Wood Chips
 

Who else uses them?

I have been getting loads dumped by local tree trimming services that are ground up tropical hardwood trees, including the leaves.

I pile them up thick all around my banana's and notice new roots all over the place in weeks. I started about 6 months ago and my first piles are starting to break down into black soil. I also barely have to water, the wood chips retain moisture like crazy. I've noticed a large improvement after using them.

Any one else have any experience with them? best part is for me, they are free!

Re: Wood Chips
 

I have always used them. I am naturalizing the property with natives and edibles. Woodchips and compost are essential. I also use raked leaves. I mix in as much biochar as possible.

Re: Wood Chips
 

Absolutely. You can never have enough of them :08:

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Re: Wood Chips
 

I can get free mulch or "compost" but I have to pick them up. (I did find a local man with a dump pickup who will deliver 4 yards for $30.) However the other day I was biking down my street and stopped to chat with the Asplungh guys who were trimming trees. They would have delivered a 30 yard load to me. Gulp. Did they ever have a 1/2 load or smaller? Not really. Except when they do my section of trees, they'll check in and might be able to arrange a lesser amount.

In MD woodchips were free; I used them for years. In OH they cost money and were hard to find. Why? Because, unless they were comprised of mostly leaves, diseased trees, etc, the cutters sold them to be turned into the nasty dyed mulch.

Woodchips are great!

Re: Wood Chips
 

Check Craigs List "Free section".
I can always pick some up for free at the greenery dump, but I have seen many arborist offering a load right in my driveway for free, because if they would have to drive them to the greenery waste facility, they would have to pay a dump fee. At my house they get a nice cold beer and/or a tip :nanadrink:
Guess how many times they have already called to dump more :)

Just make sure that there are no palm tree trimmings mixed in.Those just do not compost well.

Re: Wood Chips
 

Call your local electrical company - they contract tree trimmers to keep power lines clear.

I get 15yard ++ batches of clean hardwood mulch upon request.

Does anyone else notice the amount of fungal (mushrooms) activity that grows on fresh wood chips for the first few months?

Re: Wood Chips
 

No, but I also get free mushroom compost ( different topic) , so I always thought whatever fungus I get in my yard, originated from that.

Re: Wood Chips
 

Fresh pile of free woodchips.


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Re: Wood Chips
 

In my county arborists do not pay a fee to dump. And the county prefers that larger branches are brought in. Why? Because they resell that to produce electricity. Consequently only the larger companies, such as Asplund, have chippers or use them when working here.

My county is the exception. You can get free chips delivered in much of FL but rarely here.

It's fine. I now have a truck if I need a small load; I have a way to get 4 yds of really nice looking mulch and stuff delivered for a reasonable price.

Mushrooms are a sign that nature is working. I used to occasionally have them on my chips up north; my "compost" here looks like a mushroom factory right now. Eventually they do go away. BTW, besides the thin tall ones I also have little bullets that look/feel like individual pussy willows. Odd.

Re: Wood Chips
 

The only issue with chips is that they take a lot of nitrogen to break down. I keep mine in a pile for several months to break down.

Re: Wood Chips
 

My wood chips always have a lot of green leaves ground in - I believe the correct term is "ramial wood chips".

Re: Wood Chips
 

I looked up your term. That might be the proper name for a mixed load but most of us aren't looking for this stuff to compost but to act as cheap mulch which means the leaves are not wanted.

When I lived up north, I used chips around trees to prevent grass/weeds from growing and competing for water needed by the surrounded plant or for paths in my garden. When they broke down (as they do) around plants, I added more; when they became dirt in paths, I shoveled that black gold into beds then added more chips. When I first began using woodchips over 30 years ago I was warned about nitrogen depletion; that myth has been dispelled I believe.

Re: Wood Chips
 

I had a few loads delivered from tree trimmers, there was a lot of palm fronds, citrus and bouganvilla (thorns) garbage, and other junk like pine needles. I stopped using it and use my own and neighbors cuttings and bought a chopper machine ��

Re: Wood Chips
 

Darn, another tool lost in the divorce and move....

Re: Wood Chips
 

Which one did you buy? What size diameter branches can you chip? Can you put in branches with leaves?

Re: Wood Chips
 

I bought it used, its an Asian knockoff. It does branches to about 1.5 inches and everything else even with leaves. It makes mulch so fine it deteriorates too fast for my liking. Funny no makers specify the properties of the mulch.

Anyway this would be great for gardens where you want the mulch to decompose fast like maybe a veg garden but for ground cover under trees I would prefer larger chunks.

Re: Wood Chips
 

I like the green mixed with palm and pine needles. It all supports fungal and microbial performance. Detritus creatures thrive on palm and increase the breakdown rate. The fresher and greener the mulch the better the plant sugars are for supporting hyphae.

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Yes I have got mushrooms growing in in my florimulch melaleuca wood chips layered over black kow composted manure. In permaculture it's a great sign for the soil quality, proof of the microbiological activity and very beneficial to the soil.

Re: Wood Chips
 

From the pictures I see you don't hesitate to really pile on the chips around the bananas. I didn't know you could pile it so high around the stalk. :0519:

Re: Wood Chips
 

Jeez, Now I feel guilty my divorce went off so smoothly :-)