Kitchen Garden Forum

Here's the story, on our back garden we have let one side of our conifer hedge become unmanageable, we are getting someone in to lop it.
It will be about 20 quid cheaper if he just just chipped the cuttings and not take them away.
What I need to know, and I know a lot of gardeners consider conifer clippings bad, would they be ok to use as a mulch for paths and so on up at the lottie.
Your advice please?

Hi frantony
Paths - yes, ideal. Not one for the growing areas.
One of my chums just throws the cuttings under the conifer hedge (as a mulch for the hedge) - they rot down in time, and it saves on transport!

Hi Frantony and Sprout,
Last year I cut down about 100 Leylandii and laid the lop or brush, call it what you will, aside in rather large piles and when it has turned brown after a year you obtain compostable material by a a kind of threshing and this seperates the foliage from the woody material. Having done that this material is mixed with grass cuttings and just piled up and them covered. Next year it will be ready for use. I have tested the PH and it at present stands at 6.5 which is just on the acidic side and will be fine for incorpoating as a long term soil improver.
I have masses of room to do this and perhaps space is more at a premium with you. It does take a long time but it gets there in the end. If you chip or shred it you have the added complication of composting wood which is another ball game altogether.
I hope this doesn't complicate things.