Wood chips

rrlund · Mar 2, 2018

I wonder what kind of mess I'm making for myself? They're cutting trees along the road in a major clean up project. The wife stopped them yesterday and asked if they'd dump a load of chips in the yard for her to use in the garden and flower beds. They did and it wasn't a small load either.
I've been dealing with mud where I drive to feed cattle,so I dumped a few loader buckets of them in some ruts this morning before I fed. It worked great as far as keeping everything upright,so when she went to town,I told her to stop and tell them to dump two more if they wanted to. They were here within 5 minutes with one. He said they were just about done,but they'd have one more. I'm gonna fill ruts and spread the rest in a spot that's just slick and muddy in general. I think it'll be OK at least until it starts to decompose.
Anybody else ever dumped any in a driveway or anything?

dr sportster · Mar 2, 2018

I used to get massive deliveries of wood chips . It helps if you can add sand and soil .When they decompose they turn to a black mush so they need to mix in deep. They will stay wood chips for about two years.

pat sublett · Mar 2, 2018

Great soil builder. I have been using them for years. Wife bakes cookies for the tree trimmers when they are in town.

Dave H (MI) · Mar 2, 2018

Yes, I use them a lot. They make a good surface...better than mud.

Butch(OH) · Mar 2, 2018

The loads will vary greatly with what they are chipping and how sharp the chipper is. I try to get a load each spring myself. I dont think they would be a great replacement for driveway gravel but they work in a farm lane as compared to $25 ton limestoone and are great around the barnyard to soak up mud as you have discovered. They work OK for mulch and what we dont use goes in the dirt/compost pile. The wife always has nice potting soil and I have dirt put put in the dern dog holes in the yard.

Gary Mitchell · Mar 2, 2018

I would add something to neutralize the acid in them if I were planning on anything growing back soon where you dump them. Lime? gm

Tech 7 · Mar 2, 2018

When i was involved with the International Plowing match a number of years ago I was surprised that as part of the preperation there was a large volume of wood chips brought in to combat muddy areas if it rained. We did not have a need that year, but i have seen it used since. Quick, cheap, but not a long term fix.

rrlund · Mar 2, 2018

The loads will vary greatly with what they are chipping and how sharp the chipper is.

That's for sure. It varies within a load. I think they need to set the shear bar closer to the knives. There's layers in there where there are a lot of sticks. There's gonna be a lot fewer dead squirrels in the road between here and town. They took down a big hickory that they liked to travel to and from.

dahlin · Mar 2, 2018

I will take all of the free wood chips I can get put them in a pile and stir it once in a while and it will make great compost in a year or two would help to add some cow manure to. Randy

JD Seller · Mar 2, 2018

Wood chips work for NOW then turn to mush later. I would also watch using them around the house too much. They are not treated in any way like most of the commercial ones are. So you can invite bugs/termites to your house.

Steve A W · Mar 2, 2018

Just remember, All the termites don't get chewed up in the chipper.

farmall100 · Mar 2, 2018

If you live where you have fire ants, they love wood chips.

donjr · Mar 2, 2018

I get a couple of loads every year and use them for alley ways and high usage areas where the cows constantly pound the grass out. They pile them by the cow barn and I use the spreader to scatter them. Works good for me.....

Mike(NEOhio) · Mar 2, 2018

My wife always got a load or two when she saw the crews trimming lines on the road. Don't know what you get, though. We used to have some mugho pines in the yard and she mulched them with the chips. Every on of them got de-needled by some 1-1/2 inch long worms that I'd never seen before or since. Never did identify them. Looked like they were coated with bluish-white chalk dust.

Ken Combs · Mar 2, 2018

I used some to mulch the wife's azaleas. That fall I had Japanese honeysuckle everywhere. Still haven't gotten rid of that junk!

Stephen Newell · Mar 2, 2018

I have a cabinet shop and I can tell you chips doesn't help mud. It cuts off the air to the ground holding the moisture in and stay muddy longer. You could use chips as a mulch kind of like what people use pine bark for.

Crazy Horse · Mar 2, 2018

With regards to digging them in garden soil (see posts below), they will help to some extent with aeration of the soil and help its physical characteristics BUT wood chips use up a lot of soil nitrogen when they break down and decompose. Most professional gardeners recommend addition of high nitrogen fertilizer when you do that.

Wood chips

rrlund

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dr sportster

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pat sublett

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Dave H (MI)

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Butch(OH)

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Gary Mitchell

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Tech 7

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rrlund

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dahlin

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JD Seller

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Steve A W

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farmall100

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donjr

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Mike(NEOhio)

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Ken Combs

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Stephen Newell

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Crazy Horse

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