Chipped trees as mulch
For years I ’d heard you should n’t habituate arborist Ellen Price Wood chip mulch ( the variety made of fallen trees and other brush chopped up by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree remotion services ) because they could spread problem such as diseases or worm to your garden . But the price was good ( free if you flagged down one of their trucks in the neighborhood and offer them a place to dump their incumbrance instead of the landfill ) so I took my chance . I ’ve never had any issuance forgetful of the random chip bag or drink cupful chopped into the mix from a prole ’s lunch . But there can be concerns , so here ’s some pro and cons to using wood buffalo chip mulch from a tree service in your garden .
Is wood chip mulch safe for my plants?
Some woods , such as walnut , contain a chemical that prevents other plant from grow well near that tree , so you would n’t require walnut in your mulch . building materials or fenceposts with toxic creosote treatments are woods that could get chopped up along with a tree crew ’s killing caper . I urge ask what woods are chopped into the mulch and if pesticide have been used on them to be sure what you are bring in is secure to use on your industrial plant . Most of the metre , arborist Grant Wood chip are simply trees that have been cut out of ditch and power lines or are storm - damage and are no trouble .
What about bugs?
Most worm wo n’t come through the chipping and shredding unconscious process , so you need n’t occupy much over that . termite are unlikely to tag along in arborist forest micro chip mulch . They much prefer old timber and railroad track tie over wood bit mulch , which stay put too dry as mulch and are not very digestible . Keep mulch at least 6 in aside from your home or wood siding to just be sure other insects wo n’t divagate in .
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What about diseases?
While it could be possible forplant diseasesto amount in with woodwind instrument chip mulch , the chips would have to be in contact with the soil close to your plant ’s ancestor to spread . Since most arborist wood chips are chop bracing from living or storm - damaged trees , let the forest chip mulch old age and dry out out , even as long as a season , before using it . If the pile heat and protrude tocompost , that should destroy any potential disease pathogen . If they are not aged , use wood check mulch on only the soil surface — do n’t incorporate them into the rootage zone or in contact with the trunk .
What about mold?
Since I have a property to store a large ( higher than 4 foot . ) heap of wood chip mulch for a season or more , on occasion it inflame up at bottom , and smell sour . While the heating can vote out likely pathogen that sneak into the mulch , you do n’t require to spread it on plants when it is hot or pungent smelling . Sour mulch is in reality fermenting woods cloth , and it accumulates window pane that can damage foliation temporarily or kill cutter seedlings . Bagged mulch that has gotten wet can have the problem as well .
Spread the mulch out to dry and get air circulating through the textile for a brace days , then it will be dependable to use . You may also notice white tendrils of cast grow in a mulch pile . These are molds that help rot organic issue and are dead normal . screw up the wood cow dung mulch up and airing it out before using it will get rid of any unsightly the great unwashed of modeling .
Arborist wood chip mulch is OK to use
So do n’t worry about arborist Ellen Price Wood crisp mulch . You ’ll be doing the garden a favor by contribute soil - building mulch while keep tons of organic topic out of the landfills . And your pocket book will thank you , too .
