You need to remember that when you are composting layering is important.You will want to add layers of coarse material in between leaves or pine needles to keep oxygen introduced into the pile. No oxygen....no composting. Small wood chips (not pine bark, which decomposes slowly), twigs, vegetable scraps, newspaper shreds, are all just a few examples of what you can use to make layers.

Mix the pine needles with the leaves (if they are chopped they decompose faster and one way to chop them is to run over them with the lawn mower) and they will decompose faster. Adding a handful of nitrogen can speed up the process, and you need to keep the whole batch tumbled or stirred periodically. Remember pine straw is acidic but if composted utilizing the above method it should be nice neutral compost. Linda

Bigpaulie,

Have you considered using them as mulch? I only wish I had a source for pine needles. When I am able to scavenge some bags by the side of the road, I use them to mulch acid-loving plants like my gardenias, and the roses. However, my soil, like most soil in my area, is alkaline, so I would love to use it everywhere, especially since they do last so long. I like the way it looks as a mulch. As far as breaking down to compost, if you have a source for grass clippings, oak leaves, and regular moisture, the breakdown process will be sped up. Covering with a tarp to keep the moisture in will also speed up the process. I agree with Linda that when they become compost, they will be a more neutral pH.

Anna

I have ALOT of pine trees and I do use them as mulch...they are great around my Azaleas and Camellias but I am looking to get them to decompose at the fastest rate possible. Does anyone know of a shredder to chop them up into a finer bulk? I want it to mix better with my oak leaves or even the leaves off of my Persimmon (which drop alot along with extra fruit). I am planning on using pine needles and lawn clippings and palm fronds and kitchen waste in my bin. I'm thinking that a smaller needle size would help "cook" the compost better. Am i wrong in this or does it matter?

you're right about smaller size speeding things up. use your mower. i usually mow most of my compost before tossing it in the composter. you could spread the needles, top them with grass clippings and green yard waste, mow them together, rake them into a pile, and they'll break down quickly.

I know this is an older post, but I'm dealing with this now...I picked up several bags to make lasagna beds. They are a mix of pine and oak. I'm wondering if I should put something in to combat the acidity of the pine needles.

I have been composting 95% + pine needles for about half a year now and there are a few tricks to make them decompose very fast.

The first step is to shred the needles VERY fine. The mulched needle should contain only very short pieces of needles and a flour like consistency.

Note:By breaking it down fine you can fit 3-4 times dry mass as appose to un-mulched needles. It also drastically reduces decompostion time too.

The next step is to make the compost pile. Start by layering 2-3inches of pine needle mulch. Then pour 3-4 cups of chicken manure or what ever is the cheapest organic nitrogen source at your disposal. Wet down and mix that layer thoroughly.(Should feel like a wet sponge)

Repeat til pile is built.

Temp 150+

Turn in more nitrogen when pile starts to drop in temperature and wet when needed.(40-50Lbs of chicken manure)I dont add all my nitrogen a first because I dont want the pile to lose nitrogen by off gasing ammonia.

Decomposition time can be further sped up by running it over again with a lawnmower toward the end of the compost cycle

Total time is about 4-6 weeks from start to finish.

pH of finished product is not known, but I will be following up on this thread with pictures and more info.

I have read that adding wood ash or lime to your soil will reduce acidity. Also lime can do much to soften hard soil.

You dont actually have to worry about the ph of pine needles in compost, they lose their acidity as they decompose (theyre pretty close to neutral by the time theyve fallen from a tree if they fall off brown)