A supplement is not the same, necessarily as an amendment. I wouldn't mix any fresh raw wood product with the soil, but if it's spread on the surface like a mulch I think it will be fine. I believe pine fines are aged before being used in a potting mix. Mixed in the soil I would think any fresh bark would suck out the N. for a period of time- I also believe that blueberries don't care where the organic matter in the soil comes from as long as you manage the pH. You can't assume that what is needed to create potting soil will carry into what is needed in a general soil mix, where the soil itself dominates and you don't have the drainage confinement of a pot. Anytime you mix materials with a high carbon to nitrogen ratio to the soil where the carbon is easily available you will likely have difficulty keeping enough N in the soil for you plants. . Here is a link that might be useful: C-N ratios of various raw materials.

The chickens scratch around looking for goodies, and as the leaves dry out they scratch them into nothing. Add that to their poop and you have the best stuff to add to your compost! Or use as a base for next year's garden. Many people use a "garden tractor" (I'm thinking of building one!).This is a mini coop that holds a few chickens at a time You can have the chickens scratch and tear up an area, while adding poop to the yard. If you throw a bunch of leaves in there...BINGO! pretty much ready for planting in a few months! Then you move the tractor to the next area (or raised bed in my case) The chickens have eaten the weeds, pooped and shredded the leaves all into a great garden area! The only thing you have to worry about is having too much fresh poop when it's time for planting! You want to move it probably 3 months before planting (and this is where the leaves come in again!) let them scratch around again for awhile then move them! Nancy

jugglerguy: Either way the maple leaves around here aren't ready to use as mulch in spring. Shredded they take less room & do compost faster. Left whole whether in large wire bins or plastic bags rolled around now & then they're not ready until at least 2 years. Have you heard of chop & drop a term by Ann Lovejoy, a Pacific Northwest garden writer? As you cut back spent perennials just chop them up & drop in place as your bottom layer of mulch, then top those with the shredded leaves as you acquire them in the fall for your uniform look. This way you only move them once letting them compost in place. In spring you could lightly rake through them a bit to freshen up the beds at the time you've usually applied the leaves. Sometimes, I pile it on thicker in places especially with perennials that don't mind mulch over the crown & come spring can spread it out a bit more after I pull it back from the crowns. Slug bait is a must in my climate all year round! Maybe you want to try a longer lasting mulch such as arborist wood chips if you can get them delivered to you. They last much longer here than leaves & the combo works to enrich the soil. Sometimes, I mix up a batch of mulch to top off the beds to include used coffee grounds along with leaves & wood chips. Once they're spread on the soil & we've had a few rains you really can't tell what the dark stuff is there.

A 2 to 4 inch layer of an organic mulch layer over as large an area as possible around plants is one of the single most beneficial things a gardener can provide. -Mulch certainly does prevent the evaporation of water from the soil surface; an essential function at some times of the year, in much of the country. -Mulch can keep the mowers and weedeaters away from the trunks of trees, and from shrub/perennial beds. -It prevents soil splashing, a cause of erosion. -It prevents the surface of the soil from crusting and repelling water. A mulched soil has much improved percolation of water through the surface. Yes, light rainfalls can be captured by the mulch, but that effect is countered by the evaporation prevention. -Mulch buffers soil temperature, perhaps one of the biggest benefits. In cold or hot weather, the soil temperature remains comfortable for the shallow essential roots of trees and other plants AS WELL AS FOR the microorganisms that abound in a protected soil system. -Soil texture is improved as mulch breaks down into smaller particles and become part of the soil. -Mulches have a nutrient value as they decompose, both for the plants and for the beneficial microbes. Those microorganisms are essential for the plants' growth and development, for their very existance. -Mulched plants have more roots, especially where there is that important mulch layer. This is important for plants of all ages. The shallow, non-woody roots are very short lived and need to be replaced constantly. Where do you think that this will occur on a much larger scale? Under mulch. -Mother Nature DOES mulch. In a natural setting the entire first layer of a soil system is the "O" layer (for organic). The only place where the "O" layer exists anymore is in an untouched native woodland or natural area. Mulching with ANY organic substance (bark, wood chips, pine straw, leaves, etc.) is our way of replacing what has been taken away. -Using the farmer analogy is probably not the best, lol. They would mulch if they could, believe me! Wind and water erosion like crazy, soil depletion of nutrients and water, weed invasion, YIKES! Drive by a newly plowed and planted field and see if you don't agree. If it weren't for herbicides...... -Most would agree that a mulched landscape is much more aesthetically pleasing than a parched soil surface. My mulch of choice is a load wood chips delivered to my door by my favorite arborist. Since they are composed of the woody part of an assortment of trees and not the just the bark, they break down much faster than pine bark, but top dressing isn't a big chore.