Hello, I used a stump grinder to remove several stumps in my yard. I have a nice pile of the shavings I would like to use as a mulch for my flower beds. I need to know how long I should let the pile set before it is safe to use. The pile is 6 feet in diameter by 4 feet high. thanks Bill
aging wood chips
Jun 29, 2004
2 Replies
You can use it now if you'll throw a bit of high nitrogen fertilizer on it. Wood chips only "rob" nitrogen out of the very top layer of the soil as they decompose, and when they are fully decomposed, that N becomes available again to the plants. In the mean time, some cheap lawn fertilizer sprinkled over the top every now and then will keep things nice and green.
Wet them down, if they don't heat up or smell very resiny go ahead and use them. If they heat you can use them a few inches deep, if they smell resiny or piney let them age a while.
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