Chillpings

I have recently acquired several bags of fir tree clippings which I was going to put around my autumn raspberry canes and rhubarb when they have finished fruiting.  A friend has told me this is a bad idea - any comments please?

I would like some Chillpings, where can I get them?

Hi Vivienne, Firtree clippings and conifer clippings are acidic - I don't grow fruit so I'm  not sure if this is what your friend meant.  Great for Rhoddies and azaleas as a mulch though.

As wood chips decompose they consume nitrogen from teh soil on which they're laid but not in sufficient compost to cause serious depletions if your plants are healthy.  You can compensate, if desired, by scattering pelleted chicken manure round the plants before laying the chippings as a mulch.

Thanks for the tip about putting down chicken pellets before using the chippings - I will use some on my azaleas too - thanks for all replies.

fir tree clippings? put them in the green bin. you will do  a lot of damage if you use them.I tried ordinary wood chippings one year and killed nearly all my plants.Wood chips must be left for a year before you decide to use it as a mulch .fir is acid to the earth , I had tall fir trees and could grow nothing underneath them.

Flowering rose,I would suggest that the reason you could grow nothing under fir trees was due to lack of water and shade rather than acidity. Fir trees are very shallow rooted and take all surface moisture from the soil.

Vivienne Horner, I would take the advice given by obelixx above and add that you should only mulch when the soil is moist - keeping the moisture in rather than keeping it out, esp in the dry period we're having at the moment (in my part of the world, anyway)