stump grindings

[Ralph Mowery]

I am going to have two pine tree stumps ground up. They are from trees that fell over the last week. They are about 3 feet in diameter. That means a lot of ground up stuff and pine needels to get rid of.

I am getting conflicting info about what to do with it. I have plenty of land in the woods to dump it, but was told it was good for the garden as mulch. I do not do much but do have about 20 tomato plants and a few squarsh and cantalope plants in an area that is about 20 by maybe 40 feet.Some tell me to put the grindings on that garden spot. Some say it is bad for the soil.

What would you do with the grindings ?

[gfretwell]

Like most things, too much in one spot is not a good thing. The pH of the soil is what I would be concerned with the needles. Personally I think I would spread this out across a wide area or just put it out for the horticulture (trash) pickup, assuming you have that.

[hubops]

Just one link - lots of other ideas & opinions out there.

I would be prone to using wood-chip mulch around shrubs & trees but not in the veggie garden. Mushroom mulch in the veggie garden perhaps. John T.

[hubops]

These must be a different species of pine - where the stumps are full of needles ! :-) John T.

[Snag]

Don't know much about pine trees do ya John . As needles age , they fall . As they fall , they create a thick bed of fresh/partly decomposed/decomposed needles around the base of the tree . I and several other beekeepers here all gather those needles from a certain grove of long needle pines for use in our smokers . As far as the grindings , My understanding is that they will rob the soil of nitrogen at first as they begin to decompose , but it goes back into the soil as they rot . I say use a mix of needles and grindings sparingly as a mulch to help keep weeds down and retain soil moisture . A couple of inches might be about right , or may be too much .

[Ralph Mowery]

The pine trees look like the big Christmas tree type. Branches start just above the ground level. Then about every 2 feet there are more. That tree could be climbed just like a ladder if you wanted to. There are needles on the ground that have been there for many years.

I was told by the man that cut up and ground up the tree for removal that the ground up tree was good for some flowering plants.

Looks like I will just be taking most of the ground up stuff to the woods and dumping it there.

[hubops]

I like the idea of wood-chips for woods-ey walkway or clearing rest-spot or scenic look-out . Some folks even use it for rustic back-yard walk-way .. John T.

[Clare Snyder]

I would haul them to the bush and let them compost for a few years. Left on the lawn or in the garden they will suck nitrogen like crazy as they decompose. Pine and cedar are a lot worse than cherry or maple

- and I can tell you from experience cherry is NOT good for the lawn -

- - . Pine or cedar work good as a "mulch" to keep weeds down

[Hawk]

The tree is gone. The stump remains. I'm willing to bet there aren't many needles lying at the base of that stump. Therefore, the majority of it, if not all, will be pine wood. For the sake of argument, even if needles were in the mix, it will not hurt the soil/ground. Thus, it will make good mulch.

[Hawk]

I stand corrected, I missed the part the OP stated a mixture of stump and pine needles. But I do stand by the fact needles mixed in will not hurt using as mulch

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, pine needles and chips don't really rot down well.

Burn them if your jurisdiction allows that.

[Ralph Mowery]

Yes, there are plenty of needles around the stump. The tree looked like a Christmas tree over 60 feet tall. I doubt very many needles have been carried off over the years, so big pile of them. I have about a week before the stump grinding man gets here. I was told by a friend to take the needles and put them around the 20 or so tomato plants I have for mulch. I have been doing that a little at a time due to the heat and my age.

If the stumps are anything like a Bradford Pear tree I had cut a few years back I will have plenty of ground up stump as there are 2 pine trees with stumps about 3 feet across plus some roots near the top of the ground.

From the responses I am getting, it seems the best to carry off the ground up stump and dirt that is mixed with it and just dump it in a pile at the edge of my woods.

Maybe in a few years mix it in with the garden after it has had time to compost.

[hubops]

My suggestion of using the chips for a wood-sey footpath might not be great - if there is a lot of sticky pine-pitch .. John T.

[Cindy Hamilton]

I tried that once. The fire couldn't get enough oxygen and it was a smoldering, stinky mess. I don't recommend it.

Cindy Hamilton

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, must admit I havent tried it with stump grindings.

The needles would burn fine.

[Snag]

After some drying time it makes superb fuel for a TLUD burner . Depending on species , it can also be used to make pretty good charcoal for pyrotechnic and BP lift powder applications .

[gfretwell]

He said "needels" (sic). I assume there was a pile of them under the tree. If they are anything like the long leaf pines we have down here, the pH will be so bad under them that nothing will grow until they break down. They use them for mulch to control weeds. Once they break down the acidity does neutralize somewhat but our dirt is pretty alkaline anyway so it is a wash.

[gfretwell]

That is probably the best way to go if you have place where you can make a compost pile. After a year or two you will have some stuff you can use. There are plenty of folks on the web with compost tips. I just have the horticulture people haul that stuff away.

[Ralph Mowery]

I have over an acre of woods to dump the stuff. I was just wanting some tips if the stump grindings and needles were worth anything to put in and around my tomatoes.

Someone said burn it, but I do not have any place where I want to burn things or places I could burn, I do not want to as it messes up the yard.

Looks like I will just cart it over to the woods and dump it in a big pile.

[gfretwell]

I suppose if you composted it right, you might end up with some good stuff.