How to Compost Pine Bark

Pine tree bark may be composted to create pH neutral loam.

Pine bark is a mulch made from the outer cambium layer of the pine tree. Pine bark is composed of wide, flat bark pieces that are higher in acid than most other mulches. In addition to using pine bark as a mulch around plants to choke out weeds, you can also compost pine bark to make a nutrient-rich compost. Composting pine bark reduces the acidic level of the bark and makes the resulting loam pH neutral.

Things You'll Need

• Pine bark Straw Dead leaves Grass clippings Kitchen scraps Wood chipper Lawnmower Food processor Garden hose Pitchfork Cooking thermometer Sieve

Instructions

1. Collect materials for composting with pine bark. Compost will mature faster if you mix carbon-rich materials such as pine bark, straw and dead leaves with nitrogen-rich material such as grass clippings and kitchen scraps. This method of compost is known as the Indore compost method.

2. Chop all compost materials into ½ inch to 1 inch square in size. This will help the material to break down faster. Use a wood chipper to reduce the size of pine bark. A lawnmower will help reduce the size of grass clippings, straw and dead leaves. Kitchen scraps can be cut down with a food processor.

3. Layer the compost like a lasagna with carbon layers such as pine bark and straw alternating with nitrogen layers such as grass and kitchen scraps. The carbon layers should be twice as thick as the nitrogen layers. The compost pile should be at least 3 cubic feet, but not more than 5 cubic feet.

4. Wet each layer with a garden hose as you build the compost pile. The pile should be uniformly damp as a wrung-out sponge.

5. Check the internal temperature of the compost pile with a cooking thermometer that contains a probe to ensure that it is between 130 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the pile inside-out with a pitchfork any time the pile is less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit at the center.

6. Sift through the pile with a sieve once the pile has been reduced to loamy consistency to separate out any unfinished material. Return the unfinished material to the pile. The finished loam can be turned into the garden, used as a potting soil or as a mulch for plants.

References

• Extension: Making and Using Compost for Organic Gardening
• University of Maine: How Compost Happens
• Washington State University: Backyard Composting

Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension: Composting and Mulching