"emuir" wrote in
:

I'm told that putting green woodchips onto soil has the effect of drawing
out nutrients from the soil as they rot down. Does anybody know if they
same happens if sawdust from seasoned wood is added to soil. Has anybody
tried this to build up moisture retention in dry areas?


I was just reading up on how to care for my new Christmas blueberry bush
and find that a mulch of sawdust is recommended for these, as it apparently
helps keep up the acid levels in the soil. From this I would guess that it
might also be suitable for rhodos or azaleas and other acid-lovers if you
have those.

I do have a bed where I have used sawdust for mulching under a mature
conifer, but I've used such a mix of components in that mulch (newspaper,
turf, rabbit droppings, weeds, prunings, lawn mowings, horse manure, part-
rotted compost...) that I can't honestly say what part the sawdust played
in the whole process. Worked though!

--
Victoria Clare
gardening high up in South East Cornwall
http://www.clareassoc.co.uk/
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