Using Wood Chips From Tree Companies

Discussion in 'Survival and Sustainability' started by Adfundum, Nov 29, 2019.

  1. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks. I hadn't thought of driving on mulch, if that's what you mean. Whatever works.

    Haven't noticed any mold problems, but we did have a lot of mushrooms last spring. At first I didn't know if that was an issue, but apparently it's sometimes part of the decomposition process.
     
  2. BleedingHeadKen

    BleedingHeadKen Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    Messages:
    16,551
    Likes Received:
    1,270
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Slime molds are like a fungus.They aren't dangerous and they don't spread much. They look like dog vomit, among other things.

    The lesson I learned is to ask, first, from where the wood comes. Here in California, there are a lot of possibilities.
     
    Collateral Damage likes this.
  3. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Do you see the slime mold and fungus as something bad? I've seen that stuff that looks like dog vomit, but after a couple of days it was gone. Didn't know it might be a problem.
     
  4. BleedingHeadKen

    BleedingHeadKen Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2008
    Messages:
    16,551
    Likes Received:
    1,270
    Trophy Points:
    113
    No danger at all. They can be messy to step in.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  5. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2011
    Messages:
    11,100
    Likes Received:
    6,786
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The white mold is a good thing ...micchorizal fungi is inoculated in some plant mixes.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  6. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2016
    Messages:
    7,664
    Likes Received:
    6,183
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Florida too
    my parents have a summer place in rural nc, mom is a big composter and mulcher going on 5 years, to deal with the clay. nill have to ask her how deep the topsoil is now.

    I deal with Florida sandy soil. but since we mulch the grass and I have plenty of trees and shrubs that leave droppings my lawn is about 6-8 black earth, that took 25 years

    it's pure sand under that depth.
     
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2019
    Adfundum likes this.
  7. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2018
    Messages:
    52,287
    Likes Received:
    48,664
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Here's a good question, What's the soil PH before woodchips and months AFTER woodchips?
    Clay should benefit from any degree of areation and improved drainage.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  8. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Yes, good question. I know my soil is on the acidic side, but I don't know about the wood chips. That's another of those questions that people don't seem to agree on. The load I got last spring was pine. The load I just got is oak. Not sure if there is any real difference there other than the pine breaks down quicker.

    From what I can tell, any problems with acidity (and with tying up the nitrogen) depend on whether the chips are used immediately rather than waiting for them to "cook," and whether the chips are tilled in or laid on the surface. Most edu sites say that the acidity and nitrogen issues are temporary, and not really an issue unless chips are tilled into the soil. A lot of other sites seem to focus on the negative effects and generalize them to say that wood chips are not so good.

    Another issue I've run into is the termite thing. People say wood chips attract termites. Studies say otherwise. I've seen termites in fallen trees and stumps around my house, but never in the wood chips.

    I mentioned before that my hope is the wood chips will add organic material and help develop the structure of the soil. It seems to be great in the short term, but my first question is will those benefits continue after the chips degrade? I'm hoping I don't have to keep reapplying huge amounts of this stuff.
     
  9. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Mountains or piedmont? The piedmont has the biggest issue with the clay. I found it interesting that some of the early records in my area claimed there were places that had up to six feet of topsoil. That was a big draw for farmers, but that was either an exaggeration or the tilling allowed it to wash away.
     
  10. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2018
    Messages:
    52,287
    Likes Received:
    48,664
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I'm not certain, other than to say, wood chips willundoubtedly effect the PH.

    And I do know, the cheapest potting mixes (in the SE) have a ton of pine bark nuggets. I prefer the more expensive potting mixes to grow tomatoes, peppers, and other randoms.
     
  11. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2016
    Messages:
    7,664
    Likes Received:
    6,183
    Trophy Points:
    113
    not sure which, nahtahala forest, highlands area, I do know its a thick red clay.
     
  12. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I know the soil tends to be acidic, so I buy plants that like the acid. As far as vegetable gardening, I don't do much of that. I like to put in a few tomato plants because I like to pick and eat those cherry and grape tomatoes over the summer. My neighbors go crazy with all the other stuff and they bring me lots of gifts.
     
    FatBack likes this.
  13. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Yeah, that's the mountains. beautiful country.
     
  14. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2016
    Messages:
    7,664
    Likes Received:
    6,183
    Trophy Points:
    113
    yip, I enjoy visiting, good people, very relaxed atmosphere, low taxes, I like the whole area.

    I'm a bit of an outdoors type, the guy that flys into an area, rents an suv and immediately puts the city skyline in the rear view mirror.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  15. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I like that. We rented a house in the mountains a couple of years ago. It was gorgeous. There are still lots more places I'd like to see up there.
     
  16. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2018
    Messages:
    52,287
    Likes Received:
    48,664
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Up North? My tomatoes are coming ripe, this time of year.
     
  17. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Ha! I'm in NC. You must be Fla?
     
    FatBack likes this.
  18. politicalcenter

    politicalcenter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2011
    Messages:
    11,100
    Likes Received:
    6,786
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Wood chips will decompose to a ph of 7 or neutral. And the material "humus" will last 5 to 100 years depending on climate. Humus will last longer in northern climates and will degrade quicker in warm climates. And as said earlier a layer of Wood chips 1 foot thick will decompose to a thickness of an inch or less. So it may take a while to build good soil but the benefits of weed suppression and moisture retention should also be considered.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  19. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks. Again, there is some disagreement about the ph of wood chips. Some sources say chips can be quite acidic. Some say the acidity is short term and doesn't affect the soil unless tilled in before they start breaking down.

    I see the chips are good for the soil. In the long-term, I'd like to have as little maintenance as possible. Because of that, I wondered about the longer-term benefits. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency in the long-term studies I've read. Many of those deal with usage on farms, which means that some kind of constant soil disturbance and the addition of fertilizers and minerals changes the whole story. Use in smaller garden plots is not much different. None look at the soil structure in planting areas for shrubs, plants, and trees around the house.

    From what I've seen in this area, it like the soil tends to revert back to the shallow and compacted stuff I started with. Therefore, my question about the longer-term of the chips.

    Some of the other things I've seen that could be a bonus would be the different things that seem attracted to my yard. The clover grows in lumpy patches when it's cool. I've found that it sends roots and nodules (relatively) deep into the soil. There is also a wild garlic that seems to attract worms. It's kind of shallow, but I think it would survive a meteor impact. There is also some wild bermuda grass from a cow pasture a short distance away. Like the clover, the bermuda has some deepish roots and nodules. It to can survive in harsh conditions. Another kind of plant (not good at identifying by name) has broad leaves like plantain or dandelion with a deep, carrot-like root. Those are not hard to kill, but I like the idea of roots digging down deep.
     
  20. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
  21. 557

    557 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2018
    Messages:
    17,372
    Likes Received:
    9,805
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The duration of the mulching effect will depend a lot on what you are going to be growing in the mulched areas. I don’t know how long your growing season is, but use of cover crops and rotation of crops will really help improve soil long term.

    There is a good alternative to deep tillage like the hole drilling you mentioned. Tillage radishes (daikon) will do that job and help with nutrient retention as well.

    In short, focus on plants that either add organic matter to the soil or break up compaction with their root systems. Once you get rotations of plants figured out that fit your climate, soil quality can be maintained and even improved without additional wood chips.
     
    Adfundum likes this.
  22. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of a cover crop, and am actually using that idea on my lawn. Mostly, the grass that grows well here in the summer either dies off or goes dormant in the winter. This year, I planted some annual rye grass for the winter and it's growing like crazy. I'll wait to make any kind of judgement, but at this point I really like the stuff. Hoping it's more than just a green lawn in the winter.

    I looked up those daikon you mentioned. Sounds like a really good idea. I've played with the idea of using those "tillage" plants as a ground cover in some areas. I'm not really much for vegetable gardening because I'm really lazy about keeping things weeded, watered, and fertilized. At the same time, I do like to pluck off cherry tomatoes and eat them when I'm outside.

    I'm all for the low maintenance farm :) .
     
    557 likes this.
  23. Collateral Damage

    Collateral Damage Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2012
    Messages:
    10,535
    Likes Received:
    8,149
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Most wood chips are acidic, some more than others. They don't seem to leach it into the soil below, though. Maybe do your own before and after testing?
     
  24. vman12

    vman12 Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    Messages:
    66,645
    Likes Received:
    46,473
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Heavy clay compacts due to the tiny size of the clay particles.

    Core aerate every few months while adding several inches of organic matter to the soil. You can use bark, leaves, compost.....bigger particles of organics is better to break up that heavy clay though. I don't suggest using sand....that could make it worse.

    Introducing a lot of organic material also helps bring in earthworms....which further help to keep the soil from compacting.

    Aerating is important though to help with the compaction.

    Is this your lawn you're working with or a garden, etc?
     
  25. Adfundum

    Adfundum Moderator Staff Member Donor

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2018
    Messages:
    7,680
    Likes Received:
    4,170
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I probably should so some testing to get a general idea of the acidity levels.
     

Share This Page