Confussed / falling pine needles

Is it ok to add pine needles to my composter?
Do I need to run them over with the lawn mower, or would I be better off just putting them in my flower beds after I plant my tulips and other bulbs?
My mother in law has a ton of them and I HATE to see them burn them...
Any advice on how you do it...Thanks

We put them on top of the soil as a mulch, and have good results. i do compost the extra, but it's rare for me to have extra - they go in with everything else, layered.

Katye: Do you find that pine needle mulch helps to control slugs? My friend says it worked great for her.

Also, do they last a long time as a mulch? How often to you apply them, and how thick?

Karen

I thought pine needles were a no-no because they make the soil too acidic. My neighbor has plenty but I've turned them down. Maybe I should reconsider?

Run over and grab those pine needles, Mary. Just layer them between whatever else you are using in the way of mulch. It takes the pine needles a long time to break down naturally, but look at the soil where they have decomposed. It's very humusy looking. Never turn down any pine needles or leaves. They can be used in many ways.

Whole pine needles are great mulch for anything EXCEPT beds with spring bulbs. They are just heavy enough to bend the stems of emerging tulips & hyacinth. If you get them chopped up somehow, they are excellent with everything.

The acidity I have found to be less of a problem than the texture, because all compost is essentially ph-neutral. With a few exceptions, most common garden plants (roses, for example) don't have any difficulty with slight acidity.

I have been 'shredding' some pine needles and using them on pathways. DH bought one of those electric leaf blowers that has an attachment that will suck leaves, mulching at the same time. Wonderful invention. I used it this morning to shred carob leaves for the compost, to shred straw for mulching and have used it in the past for the pine needles. Munches them to about 2" or 3" pieces. The unit cost about $50 at Home Depot.

KQ - pine needles to deter slugs - here? Heck no - we grow them strong & sturdy here!
If they are detemined to get to the Holy Grail, they'll leap or fly.
Seriously. I have not found anything that changes their minds except for Sluggo or Deadline.

Thanks, Katye. My friend said that she had good results. I supposed that the needles would pierce the slimy boogers. I guess not everyone finds that. Or maybe it depends on the type of needles and how sharp they are, or how thick, or soil conditions, etc.

Karen

Diatomaceous earth? Doesn't that work against slugs?

Mary - anytime anyone ever says "don't use that, it's too acidic" grab it - I promise you your soil is so alkaline that it would absorb hydrochloric acid and shrug.

OK PC, thanks for the tip. I'll tell my neighbor to put me back on pine needle recycling!

i think pine needles now would be matted down by spring and the emerging bulbs will send leaves up through.

I thought the same thing. I was wrong, and won't repeat the error.

wow, sorry to hear that. i don't have a lot of experience with that, or a lot of [pine needles. guess i was lucky.

In Savannah Georgia, where I used to live, pine straw (which is bales of long pine needles) is used as mulch. Our property had plenty of pine trees. The soil there was sandy, but the needles do provide additional nutrient over time.