"The fungus is amongus!". All kidding aside, thanks for the tip. I bought a self powered chipper years ago that will handle a 4" softwood limb, no problem because I own a piece of property that is partially uncleared timber and I wanted to put some of the dead fall to good use. I also compost, huge pile, for my vegetable garden. I live in Matagorda County Texas and I am chipping all of the pecan and live oak mess in the aftermath of hurricane Beryl. It's got a lot of leaves so I needed info about composting all of it . Thanks
I'm no till & use wood chips on the paths between 4' wide growing beds. They get a 2" layer every year, whilst the beds get 1" of my own compost. Interestingly, the wood chip disappears about as fast as the compost. The other point of note is I've found brassicas prefer to root into the paths rather than the beds, so there must be something coming from the decomposed wood chips which is of particular benefit.
Yes, my whole garden is covered in wood chips in the walk areas, but have not used it in the garden beds or compost bin. I get it free from the city yard.
Grass clippings are really good also. I live in 7 acres and I collect my grass clippings and built up low spots along the property. I would just throw em into a 55 gallon trash can with some peet moss and whatever else I had lying round and let it break down(really start to stink). Usually room a couple of months or so. Then just dump it wherever. Also filled in low spots around the pond. Where you had to avoid originally cause you’d sink in walking by it.
Would pine bark fare better in a compost pile? I just bought a large bag of cedar mulch, hoping to deter fungus gnats that thrived in my compost bin. I switched to a tumbler, which helped a bit but it’s still too damp. I’m looking for a carbon such as straw to help aerate the pile. To my despair, I learned that cedar mulch will repel pollinators, which is what I had planned to plant (wildflowers, that is). It made me second guess if I should have bought a bag of the pine bark instead. At any rate, thank you for the video. It answered the very question I had, and before this, my search came up with conflicting information. This info was sweet and to the point.
I have a question. We have cats and use the horse bedding (pine pellets) for the litter , what are your thoughts on composting that? The pellets do have urine in it but no cat poo. Just wondering. Thanks.
I'd definitely compost them, should have a ton of nitrogen in it from the urine. Mixed in with a variety of other composting materials in a nice hot pile, I would imagine this would be a great substrate.
So some wood breaks down slower, some quicker. No big deal and varying degrees of decomposition is very healthy for the soil. Ever been to a cedar forest with ferns and tree’s literally growing out of fallen cedar logs?
Same experience in south Texas. If you drop an untreated board on the ground and come back in 6 months and flip it over you'll find termites under it. I have composted and mulched oak, pine, and pecan from a chipper and even a planer and I have NEVER seen termites in a pile of cips, shavings, or sawdust.
I personally disagree. I use cedar shavings in my compost and vermicompost bins just fine. What you really don't want to use in your bins...at all cost...is black walnut wood(contains juglone which is a respiration inhibitor to plants).
"The fungus is amongus!". All kidding aside, thanks for the tip. I bought a self powered chipper years ago that will handle a 4" softwood limb, no problem because I own a piece of property that is partially uncleared timber and I wanted to put some of the dead fall to good use. I also compost, huge pile, for my vegetable garden.
I live in Matagorda County Texas and I am chipping all of the pecan and live oak mess in the aftermath of hurricane Beryl. It's got a lot of leaves so I needed info about composting all of it . Thanks
I do that and I shred mt twigs and sticks that I cut during the year and use that as mulch. So far so good
I'm no till & use wood chips on the paths between 4' wide growing beds.
They get a 2" layer every year, whilst the beds get 1" of my own compost.
Interestingly, the wood chip disappears about as fast as the compost.
The other point of note is I've found brassicas prefer to root into the paths rather than the beds, so there must be something coming from the decomposed wood chips which is of particular benefit.
Yes, my whole garden is covered in wood chips in the walk areas, but have not used it in the garden beds or compost bin. I get it free from the city yard.
Grass clippings are really good also. I live in 7 acres and I collect my grass clippings and built up low spots along the property. I would just throw em into a 55 gallon trash can with some peet moss and whatever else I had lying round and let it break down(really start to stink). Usually room a couple of months or so. Then just dump it wherever. Also filled in low spots around the pond. Where you had to avoid originally cause you’d sink in walking by it.
Would pine bark fare better in a compost pile?
I just bought a large bag of cedar mulch, hoping to deter fungus gnats that thrived in my compost bin. I switched to a tumbler, which helped a bit but it’s still too damp. I’m looking for a carbon such as straw to help aerate the pile.
To my despair, I learned that cedar mulch will repel pollinators, which is what I had planned to plant (wildflowers, that is). It made me second guess if I should have bought a bag of the pine bark instead.
At any rate, thank you for the video. It answered the very question I had, and before this, my search came up with conflicting information. This info was sweet and to the point.
Nah, cedar breaks down just fine. It's the teak and Conacaste that you have to watch out for.
I have a question. We have cats and use the horse bedding (pine pellets) for the litter , what are your thoughts on composting that? The pellets do have urine in it but no cat poo. Just wondering. Thanks.
I'd definitely compost them, should have a ton of nitrogen in it from the urine. Mixed in with a variety of other composting materials in a nice hot pile, I would imagine this would be a great substrate.
is bagasse a good mulch material?
So some wood breaks down slower, some quicker. No big deal and varying degrees of decomposition is very healthy for the soil. Ever been to a cedar forest with ferns and tree’s literally growing out of fallen cedar logs?
How about termite they don't get in that pile? I I'm afraid to get untreated wood around my house for that reason.
I've never seen a termite in my wood chips, but I have sentricon around the house to eliminate any that do show up
Same experience in south Texas. If you drop an untreated board on the ground and come back in 6 months and flip it over you'll find termites under it.
I have composted and mulched oak, pine, and pecan from a chipper and even a planer and I have NEVER seen termites in a pile of cips, shavings, or sawdust.
Put some water on it
I personally disagree. I use cedar shavings in my compost and vermicompost bins just fine. What you really don't want to use in your bins...at all cost...is black walnut wood(contains juglone which is a respiration inhibitor to plants).