

The online advice so far can be summarised as:

OK as mulch but let it lie for 6 weeks to allow resins to disperse.
Don't use it as mulch as toxins will kill plants.

OK as compost if mixed with other material but may slow process down.
Don't use it as compost as it will make compost acid.

I also came across:
Don't mulch right up to the house walls as this will attract termites!

What experience here can I draw on, please?


Each year I get given the Christmas trees (30+)from the village to shred
and I put it straight on the ground, it takes ages to break down so its
an excellant mulch and I have seen no adverse effects

Ah, but, the scientist in me asks if you have a control plot where you
haven't used it as a mulch!


Yep, its called the lawn! :~)
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea