New Year's holidays are over, Christmas tree decorations are going on a "well-deserved" rest, and most people are taking the crumbling forest beauty to the trash heap. But in vain, they say experienced gardeners, because it has long been known that needles contain a lot of useful substances: vitamin C, carotene, vitamin E, tannins and valuable essential oils... Therefore, it can be used not only to improve the health of the body (what do the adherents traditional medicine), but also effectively used in garden plots. Moreover, it is not recommended to use fresh needles - it acidifies the soil, and dry is just right. So do not be lazy - collect needles from your old tree.

EXCELLENT FERTILIZER

The Christmas tree makes an excellent fertilizer for garden plants.
Thin branches, needles I cut into pieces about 1 cm long and fall asleep in a saucepan, pour cold water and put it on medium heat. I boil for 7-10 minutes and leave on the stove so that the needles are steamed. I insist the broth under the lid for 2-3 days - the concentrate is ready! I filter it, pour it into bottles with lids and put it away for storage.
In spring and summer, before feeding the plants, I dilute 1 liter of broth in 9-10 liters of water, add it to the root, and then loosen the earth. You can spray the plants with this broth. As you know, needles give sourness, and this is not to all plants to taste. Therefore, in order to neutralize the solution, I add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of creamy lime per 10 liters.
Peppers, eggplants, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, turnips react well to coniferous feeding. Somewhat less - radishes, zucchini, tomatoes.

K. IVANOVA, Cheboksary district.

IDEAL MATERIAL FOR MULCHING

Christmas tree needles are like a dessert for plants. Collect the needles, dry and fold in a rag bag or paper bag. And in the spring, take them to the dacha. Dry needles are a great mulch. By scattering them, for example, in tomato or strawberry beds, you will also disinfect the soil. And this, you see, is a double benefit.
It is generally recommended to cover the beds with onion sets with a layer of needles. The coniferous cover will not only retain moisture in the soil, prevent weeds from growing, but also, by releasing phytoncides, will prevent onion disease with fungal diseases, and protect against insect pests. From about mid-May, cover the beds with onions, garlic, radishes, lettuce and other moisture-loving crops with needles, this will significantly reduce your costs for weeding and watering, as well as increase crop yields.
They love pine needles and sour berries. It is well suited for mulching the soil around cherry bushes, honeysuckle, plum trees. Helps the growth of sunflower, onion, garlic and even eggplant.

Pavel J., Cheboksary.

IN BUSINESS - ALL PARTS

I am a supporter of organic fertilization, for several years I have given up mineral fertilizers... Instead, I successfully use chopped weeds, sunflower and corn tops, leaves, needles. I bought a special shredder, with which I even crush branches and also scatter them around the garden as fertilizer.
After new year holidays I never pass by thrown out trees. I saw the trunks into thin planks - they make an excellent "lining". I put small branches in a bag - in the spring I lay them out under strawberry bushes. So the moisture stays longer, and the plants breathe, and pests do not spoil the fruits - after all, they are afraid of thorns. And I collect the crumbling needles and grind them into flour, in the summer I put it under the vine.

Vladimir V., Cheboksary.

AND SAVE FROM PESTS

Pine and spruce needles repel well the pests of potatoes - wireworm and bear, and also protect it from scab and fungal diseases.
How to use needles correctly?
In the spring, when landing in a hole, you need to throw a full handful of fresh or last year pine needles then half a glass wood ash(by the way, now, while everything is in the snow and there is no threat of fire, it's time to garden plot burn ash from wood waste) and only then seed potatoes. Cover everything with soil. Loose needles will also create a kind of air drainage for the potato root system, which requires a lot of oxygen to form tubers. The results of such processing will not be long in coming. The potato tubers will be well aligned, without visible damage from the bear and wireworm. And even heavy rainfall will not cause the manifestation of fungal diseases on them.
In addition to Christmas trees, fallen needles can be collected in the spring in the forest. At 100 square meters a site planted with potatoes, you will need about 2-3 bags of needles.

Konstantin S., Novocheboksarsk.

GOOD FOR SEEDLING

I am preparing a nutrient mixture from pine needles for growing tomato seedlings. I take half a bucket of finely chopped spruce needles, add the same fertile land and mix. It is desirable that this mixture stand for a month, then by the time the seeds are sown, a loose black soil is formed in the bucket. On such a soil, tomato seedlings do not get sick with a black leg, they grow strong, with dark green leaves and a well-developed root system.

E. Sergeeva,
Morgaush district.

HOW DO YOU DO WITH FIRES IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES?
Abroad, the disposal of Christmas trees is organized, one might say, at the state level. There they found a lot of ways to use them so as not to pollute the environment.

• In Sweden, Christmas trees are burned in boiler houses, thanks to which more than 10% of the country's population is heated at home. In the Scandinavian countries, spruce is also transported to furniture factories and make furniture out of them.
• In Austria, New Year's trees are used to produce fuel briquettes, and in Germany - wooden knives for butter. In addition, in some countries, spruce is used for composting urban parks and is even used in the manufacture of medicines for the flu.
• In England, compost is made from "spent" trees. To collect them, special reception points for holiday trees are opened there, which are open until January 19.
• In many cities in the United States, spruce can be taken to a recycling center after the holidays. From conifers in America they make paper and cat litter.

In most houses on New Year's holidays, it is customary to put a Christmas tree or pine tree. And as soon as the holidays are over, the green beauty almost immediately goes to the trash heap. And it is completely in vain, because the needles later can be very useful for summer cottage! For what purposes can it be used and what to do if the Christmas tree has already been thrown away and there are no needles at hand?

We save potatoes from pests with diseases

Not every summer resident knows that needles, or rather, the phytoncides secreted by it and some other biologically active compounds are endowed with the ability to scare away such dangerous enemies potatoes, like a voracious bear and an unfortunate wireworm. But their beneficial effect on this culture is not limited to this either - with the help of needles, you can save potatoes from scab and from a number of other equally unpleasant mushroom ailments!

If potatoes often suffer from the above insects or diseases, then in the spring, during planting, it will not hurt to throw a full handful of larch or pine needles into each hole first, and then pour half a glass of wood ash there. And only then seed potatoes are laid out in the holes and covered with soil. By the way, rather loose needles also provide excellent air drainage of the potato root system, which oxygen is vital for the full formation of tubers.

In case if New Year long ago behind, the tree has been safely thrown away, and the new summer season almost on the nose, you can go to the forest and pick up the fallen needles there. In addition, in order to collect the needles in the forest, superhuman efforts will not be required - several strokes with a rake, and in seven to eight minutes you will have a full bag of valuable raw materials in front of you!

Mulching the soil

Needles are not only an excellent assistant in the difficult task of getting rid of pests and preventing all kinds of potato diseases, but also an excellent raw material for mulching! Experienced summer residents in general, it is recommended to cover the beds with onions with sevka exclusively with needles - such a cover not only perfectly retains moisture in the soil, but also actively prevents the growth of weeds. And the volatile phytoncides secreted by needles in every possible way contribute to the protection of onion plantings from pests and are an excellent prophylaxis against all kinds of bacterial and fungal ailments.

If you cover the needles of the beds with garlic, onions, lettuce, radishes and some other moisture-loving crops around mid-May, the yield will increase significantly, and the effort spent on watering and weeding will be noticeably reduced!

We cover the beds for the winter

Another valuable property of pine needles is its ability to act as a covering material - it really reliably protects crops covered for wintering! Covering the beds with needles is very easy and simple, and the result is excellent! Grapes and strawberries react especially gratefully to such a shelter. It is not forbidden to sprinkle with needles and roots fruit and berry crops- it is able to protect them no worse than ultra-modern covering materials. Perfectly protecting against heat loss and chilly wind, the needles at the same time perfectly pass oxygen vital for plants, not allowing the soil to "suffocate". And she is also a reliable protector from enterprising rodents, which is also important!

Fresh needles are endowed with the ability to increase the acidity of the soil, which is sometimes extremely undesirable. So the needles, which are planned to be used as mulch or to combat various pests and diseases, ideally should be given a good perepheat in compost heap... As for the needles from a used Christmas tree or collected from the ground in the forest, it is already quite ready for use and does not need such procedures.

For the same reason, it is permissible to use needles for far from all crops - for example, garden flowers often react negatively to changes in soil acidity. But sour berries and fruits just love pine needles! This raw material is ideal for mulching the soil around most garden trees, as well as around blueberry and cherry bushes, and it is also great for helping the growth of garlic, onions, sunflowers and even eggplant! So it's definitely worth making friends with pine needles!

Spruce and pine needles are widely used at their summer cottage. It is not only an excellent mulch and natural covering material for the winter, but also an excellent fertilizer, as well as a remedy for pests and garden diseases.

Coniferous mulch

For mulching, it is preferable to use pine needles rather than spruce needles. It perfectly retains moisture in the soil, prevents the germination of weeds, protects cultivated plants from fungal diseases and pests.

This covering material is best suited for garden strawberry... The berries will not touch the ground, which means that crop losses from rotting will be minimized. In addition, the needles will not allow slugs to fatten on berries.

Also the needles are suitable for mulching. near-trunk circles at berry bushes and fruit trees.

Be sure to keep in mind that needles acidify the surrounding soil. For this reason, it is not used for mulching many flowers. The only exceptions are heather, hydrangea and rhododendrons.

You need to use coniferous litter or rotted harvested needles as mulch. Fresh needles won't work!

Lapnik as a covering material

Many gardeners use spruce branches as a covering material. The structure of the material allows you to effectively retain the snow cover. In addition, prickly needles reliably protect wintering plants from rodents.

An important advantage of spruce branches in comparison with many artificial covering materials is its air permeability. That is, no damping off during the winter thaws threatens your wards.

This mulch is suitable for sheltering strawberries, various perennials, near-stem circles of garden shrubs and trees.

Fertilizer

Like other organic matter, needles are great for laying in compost heaps. After overheating, it will turn out to be extremely useful natural fertilizer, which not only effectively feeds the plant, but also improves the structure of the soil.

For indoor plants you can make a nutritious infusion based on spruce or pine needles, which has not only nutritious, but also pronounced bactericidal properties.

To prepare it, fill a three-liter can by a third with coniferous sawdust (small twigs are permissible) and pour boiling water on top to full volume. Insist the composition for 3-4 days, then strain through cheesecloth. Dilute it before use clean water in a ratio of 1 to 2. Such dressing will be useful not only for home plants, but also for garden plants.

Spruce mulch is very good for growing onions. From 1 kg of seedlings, you can get a harvest of up to 40 kg, and in any summer!

Pest control

Needles have long been used to protect potato crops from wireworm and bear. It is placed in each planting hole 1 handful, adding half a glass of wood ash on top. Such a composition will protect tubers from scab.

It was already mentioned above that the mulch from the needles will keep slugs and snails out of the strawberries. Feel free to use it to protect against these pests and other garden plants that grow well in acidic soils.

Use coniferous infusion to combat weevils on raspberries, apple moths, moths on gooseberries and currants. For 10 liters of boiling water, take 1.5 kg of coniferous needles. The composition should be properly infused, after which it must be filtered through cheesecloth. Ready mix pour into a spray bottle and spray.

The optimal time for the first treatment is the flowering period. Perform the next two sprays at weekly intervals.

A more concentrated coniferous infusion (2 kg of needles per 10 liters of water) will help to cope with aphids, copperheads, Colorado potato beetle and cruciferous flea beetles... You need to insist in dark place within a week, stirring the composition daily. In some cases, reduced concentrations of the solution also help (the infusion is diluted with water 1 to 3).

For better stickiness, a small amount of grated laundry or liquid soap can be added to these compositions just before use.

For followers organic farming needles can be a great helper. To use it, you do not need to cut trees or cut off their branches (except for the case of collecting spruce branches), it is enough to collect spruce or pine litter from time to time.

Content of the article

Can pine needles be used as fertilizer

Needles as fertilizer can be used constantly. Experienced gardeners have tested its effect on a variety of plants for a long time, so today they say with confidence that it is impossible to refuse such a simple and reliable remedy. Experts confirm their conclusions, suggesting how to use the unique remedy.

What is needles for a cultivated plant?

Can you use such a tool? First, you should evaluate the available opportunities so as not to lose them. Gardeners have long found several options, which gradually turned into irreplaceable folk recipes... What methods do they suggest?

• Protection from pests;
• Top dressing;
• Frost protection.

The needles can be used by several available ways... Each of them is interesting and useful in its own way. A detailed consideration of the options will tell you what results can be achieved by abandoning mineral fertilizers. They are not always perfect, so it is better to periodically get acquainted with folk remedies.

Pest control

Pest control is the most popular way to use needles. They exude a smell that aphids, ants and even birds do not like. Through scent, they need to choose fruit trees, shrubs and other cultivated plants. So you should not refuse this option, because it is much easier to use natural remedy than resorting to chemical compounds again.

Use ready solution not difficult. Some people prefer to infuse real needles to get a rich mixture, but it is much easier to get a coniferous concentrate that is great for use in your own area. It is worth using a proven tool that is sold in almost every store.

The easiest way to apply the solution is with a sprayer or pour it directly upon planting. Potatoes are a great example. If you add only 1 liter of solution under each bush during planting, it will be possible to protect the tubers from wireworms and shrews. Better not to look alternative options when you can use the proven option.

Top dressing

Needles can be used as top dressing without any problems. Their main advantage remains their naturalness, which excludes damage to fruit trees and plants. Now it is beneficial to use just such a solution without wasting time. Practice shows how quickly the mixture can be prepared for spraying.

If you use a concentrate, you will be able to save yourself from various troubles. In this case, the preparation of the solution will take a minimum of time, and the concentration will be 1: 5. It is ideal for almost all plants and shrubs, so you can apply it all over the site. What effect will top dressing give?

• Accelerated growth;
• Increased productivity;
• Providing constant soil moisture.

After applying top dressing, you can expect unsurpassed results. Specialists have long abandoned complex actions. It is much more difficult to carefully calculate the required amount of mineral fertilizers than to resort to ordinary pine or spruce needles. Folk remedy harmless, so you don't even need to engage in complex calculations and assessment of the state of green spaces. Because of this, such a top dressing can be advised to every beginner who has not yet learned at first glance to assess the lack of a particular trace element. He can make a lot of unforgivable mistakes if he turns to chemicals with a complex composition.

Frost protection

Frost protection is a problematic task in every garden area. People constantly have to deal with freezing of the soil, so you should not give up any means. Long time perfect way withered grass or sawdust was considered, but the first smolders quickly, and the second material will require considerable cash costs.

Now protection from frost can be provided by closing the entire bed with ordinary needles. It perfectly retains heat on the surface, and in the spring it allows you to maintain a suitable level of humidity. Reliability can be achieved in just a few minutes own site so as not to worry about freezing the roots of strawberries, flowers or grapes in the future.

Why are needles useful?

Needles, as a natural fertilizer, have been used for a long time, but this is only one of the areas of its application. If we evaluate its advantages, we will have to agree that alternative materials have long been in the past. What kind distinctive features you must specify?

• Maintaining a constant temperature;
• Maintaining constant humidity;
• The smell repels pests;
• Non-toxic;
• Harmless;
• Does not cause allergic reactions.

You should not give up this option if you want to comprehensively protect yourself from dangerous external factors... A constant collision with a lack of certain qualities makes you use complex fertilizers or carefully select a covering material. pros common needles refute such difficulties, since it has the best indicators for the excellent maintenance of its own garden or vegetable garden. There is no need to worry again about the coming cold or heat, because people have long learned to use the support of nature correctly, resorting to it in the right case.

The needles are not just needles that remain in the house after the New Year holidays. They are ideal remedy for personal plot... Using them correctly or purchasing a coniferous concentrate, you can completely get rid of pests, ensure plant protection, and also increase yields. It is difficult to refuse such an option when you want to constantly enjoy blooming vegetables and fruits.

Although it is summer now, the New Year is still far away, but advice on the use of needles must be taken into account. Every year, a huge number of trees are simply taken to the trash, and this is almost a ready-made fertilizer and pest repellent! Do not pass by discarded trees.

Once, after the New Year holidays, I came across an old magazine. I wanted to throw it away, but a photo of a Christmas tree and an article on the benefits of pine needles on the site attracted attention. I went to the tree and put away the toys. I thought, what if we continue the "coniferous" holiday? Now, dear Christmas tree, you will serve me more. I'll arrange a holiday for the plants, they are alive, they want something unusual, tasty!

And I decided to try. But one article is not enough. I rummaged through a bunch of literature, sat on the Internet and realized how much goodness in the form of discarded Christmas trees lying around in landfills immediately after the holidays! I persuaded my husband to go and pick up a dozen trees. We did it quickly, and there were four days ahead of it, but necessary work... Fortunately, time allowed, it is far from spring. The result is 12 large buckets of pine needles, which, having safely migrated into bags, will wait for their time - spring. And scratched hands are not a problem, it's just production costs. So, what do I use pine needles for?

From mole and wireworm

First of all, I use it as a frightening agent against wireworm and bear - for example, when planting potatoes. Naturally, I add ash, humus and onion skins which we collect all year round. Crushed eggshell also goes to the holes. I used to add some of the chemistry, but last year I decided to do without it. But without fail, I put a handful of needles in each hole. And I was convinced that the wireworm does not like the needles. Since she started tossing her, the wireworm has disappeared. As a result, the potatoes are flat, not eaten by this "beast".

By the way, marigolds were planted along the edges of the potato beds, and the owner of the garden, Mr. Mole, was offended and left. But before nothing helped from him! Now he comes to the potatoes, and there are marigolds, turns around - and back.

From insects

Aphids appeared on the pepper, a flea on cabbage, some small insects on other plants - well, hold on, we will cope with you! We have needles. True, she stood for six months, but that's even better. No material costs (and for me, a pensioner, this is important) and no chemistry to boot - beauty! I put 1.5-2 kg of pine needles in a bucket and put them in a shed for seven to eight days. It's dark, and mice don't like this infusion. I'll come up once a day and mix it up. This must be done, otherwise all the substances will simply remain in the needles.

The infusion turns out to be quite concentrated, so you cannot fight pests, otherwise the plants that you want to save may die. Therefore, I dilute it in a ratio of 1: 4, filter it and add water to its original volume. Do not forget to rub in this solution laundry soap 25-30 g (so that the solution sticks better), and go ahead - say goodbye to pests!

Better to do it, of course, not in the rainy cloudy weather... Yes, and it is not necessary in the heat: it is hard for the plants, and there is no point. A good time is a dry morning, or evening, but always dry. After such spraying, the plants will quickly get rid of intruders. Even Colorado beetle will feel uncomfortable and may leave the potatoes that he liked. You just need to remember that in such a solution there should be one needles - there is no place for cones.

Saves pine needles and apple trees from apple moth, and currants with gooseberries from moths, and raspberries from weevils, and strawberries from gray rot.

Only in this case, the solution should be slightly weaker: one bucket of water is enough, maximum one and a half kilograms of needles. Pour boiling water over the needles and let cool - that's all the work. You can "treat" moths, moths, weevils and fight with gray rot. I assure you that any evil spirits will leave the trees and bushes.

From late blight

I did this: I added a little ash to 1 kg of needles, filled it with water, brought it to a boil, let it settle. And then according to the old scenario: strain, top up to the original volume (10 liters) and spray once every two weeks. If late blight does not make itself felt, it can be less often. Of course, this is not a panacea, no one can guarantee 100% success, but prevention has not bothered anyone yet.

In mulch

Everyone knows that spruce branches are a wonderful mulch. The needles do not just save trees from the winds, they help them breathe. The soil becomes loose, retains moisture, retains heat, prevents weeds from growing, and most importantly, releases phytoncides that prevent many diseases. And if you bless the needles of the beds with moisture-loving crops (onions, garlic, lettuce, radishes, etc.), then make your life much easier: you will not have to stand with a hose every day, the weeds will stop mocking you - they simply will not be there.

In compost

Needles rotted in a compost heap are the ultimate dreams of any gardener. So can't we sacrifice four days of working with Christmas trees in winter and slightly scratched hands for the sake of facilitating our own work in the summer ?!