Aside from how it might effect the ph as it decomposes, what do you think the cons would be to using pine cones as mulch? Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of what I'm thinking of that I found online. I really like the look, most of my plants would do well in a more acidic soil, and I have the neighbor's cats that roam free plus my own chickens that I'd like to discourage from getting in the beds as much as they do. Pine cones are plentiful here and it's just an idea I'm tossing around. I wouldn't extend the barrier that far, only half as wide if that. Thanks!

Gotta say, that put a smile on my face!!! Great idea. Love how it looks. Keep us posted in the thread on how that comes out. Curious to see if you get any pine saplings growing there.

hahaha! I didn't even think about pine seeds

Beautiful.
I did that 30 years ago.
I ended up with a soft, emerald green carpet of pine tree sprouts a year later.
And, here is one of the resulting trees today.

I started using pine cones & sweet gum balls in my containers because of a cat. I was also going to use some in a craft so what I did was put them in a bucket & pour boiling water over them & then let them sit in the water until it cooled. Then I dumped them out onto a bread tray until they were dry. I didn't want bugs in my house or anything sprouting.

Oh dear, well I don't want to deal with pine seedlings so I guess that idea is out the window! Thinks for the warnings

I also wonder if it would attract seed-loving birds? Just a thought. We have a ton of small rodents in my area (namely packrats). They might love to take to a pile like that!

cinvasko said:Oh dear, well I don't want to deal with pine seedlings so I guess that idea is out the window! Thinks for the warnings

If you get any seedlings you can always let it grow a little and then transplant it.