Pine Straw

F

Figlawyer

Member
In my area in North Florida, pine straw seems to be the best for weed suppression compared to wood chips. However, I haven’t used it with my inground fig trees. Has anyone had any success or problems with using pine straw as mulch for fig trees?
 
Pine needles suppress weeds by making conditions inhospitable. They're acidic & perfect for blueberries! Figs thrive in an alkaline calciferous environment so pine needles don't belong in the fig garden unless you live in California or someplace an alkaline calciferous soil can benefit from an acidifying agent. I suggest you use the one needles elsewhere & get chunky limestone rock for fig mulch.
 
I found this at the Lazy Dog Farm blog. He uses pine straw in south Georgia.

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lazydogfarm.com

Winter Care for Dormant Fig Trees | Tips for Success | Lazy Dog Farm

Although all our fig trees are bare right now (mid January) as I'm writing this, it won't be long before they're budding and growing again. Here in south Georgia, fig trees can start budding as soon as late February. Our fig trees always seem to bud several weeks before our last frost. But...
lazydogfarm.com lazydogfarm.com
 
extension.unh.edu

Do pine trees and pine needles make soil more acidic?

A Question of the Week
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extension.oregonstate.edu

Myth vs. reality: What’s the truth behind some common gardening practices?

Experts from Oregon State University Extension Service stepped up to bust some common gardening myths.
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Pine needle itself is acidic but it is neutralized by the microbes in the environment so it doesn't change the soil pH.
And it is a good mulching material.

I happened to put a fig tree in the ground (covered with pine needles) next to an old pine tree, which was cut down a few months ago when it started leaning on the fence and the gas meter. The fig tree did just fine.
 
ETXfigs said:
I found this at the Lazy Dog Farm blog. He uses pine straw in south Georgia.

View attachment 8176
lazydogfarm.com

Winter Care for Dormant Fig Trees | Tips for Success | Lazy Dog Farm

Although all our fig trees are bare right now (mid January) as I'm writing this, it won't be long before they're budding and growing again. Here in south Georgia, fig trees can start budding as soon as late February. Our fig trees always seem to bud several weeks before our last frost. But...
lazydogfarm.com lazydogfarm.com
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Thanks!
 
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This was debated pretty heavily about five years ago on the other fig forum. I was hoping to hear from some fig growers who are actually using pine straw. Thanks to @ETXfigs for referring me to a grower who does.


Like @grasshopper mentioned, a number of universities say the belief that pine straw turns soil acidic is a myth.
 
Figless said:
I love Lazy Dog Farm Video's. I believe he's one of @MattK good friends out there in Georgia. I wonder if he's a member here?
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He has some good LSU varieties for sale. Not super cheap but if someone is looking for some of the more difficult to find LSU figs, his website is a place to look. He has Thibodaux in stock, as well as LSU Red, LSU White Honey, Strawberry, and others. I think that his source for LSU is CajunB.
 
I’ve used pine straw for winter insulation in a cage around figs and then spread it out for mulch in the spring. I haven’t had any issues with it
 
Well I know my buddy that lives towards the coast has tons of pine trees around. Pine needles everywhere and all around the city are fig trees. Been there for years and huge trees. I don’t think pine needles hurts them at all.
 
Figsee said:
I’ve used pine straw for winter insulation in a cage around figs and then spread it out for mulch in the spring. I haven’t had any issues with it
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I have a bunch of newly planted cuttings that I was thinking of doing exactly this for this winter. Glad to hear someone else has done it and it works.
 
Uncle Jessup said:
Pine needles suppress weeds by making conditions inhospitable. They're acidic & perfect for blueberries! Figs thrive in an alkaline calciferous environment so pine needles don't belong in the fig garden unless you live in California or someplace an alkaline calciferous soil can benefit from an acidifying agent. I suggest you use the one needles elsewhere & get chunky limestone rock for fig mulch.
Click to expand...
I do believe green pine needles are acidic and contain turpentines but from papers I have read they don't change the ph. Any carbon much works by using up nitrogen to break down and the lack of nutrients suppresses shallow weeds. I did a good bit of research on this because we don't really have leaves to make compost with but loblolly pines. https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2019/10/do-pine-trees-pine-needles-make-soil-more-acidic
Figless said:
I love Lazy Dog Farm Video's. I believe he's one of @MattK good friends out there in Georgia. I wonder if he's a member here?
Click to expand...
Travis uses straw with no issues. I don't believe he is one here.
 
I'm a big fan of pine bark mulch (throughout my garden, including pots). It holds it's brown color well. My neighbor is a big fan of pine straw throughout his garden. The straw does just as good a job as the bark mulch at weed suppression; but it tends to break down more quickly. I'm not sure if one or the other is better for moisture retention.
 
I like the looks of Pine Bark Mulch. Does it suppress weeds better than arbor wood chip mulch? I use a lot of that but have found pine straw to work better for weed suppression.
 
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