Chip or shred pine to use as mulch?
We have gigantic white pines on our property, and one was just struck by lightning. A huge portion of it has fallen and the rest will need to be cut down. Could we shred some of it and use it as landscape mulch in our flower beds? It would be ideal to use what we've got rather than have to purchase mulch, but I thought I'd read that using fresh wood was not advisable. Is that the case, and if so, could you please explain why? Many thanks!
If you have a wood chipper, your injured pine tree would make excellent mulch when you take it down. There is no reason to be concerned about using mulch from a recently-felled tree. In the long term, all chipped wood mulch takes nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes, so it's a good idea to sprinkle all of your mulch beds with a slow-release granular 10-10-10 fertilizer once a year to make sure the nutrients your plants need are present.
