Uses for prunings?

dannie

Does anybody use the pruned material to scatter around the base of the plant or around another plant; similar to a forest floor effect? If so, what were the results?

Thanks.

emmahip

A good hiding place for the dreaded SLUGS!

LOL should act as a mulch and keep moisture in the soil though, depending on what the prunings are from - conifer types are very acidic (which is good for some plants like blueberries, citrus, Rhododendrons etc but bad for plants which prefer an alkaine soil such as rosemary, buddlia, viburnum)

Kay_Peel

I cut my prunings up into very small pieces, put them in my compost heap and incorporate them into the grass cuttings. They make a real difference to the mix, making the compost bin heat up slowly but remaining at a high temperature for longer.

In the past, when too lazy and tired to do anything else, I dumped the prunings in the middle of a border where I couldn't see them. A couple of years later they still looked like prunings dumped by a lazy gardener and I had to clear them away.

To get a 'forest floor' effect, I find it's best to use rotting leaves. They take two years to rot down properly into a crumbly texture, but I'm too impatient to wait. I keep them in a cage, keep them wet and turn them occasionally - and after 9-12 months I put them down on the soil.

Good luck!

dannie

Thanks for the repliies. It is interesting to me how nutrients can be recycled into the soil.

emmahip - Keeping moisture into the soil was also one of my thoughts in view of the warmer/hotter weather. I will have to check the acid or alkaline preferences of the gardens plants. Also, what pruning will grow roots and the "risk" of seed heads germinating.

Kay Peel - I've tried the composting approach but not the leaf cage system. I assume that immediately placing the newly pruned leaves around certain plants would still recycle and therefore less work involved for the gardener. Maybe then an end of year task to clear it?

rhiwfield

FWIW I shred woody prunings and add them to the woodchip paths in the veg beds

Kay_Peel

dannie wrote: »

I assume that immediately placing the newly pruned leaves around certain plants would still recycle and therefore less work involved for the gardener. Maybe then an end of year task to clear it?

I find that there's a couple of problems with putting new leaves down. First, I added to my problems with diseased rose leaves - the black spot virus took hold in the soil - so that's just something to be aware of: the leaves need to be free of diseases and pests. The second problem is that, when they dry, they tend to blow away, so you need to put a shovel full of soil on top of them to keep them in place.

My so-called leaf cage is nothing but a short length of chicken wire although there's instructions for putting together a more substantial one . The secret is to keep them really wet and to turn them sides to middle every couple of weeks or so. I checked my cage last night and the middle was all crumbly and brown - and that's after just 9 months.

I'm a bit of a Leaf Mould obsessive. I carry a few bin-liners with me in the car in November and October and look out for soggy, matted leaves lying in gutters, footpaths and under hedges. :rotfl:

dannie

Thanks for the replies. A shredder sounds handy. Kay Peel - using leaves does sound problematic/something new to learn. Thanks for the link. I can relate to your "Leaf Mould obsessive" collecting in other recycling own ways! Hope the general public don't spoil your hobby.