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YOUR QUESTION #0087270:

Needles for berries

I usually use pine needles to mulch my berry plants (blue and rasp). I'm not finding many this year but have a source for giant sequoia needles. Will these work and is there anything different I should do? I usually just pile them on or around the plants. I'm concerned that the sequoia might not be too dense or thick and might not break down. thanks for your response.

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Edit question to read; I'm concerned that the sequoia might be too dense .... 

Although sequoia needles are not known, as are pine needles, as a mulch choice, they could act in much the same way. While pine needles are long, 13 to 25 cm in length and come in groups of 2 or 3, sequoia needles are different. It is also important to note what type of sequoia tree you are receiving your needles from. Sequoia sempervirens, or commonly known as Coastal, Coast, or California Redwood, have dark green stiff, sharp pointed needles that are 1 to 2 cm long . Sequoiadendron giganteum, or commonly known as Sierra Redwood or Giant Sequoia, have scale-like, sharp pointed branchlets that overlap and are 3 to 6 mm long. For more information and pictures of the needles/leaves see the following links: Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum.

Pine needles, as are other organic mulch materials, are able to add nitrogen to the soil around your berry plants. Mulches also help to insulate the soil from extreme temperatures, retain moisture, and reduce weed growth. Sequoia needles would be able to do all of these things, but pine needles because of their length are able to knit together and help to prevent soil erosion. Needles from conifer trees have a waxy coating or cuticle that keeps them waterproof. It also prevents the needles, whether they are pine or sequoia, from breaking down quickly. Running them through a shredder before placing them under your plants will help them to break down faster.

Many people use pine needles because they believe they will make the soil more acidic by lower the pH, particularly when used around blueberries. This is not true. If you were to turn pine needles that have just dropped from the tree into the soil, not just placed on top of the soil, you might see a slight drop in the pH.

Besides needles, straw, sawdust, or bark would make great mulch around your blueberries and raspberries. For more information on mulch and berries, Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden and Growing Raspberries in Your Home Garden, will be helpful.