aging wood chips
 

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
 

"billQ" wrote in message
...
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



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.

aging wood chips
 

"billQ" wrote in message ...
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

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.