I was wondering if anyone could tell me if you can fill a container or flower pots with perhaps half full or less with pine cones? Or is there something in the cones that would harm flowers? It would be lighter and I wouldn't have to use so much soil. And I have ALOT of pine cones in my yard.
Pine Cones In Containers
They break down slowly because they are rich in lignin and suberin, two bio-compounds that really slow breakdown of hydrocarbon chains, so they should be fine as filler material. Many use packing peanuts stuffed into pantyhose or empty soda/other plastic bottles as filler material. "Drainage layers" of coarse materials do not promote drainage, though. They only serve to raise the layer of saturated soil that usually inhabits the bottom of the container higher in the container - 'perched' on top of the drainage layer.
Al
Send 'em to me. I'm going to put them in the pots I bring in to keep the cats off them. The more uncomfortable the better
^_^
grrrlgeek-lol, how about you just send me a cat? I love cats.......on second thought maybe not-my 5 dogs love cats too but not in a good way-bad dogs!
I think if we check out a local timber in the mid-west we are sure to find plenty of cones.
Happy Gardening!
I've been reading Al's thread about soil aeration etc (thanks for great info)...and I also have lots of pine cones. would it be useful to chop them up and mix with soil? Perry
I never had that question asked before. I can't see any reason they wouldn't work very well if they were reduced to the right size - like in a chipper. They should be PINE though, not spruce. They should feel very hard and woody.
Al
I think the pine cones behave differently in different parts of the country. We have Loblolly pines around here and their cones (like everything else) break down quickly in the heat and humidity. We literally have thousands of cones falling in the in the yard each year and I have used them as pot filler and as deterrant mulch and around here they do not hold up. With the shorter, Midwest summers they should do well.