In article ,
K writes:
|
| It's mainly that people differ in how important they feel the nitrogen
| loss is. There's not much difference in that respect between bark
| chippings and wood chippings. Some people feel you shouldn't use either
| because of the nitrogen loss, some people feel that it is a transitory
| effect, some people find that putting either around plants doesn't make
| any difference. Maybe it depends on how rich the soil is to begin with?

You can add nitrogen as fertiliser!

My observations indicate that half-rotted wood is much-loved by plant
roots, because it is a fibrous material that holds water. All right,
that is sandy soil in Cambridge, but it also is a pocket of good drainage
in clay. That is why I say that people on sand or clay should use half
rotted compost as a soil conditioner - it is, after all, pretty well
just what peat is.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.