Wood Shavings from Furniture factory

[St. Phatty]

I scored 2 bags of shavings from a local furniture factory that moved or shut down. (Actually, replaced by a grow supply store )

It looks to me like a primo soil mixer, especially if they are given a few months to break down.

Anything you need to do differently with wood shavings in your soil mix ?

I have a mix of

hay
chicken manure
bat guano + bone meal
wood ash for potassium
worm castings from bananas, coffee grounds, & orange peels

on top of 3 of last year's grow buckets, big rolling garbage cans.


I was thinking I would just put the wood shavings on one of them.


The shavings look good, don't smell chemical-y or anything.

 

[MrBungle]

It could screw your pH up and worse... I would consider finding a species of mushroom that thrives on saw dust and innoculating it with the spores, then using the mushroom compost as an amendment when its done flushing...can be edible gourmet shooms... I dont know any off the top of my head, but I think lions mane likes saw dust

just a thought

 

[St. Phatty]

It could screw your pH up and worse...

I thought Sawdust was a lot like leaves & wood chips - mostly cellulose.

When I learned hot composting, the instructor put a lot of emphasis on mixing "greens and browns", and nitrogen vs. carbon rich compost inputs.

So I knew there was a balance there, carbon vs. nitrogen sources.

Cellulose rich feedstocks fall mostly in the 'carbon' category.

Anyway, as long as it doesn't give the worms indigestion.

 

[MJPassion]

It'll work better ask a mulch. It takes a lot of microbial activity to break down wood cellulose so putting directly in the garden could be detrimental. If you compost it first you'll be golden. I like the mushy idea.

 

[Bud Green]

If you're gonna mix those shavings (look like they came from a surface planer) in your soil, do it real soon, so they will have several months to decompose before outdoor growing season...

If you mix them in soil you are going to use real soon, the wood shavings will rob all the nitrogen out of the soil, and from the ferts you add, to be used in the decomposition process....

 

[St. Phatty]

Sounds like it's appropriate to mix it with pure steer manure.

The manure has small particle size and LOTS of Nitrogen.

Pretty much guaranteed to heat up when they are mixed together, with water.

Last time I did a carefully mixed compost pile with 8 cubic yards of nitrogen & carbon rich materials, I got 160 F for a temp.

When I repeated that with 4 cubic yards, my max temp was 130 F.


But once it cooled down a little the worms f'ing LOVED it.

 

[aridbud]

If you mix them in soil you are going to use real soon, the wood shavings will rob all the nitrogen out of the soil, and from the ferts you add, to be used in the decomposition process....
Not to mention changing pH as Mr. Bungle said. Still in moderate amounts, mixed in with other it breaks down well.

 

[hyposomniac]

Are you sure theres no Mdf or particleboard in there? Poisons in the glues..

 

[St. Phatty]

Are you sure theres no Mdf or particleboard in there? Poisons in the glues..

Definitely want to make sure it's pure wood shavings.

 

[HazyBulldog]

Wood chips are cheap, why mess with this?

If I were to use this, I would compost it.

 

[iloveweed123]

Wood shavings are mostly cellulose with various resins that are best off being burned and used as ash

Cellulose takes years to break down

 

[hillbil]

I just got several yards of chipped trim from trees and brush from electric co. It has cedar and a lot of hardwood. I'll compost some long term and use it for paths and top mulch in garden also.

Pine bark nuggets are a different thing altogether and composts well. Fines in the mix are nice also. Bark is not the same as wood. Many nurseries use composted bark based mixes.

 

[parkperche]

That's a great find! Wood shavings are excellent for soil mix, especially when paired with compost materials like hay, chicken manure, and worm castings. They'll break down over time, enriching the soil with nutrients.
Did you know they're also useful for decoupaging furniture? You can use them to add texture and interest to your DIY projects. For references and instructions, check out this article about decoupage projects. Good luck!

 

[Stuntzii]

In my experience straight woodchips (mixed with the right ratio of “green” or nitrogen rich material) will break down in about a year or maybe two for total breakdown into soil. Mushrooms usually like a fresher woodchip as it contains more sugars and those would be bone dry and cured to make the furniture I would imagine.

Making friends with an arborist and getting those types of chips is usually best as they often contain leaves and twigs which help the chips break down faster into soil. The nitrogen source will speed up decomposition, I lived on a farm as a woofer and everyone peed in buckets of woodchips which were then thrown into a big pile. Those broke down super fast, piss is rich in N lol.

 

[Timj]

I'd suggest staying away from Arborist free wood chips. Unless you're sure of your source. My older sister got two truck loads of wood chips for free last year. Everywhere she put those wood chips is now overrun with Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy can grow from cuttings just like any other Ivy.