privet clippings

[pembo]

Have had mixed messages about privet clippings in compost.  Some say no no, others say yes yes!!  What does anyone feel, or what is the expert advice!!  Thanks for all your encouragement on other issues. :-X

[pembo]

[teresa]

It should be fine if you lay it on your lawn and go over it with a lawnmower to chop it up finer. Then just put it in layers in the compost bin or a plastic bag to rot down or trench in lottie.
All will break down eventualy and it not like conifer where you do get problems.

[slugcatcher]

What problems is there from conifer clippings?
Im asking because we had some(shredded clippings) delivered for paths and was thinking of using it this year for the paths and then turning it it the soil at the back end.
Is this a no no?

Ron

[teresa]

Hi Ron,
Conifer is like pine great for paths think its the sap will kill anything growing perhaps in a year or so for the garden.

[Kepouros]

If the coniferous chippings are the large ones which come out of the commercial type shredders they are best kept for the paths, where they will last for several years before they break down.  If the chippings are small, such as those from a domestic shredder then they should be composted before they are used in the soil - they will take 3 or 4 years to break down properly.  If the chippings contain any large proportion of shredded coniferous foliage the resulting compost will have a much lower pH than ordinary garden compost.

[Diana]

If the chippings contain any large proportion of shredded coniferous foliage the resulting compost will have a much lower pH than ordinary garden compost.

i.e. goo for heather, rhodi, blueberries as mulch etc

[Kepouros]

Very definitely