uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by IntensiveGardener, Jun 30, 2008.

  1. IntensiveGardener

    IntensiveGardener Junior Member

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    Hi all,
    Was just wondering peoples opinions of using pine and eucalyptus leaves, uncomposted, as a mulch.
    My books give me conflicting reports on their usefullness. Some say these leaves contain a growth inhibitor and should never be used uncomposted.
    Other books say its only bad because of the acidity and hat they can be used on acid loving plants, or on normal plants with the addition of lime.
    Is the inhibitor only the acidity or is there something else?
    I'm considering using these to mulch blueberries and strawberries. The acidity should be benificial.
    cheers,
    IG
     
  2. susann

    susann Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    Hi - This is from the brisbane organic growers website:
    "Mulch plants so the berries not lie on the soil, one of the best mulches is pine needles."
     
  3. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    Never used pine but have never had a problem with eucalyptus leaves. Mind you, they've never been the only mulch. They get mixed up with whatever else is handy - lawn clippings and the like.
     
  4. IntensiveGardener

    IntensiveGardener Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    Thanks Susann and Raymondo,
    I'v done a bit more reading and decided pine needles are fine.
    Eucalypts however can excrete a toxic substance from their leaves which prevents germination and can kill other plants. From what i can gather the toxin is not preasent in leaves which are 6 months old. The trees excrete a varying amount of the toxin depending on soil and rainfall.
    I am considering using Eucalyptus leaves anyway and just making sure their nice and old and gathered in the winter.
    Walnuts (particularly black walnut) can do a similar thing.
    IG
     
  5. Bennz

    Bennz Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    I think you need only look into your backyard, how many Euc. forests are there with sterile understorey? Look at those Mountain Ash forests near Melbourne, beautiful forests with huge amounts of undergrowth in the forest humus.

    I have been told me that concolourous leaved species (which tend to be from dry areas) do have some true alleopathy effect, while discolourous species and particularly rainforest-margin species such as Flooded Gum allow regrowth right to the trunk of the trees. This may in reality be a rainfall effect, I don't know. Either way, I do not hesitate to use Euc. leaves as mulch. I like them because they break down slowly, and form a beautiful fungal-rich soil environment perfect for forest species to grow in.
     
  6. Comfrey

    Comfrey Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    I agree, I think if you look at what grows with the eucalypts you will get a fair idea, even if they are alleopathic. For example, if blackberries grow just fine (which they do!) then plants in the same and related families should do too. A lot of berries are just fine under walnuts. It's a plant communities question. I'm sure somebody out there must have the precise answer to this one.
     
  7. IntensiveGardener

    IntensiveGardener Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    Thanks for the replies everyone.
    I'v decided to use the Eucalyptus leaves after all. I'v got about 10 acres of bush so there should be no shortage. There is fairly dense growth in the understory including black berries and in some spots elderberries. Its good soil with a fairly high annual rainfall so i expect the trees have no need to kill of competition.
    cheers,
    IG
     
  8. sweetpea

    sweetpea Junior Member

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    Re: uses for pine and eucalyptus leaves

    I was looking into growing eucalyptus for firewood, and ran across some great articles that I can't find right now. But Eucalyptus gets an unfair bad rep. There are findings that eucalyptus not only improves the soil, but it helps other plants get healthier and fight off disease.

    Here's it's used to help with onion root rot disease:

    https://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf ... rnr=555_14

    ========

    Here is an abstract from an article about composted eucalyptus bark and helping soil:

    https://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13468113

    =====

    The one thing that can happen with any sawdust, thick, woody leaves or bark of any plant used as mulch, they can absorb the nitrogen that we think is getting under the soil, because they are on top of the soil . That nitrogen gets used to break down that mulch, which will then eventually get into the soil and to the roots, but it could hold it 6 months to a year. So make sure you add extra nitrogen (in the form of compost tea, or a liquid) down under the mulch so it can sink into the soil.

    Letting the eucalyptus leaves dry in the sun for a week or two, get brittle, would make a better mulch, small particles help keep moisture in the soil and create a cool environment than big curled leaves.

    The pine needles might have pine pitch on them which has the growth inhibitor in it, but it would have to be a LOT of pitch. I would only use brown pine needles as mulch, but it only takes a few weeks to get them that way. There is evidence that dry pine needles that break when you make a fist add that same component of carbon to the soil that will ADsorb nitrogen to it just like the agricultural burning of Terra Preta (and anywhere they burn crop residue).



    If you want to be impressed at what eucalyptus trees are good for, read this:

    https://library.csustan.edu/bsantos/section2.htm

    I am always suspicious when something on the internet says something is "toxic" to plants. It seems like a buzz word in all the forums as a generic term. The word "toxic" could have a dozen meanings, all the way from kill it instantly to slow the growth, and unless that article gets specific about what affect it actually has and what chemical is causing it, I look elsewhere for information to rely on :)
     

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