How to Put Mulch Around Pine Trees

Use pine needles as mulch under pine trees. Pine-needle much is one of the best mulches for all trees, especially pine, as cited by Randy Lemmon in Gulf Coast Gardening with Randy Lemmon (2006). You can apply pine-needle mulch more thickly than mulch made from other materials.

Clear all grasses and weeds from around a newly transplanted pine tree to a diameter of 3 to 5 feet from the trunk. Water the cleared area and then apply a layer of pine-needle mulch 3 to 4 inches deep.

Apply extra mulch under established pine trees after clearing grasses and weeds all the way to the drip line of tree. This would encompass the entire area under the tree's canopy.

Apply a layer of organic fertilizer to the soil and then cover it with 3 to 4 inches of pine-needle mulch. Alternative mulches you can use include root mulch and mulch made from wood chips, shredded leaves, cocoa hulls, or the shredded bark of pine or other kinds of trees.