I have an allotment with a LOT of weeds. To make things easier this
year, I wanted to use chippings as a mulch around the vegetables. I
know a tree surgeon who would give me as many lorry loads of WOOD
chippings as could possibly want but is there any difference between
this and the BARK chippings that you buy from the garden centre?

"India-Aslan" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an allotment with a LOT of weeds. To make things easier this
year, I wanted to use chippings as a mulch around the vegetables. I
know a tree surgeon who would give me as many lorry loads of WOOD
chippings as could possibly want but is there any difference between
this and the BARK chippings that you buy from the garden centre?


Both are OK and seeing as you can get the wood chippings for free :~))

http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/horti...es/mulches.asp

Jenny

Thanks Jenny, I thought that would be the case but I just wanted to
check before I arranged the delivery:-). Are there any types of trees
that shouldn't be used for chippings or am I confusing this with the
fact that certain things can't be used for compost - I am not a very
experienced gardener I'm afraid!

India

Make sure it has come from diease free trees. Its amazing what goes
into chippings.


On 14 Apr 2006 11:31:33 -0700, "India-Aslan"
wrote:

Thanks Jenny, I thought that would be the case but I just wanted to
check before I arranged the delivery:-). Are there any types of trees
that shouldn't be used for chippings or am I confusing this with the
fact that certain things can't be used for compost - I am not a very
experienced gardener I'm afraid!

India

In message , mouldy man
wrote
Make sure it has come from diease free trees. Its amazing what goes
into chippings.


Isn't there also a problem with using fresh chips from pine trees
(usually available just after Christmas)? I believe the problem is in
the natural disinfectant properties that prevents anything from growing.


--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

India-Aslan wrote:
Thanks Jenny, I thought that would be the case but I just wanted to
check before I arranged the delivery:-). Are there any types of trees
that shouldn't be used for chippings or am I confusing this with the
fact that certain things can't be used for compost - I am not a very
experienced gardener I'm afraid!

Chippings take nitrogen from the soil. As it breaks down, it returns
it to the soil but takes its time in doing so. This may not be good
for your purposes. I would suggest that you make sure anything you are
offered is well rotted before you use it.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

In article . com,
(India-Aslan) wrote:

I wanted to use chippings as a mulch around the vegetables.

This MAY work Ok the first year around larger vegetable plants but a lot
of the chippings will still be there next year making the soil texture
less suitable for small seeds or root crops.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

Maybe the wood chippings aren't such a good idea after all :-(
Nothings ever easy is it!! Just to get this straight.... I have bark
chippings around plants in my garden at home so why is it OK to put the
bark chippings that you buy in the garden centre around your plants but
it is NOT OK to put wood chippings around them. Is it that vegetables
are more nitrogen greedy than other plants or is it to do with the bark
chippings being rotted down already? I'm sorry if I'm being a bit dense
here. Thanks. India

India-Aslan writes
Maybe the wood chippings aren't such a good idea after all :-(
Nothings ever easy is it!! Just to get this straight.... I have bark
chippings around plants in my garden at home so why is it OK to put the
bark chippings that you buy in the garden centre around your plants but
it is NOT OK to put wood chippings around them. Is it that vegetables
are more nitrogen greedy than other plants or is it to do with the bark
chippings being rotted down already? I'm sorry if I'm being a bit dense
here. Thanks. India

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?

Wood chips will be a bit thicker than bark chippings so won't rot down
so quickly, meaning that next year the top of the soil will be more
open, with bigger chunks, and seed might be more likely to dry out, or
find it difficult to struggle out from under a large (compared with the
seed) pice of partially rotted wood - this is what Steve was warning
against.
--
Kay

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:13:00 +0100, K wrote
(in message ):
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?

I've just started using something called "fine composted bark". Does this
sound like the nitrogen loss stage has already pased with this? That's what
I'm assuming....

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)

"VX" wrote in message
s.com...
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:13:00 +0100, K wrote
(in message ):
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?

I've just started using something called "fine composted bark". Does this
sound like the nitrogen loss stage has already pased with this? That's
what
I'm assuming....

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)


Yes supposedly the initial stage is finished but the process of nitrogen
absorption and release will continue until the stuff is finally incorporated
into the soil. I do not think you will have any problems with nitrogen
depletion.
I've just used a load of bales of compressed ornamental bark chippings on a
woodland path and although the bales have been lying around for weeks the
inside of the bale was quite hot.

As K intimates the nitrogen depletion thingy may be a bit overdone.
If you or anyone else feels it is a problem then a dressing of high nitrogen
fertiliser along with the chippings should alleviate fears.

"Steve Harris" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
(India-Aslan) wrote:

I wanted to use chippings as a mulch around the vegetables.

This MAY work Ok the first year around larger vegetable plants but a lot
of the chippings will still be there next year making the soil texture
less suitable for small seeds or root crops.

if a concern is residual wood lingering longer than a growing season, and
thereby impeding future growth, why not consider wood shavings or saw dust
(from unteated timber). It will do a job of stopping weeds, will still leave
you with the issue of nitrogen depletion from the soil, but will rot down a
lot quicker than chunks of wood. If the shavings are still visible when they
have done their job all you need do is scoop them up and throw them in the
compost.

rob

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.