Last Updated on May 4, 2022 by Cristina
Compost pine cones; is this type of compost really good for our garden? We will find out soon. There are several benefits to using compost in our garden and it can create a healthy garden and fresh plant produce.
Now to answer the question about if pine cones are great for composting; the straight-up answer is yes. But it is only required in little quantities.
It is possible that you have a lot of pine cones at no cost if you live in a region with pine trees. So, you should have a re-think before disposing of those pine cones because they can be beneficial to your garden and fruit plants.
You can actually compost pine cones but the only challenge here is that they take a long while to break down. However, this belief that pine cones take a while to break down when in a compost pile, can be reversed. This is possible if you get your pine cones chopped or you can as well adopt the hot composting method.
Let’s take a further look at how to compost pine cones.
Compost Pine Cones: 3 Essential Factors For A Successful Pine Composting
Composting entails the breaking down of all the components of your compost pile. One thing about composting pine cones is that the decomposition process takes a long time.
Furthermore, all the nutrition coming out of it will be made scarce in the compost as its decomposition takes long. You will still need the three important things or factors for making that successful compost if you want to compost pine cones.
Remember this is because materials like pine cones take longer to decompose. These three things are listed below.
1. Adequate Moisture Level
The level of moisture for keeping compost good and effective is essential because it is needed for bacteria activities during the decomposition process of the pine cones.
When the moisture level is favorable, the bacteria in the compost will consume and decompose the pine cones very well. If the moisture level is not accurate, then reverse is the case.
2. Oxygen Needs To Be Sufficiently Available For Oxygenation
Another important need for successful compost is oxygen and good structure. When there’s a good structure and the density in the compost is proper, air circulation will be high. This way, the compost substances will have enough oxygen for decomposition.
The bacteria and microbes in the compost need enough oxygen to decompose the materials in the compost. The bacteria in the compost won’t be able to go on with their activities in regards to the decomposition of cone pines or will eventually die if oxygen is not adequate.
Learn more about Do Palm Trees Produce Oxygen – The Amazing World Of Palm Trees!
3. Nice Mixture Of Green And Brown Feed-stock
A good quantity of organic waste that must be balanced enough must be added to the compost.
Furthermore, there are two different types of organic waste which are brown organic waste and green organic waste. The one with a high quantity of carbon is brown organic waste. The organic waste will take a longer time to decompose due to the presence of a high level of carbon.
However, the good thing about the carbon content is that with the presence of a high level of oxygen, a good structure is provided to the compost. While the green organic waste comes in form of green feedstock with enough moisture content. The green organic waste decomposes very fast and also, its nitrate content is very high.
With these, it should be obvious that a very balanced form of organic waste should be used. This organic waste must have an equal content of brown organic waste and green organic waste.
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Putting Your Pine Cones Into Good Use In Your Garden: The Usefulness
Below is how you can put your pine cones to good use in your garden.
1. Adding Them To Your Compost Pile
Compost pine cones offer great benefits to our gardens. Nutrients that will enrich your plants are usually released when the pine cone begins to compost. You can always add pine cones to your compost bin whenever you collect any.
When you do so, all the nutrients they release in the process will circulate all around the mixture, making a power-packed food ready.
As you already know pine cones are quite dense, breaking them down will take longer. You can break them up before adding them to the compost, by running your lawn mower over them or using a shovel to smash them first. This will help hasten their decomposition.
2. They Can Be Used As Mulch
In order to make your pine cones serve as mulch, put small pine cones in bulk all-around trees and plants. This will help in protecting the roots of the plant well and locking moisture in.
Do you know there’s no difference in how effective these pine cones are between them and the mulch bought at the store? The good thing is these pine cones can be gotten for free.
However, take note of the fact that pine cones contain pine resin, hence they are highly flammable. Endeavor to use them in locations far away from your grill or fire pit.
3. Ladybugs Home
Ladybugs can find refuge in pine cones. This is because they are always searching for little crawl spaces. So put a few beneath tall and shady plants. This will also help make ladybugs feel welcomed in your garden as they also feed on pests like an aphid.
This will help reduce the infestation of pests in your garden. Keeping pine cones for them in the garden will really be appreciated by these bugs.
4. As A Type Of Decorative Borders
You can have some fun by decorating your garden with pine cones. A lovely aesthetic is one thing about pine cones. You can create a decorative touch by putting pine cones inside boxes of plants and flower pots.
You can also use them as natural ground covers or natural borders by lining them up. Pine cones will keep the soil moist and protected even while they serve as decoration.
Final Say On Compost Pine Cones
Compost pine cones as we can see from the explanation above can do a lot of good to our garden. Just make sure the quantity used is in moderation.
FAQ’s
Are pine cones good in compost?
Yes, pine cones are beneficial to your plant when used in compost. So, if you have pine cones around you, you can simply add them to your compost bin, and compost pine will release its nutrients into the mixture.
How long does it take pine cones to compost?
It can take up to two months to make pine needle compost. It is the straw that takes longer to decompose, but the greens can take a few weeks to decompose.
How to filter pine cones out of compost bin?
You can filter your pine cone out of compost bin by using a sieve. Even though it may not be compulsory to filter the compost before using it, filtering it can make it a better planting medium.
What to do with pine cones mulch compost?
You can use pine cones compost as container fillers and you can even use it as a decorative border by lining them up in your garden.
Eunice is a gardener who loves to play in the dirt. She starts her day early in the morning, watering her plants and tending to her garden. She loves the smell of freshly cut grass and the feeling of sunshine on her back as she works. She‘s a master at creating beautiful flower arrangements and can often be found humming a tune as she tends to her plants. When she‘s not gardening, she loves to read books about nature and share her knowledge with others. Eunice loves gardening so much that she‘s even been known to talk to her plants!
