'Boogieman'
Well-known member
Turn it into biochar then charge that with the extra nitrogen.
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Wood chips into soil?
- Thread starter LizardMan
- Start date
Well i went with it and added the wood chips to the bins, They are more like flakes and i hope it helps the longevity of the bins! I pre soaked them in a light molasses water and added some fungal wood chips from the gardens mulch....
Now time to let sit covered and then in a bit plant some cover crop and even a few veggie seedlings to see how the bins feel before filling them with mary jane!!
Now time to let sit covered and then in a bit plant some cover crop and even a few veggie seedlings to see how the bins feel before filling them with mary jane!!
St. Phatty
Active member
it depends on Particle Size.
Particle Size is EVERYTHING in chemistry.
slab of aluminum is not a hazard. grind it up into a powder and it's one of the scariest flammable substances/ explosives I've ever had to deal with.
With the wood chips, sawdust might be an OD of carbon.
tree branches, covered with soil, a la HugelKultur - just creates more habitat for the little creatures - that nourish the Cannabis plants.
Seems more and more premixed soils in a bag bring the forest to you. Recall how MG did that years ago and now more and more you find more twigs than soil....I liken it to rice in a burrito....cheap filler.
Wood chips will lower soil pH, making it more acid. That is a good thing for acid loving plants like evergreen trees and shrubs, but might be bad for other plant species. In areas where soil is already neutral or acid, the addition of wood chips can result in excessively acid soil.
Wood chips are most often used as a mulch on top of the garden soil, where they are added at a depth of 2 to 4 inches.
Most organic gardeners find that following nature’s patterns serves them well. When it comes to building richer soil, nature’s plan relies heavily on trees — fallen limbs, leaves, cones, seeds and, eventually, the massive trunks. Adapting this plan for building garden soil by using a wood mulch — such as wood chips, sawdust or other woody residues — is a strategy that promises huge, long-term returns.
Field studies dating back to the 1950s — and as recent as this year — suggest that a high-fiber diet of woody materials is exactly what many soils need. Rotted bits of wood persist as organic matter for a long time, enhancing the soil’s ability to retain nutrients and moisture, which results in bigger, better crops.
But wait: Woody materials are high in carbon and cellulose, so they need nitrogen and time in order to decompose. If you ignore these facts by mixing fresh sawdust or wood chips directly into your soil, the materials will bind up much of the soil’s nitrogen and render the spot useless for gardening for a season or two.
The outcome changes, however, if you add nitrogen or time. For example, when researchers planted a new organic apple orchard in northern Maine in 2005, fresh wood chips combined with blood meal (a very high-nitrogen organic material with a typical analysis of 12-0-0) and tilled into the top layer of the soil — plus a surface mulch of wood chips — proved better than three other treatments at promoting rapid tree growth. And, in less than two years, the organic matter content in the chip-amended plots went from near zero to 2 to 3 percent.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/
Wood chips will lower soil pH, making it more acid. That is a good thing for acid loving plants like evergreen trees and shrubs, but might be bad for other plant species. In areas where soil is already neutral or acid, the addition of wood chips can result in excessively acid soil.
Wood chips are most often used as a mulch on top of the garden soil, where they are added at a depth of 2 to 4 inches.
Most organic gardeners find that following nature’s patterns serves them well. When it comes to building richer soil, nature’s plan relies heavily on trees — fallen limbs, leaves, cones, seeds and, eventually, the massive trunks. Adapting this plan for building garden soil by using a wood mulch — such as wood chips, sawdust or other woody residues — is a strategy that promises huge, long-term returns.
Field studies dating back to the 1950s — and as recent as this year — suggest that a high-fiber diet of woody materials is exactly what many soils need. Rotted bits of wood persist as organic matter for a long time, enhancing the soil’s ability to retain nutrients and moisture, which results in bigger, better crops.
But wait: Woody materials are high in carbon and cellulose, so they need nitrogen and time in order to decompose. If you ignore these facts by mixing fresh sawdust or wood chips directly into your soil, the materials will bind up much of the soil’s nitrogen and render the spot useless for gardening for a season or two.
The outcome changes, however, if you add nitrogen or time. For example, when researchers planted a new organic apple orchard in northern Maine in 2005, fresh wood chips combined with blood meal (a very high-nitrogen organic material with a typical analysis of 12-0-0) and tilled into the top layer of the soil — plus a surface mulch of wood chips — proved better than three other treatments at promoting rapid tree growth. And, in less than two years, the organic matter content in the chip-amended plots went from near zero to 2 to 3 percent.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/gardening-techniques/
Well each 85 gallon bed (give or take a gallon) received roughly 3 gallons volume wise of the wood chips... I was only going to do one but i dont see harm in adding the chips...
If it doesn't work out well its a me problem and not a you problem so im okay with the decisions.... The beds are amended great in every other aspect, there is even activated bio char. Therefore 2 styles of wood, variety is the spice of life .....
When a tree dies or snaps in half there are roots of the tree that are UNDER the ground that decompose and hold water, bacteria and fungus...
Ill maybe start a little journal of the beds them selfs to see the progress in the future...
If it doesn't work out well its a me problem and not a you problem so im okay with the decisions.... The beds are amended great in every other aspect, there is even activated bio char. Therefore 2 styles of wood, variety is the spice of life .....
When a tree dies or snaps in half there are roots of the tree that are UNDER the ground that decompose and hold water, bacteria and fungus...
Ill maybe start a little journal of the beds them selfs to see the progress in the future...
I've used wood chips in large vegetable grows for years. Piles, some up to 20 feet tall, are turned with a loader and composted for a couple years. These are turned into large areas and cover cropped for another year. 3 or 4 crops of buckwheat and grain rye are planted and tilled in over the course of a growing season.
These plots are then ready to go. The green component neutralizes any nitrogen depletion that happens as the chips break down. This works on large or small grows. The only other amendment added is horse manure. This does not need to be composted, it can go on fresh, as these plots are worked.
Fresh or composted chips can be used as mulch at any stage of growth. I never test my soils. How plants grow and produce show any deficiencies. Wood chips play a big part in my gardens.
These plots are then ready to go. The green component neutralizes any nitrogen depletion that happens as the chips break down. This works on large or small grows. The only other amendment added is horse manure. This does not need to be composted, it can go on fresh, as these plots are worked.
Fresh or composted chips can be used as mulch at any stage of growth. I never test my soils. How plants grow and produce show any deficiencies. Wood chips play a big part in my gardens.
F2F
Well-known member
I have always used hardwood mulch on my plants. It increased my yields considerably due to water retention and weed retardation.
This year I backfilled next to a large log on a hillside - goals being better moisture retention and less digging. Oh, topped with hardwood mulch. Plants thrived, never even wilted during a 5wk drought. One might theorize nitrogen depletion will become increasingly problematic for next couple years but my guess is I can add that in and be fine.
Peace
F2F
This year I backfilled next to a large log on a hillside - goals being better moisture retention and less digging. Oh, topped with hardwood mulch. Plants thrived, never even wilted during a 5wk drought. One might theorize nitrogen depletion will become increasingly problematic for next couple years but my guess is I can add that in and be fine.
Peace
F2F
ECSD growing at the base of a dead pine for support/stealth, no regrets...
my soil recipes on ICmag have been using wood chips in my OD mixes for the last 6 years or so, the more they compost the better they work but there's lots of field trials using fresh green chipped wood that create better soil.
the chipped wood I get dumped on my land for free is a mix of hard and soft and sometimes it's full of pine cones, the pine doesn't hurt anything in my garden.
the youngest wood in the pile I mine from is 4 years and the oldest 8-9 years of composting statically, many spots are now growing meadow grasses and small trees from the top of the pile.
when you go all in on using lots of fungally dominant rotted wood chips with adequate minerals and good weather the results speak for themselves.
Now he question is are you breeding fungus that creates sickness in plant health or the type that builds healthy soil?
this is after a top dress of malted barley and folks who study soil under the microscope claim we don't want the fuzzy kind on the surface that indicate for high levels of fungus that cause PM and are present in soils were the plants have insect trouble.
there's a good video on this that happened yesterday actually.
go to the 2 hour 53 minutes in the video and the following portion deals with the subject and has slide showing the good and bad fungal components.
the first 3 hours are much slower...
Soil Conversation
Scott Skamnes, Crescive Soil Services
Brandon Rust, Bokashi Earthworks
[YOUTUBEIF]j6IHwsVD_TA[/YOUTUBEIF]
this is mushroom mycelium growing under my wood chip compost surface where there are fruiting bodies going off.
it binds up the compost into big chunks in places.
this is the good stuff that hold water and makes space for air.
it binds up the compost into big chunks in places.
this is the good stuff that hold water and makes space for air.
Great outdoors
Active member
Wood chips don't magically remove all the nitrogen from the soil. It is direct contact only hence why sawdust is not good with so much surface area and mulch is no issue.
I like using it in layers on my od grows. Very much lasagna style with a layer of wood chips with some alfalfa or soybean meal layered on top.
As has been said previously good for adding acidity, carbon/ building humus and fungal growth.
I like using it in layers on my od grows. Very much lasagna style with a layer of wood chips with some alfalfa or soybean meal layered on top.
As has been said previously good for adding acidity, carbon/ building humus and fungal growth.
They are free that's why places use them in soil mixes. Ideally they should be composted for a few years at least as some here have described until they turn into compost and soil. Not visible pieces of wood, premature for growing plant roots. Just because it works like you can grow in styrofoam cups doesn't mean it's good some choose different recipes 
Blood meal bone meal chicken manure and wood chips is completely different from leaf mold or composted yard waste as green manure, fertilizing with homegrown nitrogen fixing cover crops with no wood pieces mixed in. Let's take a guess anyone else have trouble getting a plant to survive with Recipe 420? It was either a gg4 or remedy clone maybe both that kicked the bucket not long after transplanting from rock wool and spraying with organocide.
This thread is asking about wood chips, I digress, in no way under any circumstance should a bagged "soil mix" be "too hot" whatever that is supposed to mean for seedlings or cuttings. That doesn't make any sense. Healthy soil grows seeds into big plants. If it burns seedlings that means it isn't soil at least not yet anyway I want to say two wrongs don't make a right kind of thing. It isn't supposed to burn plants without special care like constant watering or needing to be diluted with coco or perlite.
Blood meal bone meal chicken manure and wood chips is completely different from leaf mold or composted yard waste as green manure, fertilizing with homegrown nitrogen fixing cover crops with no wood pieces mixed in. Let's take a guess anyone else have trouble getting a plant to survive with Recipe 420? It was either a gg4 or remedy clone maybe both that kicked the bucket not long after transplanting from rock wool and spraying with organocide.This thread is asking about wood chips, I digress, in no way under any circumstance should a bagged "soil mix" be "too hot" whatever that is supposed to mean for seedlings or cuttings. That doesn't make any sense. Healthy soil grows seeds into big plants. If it burns seedlings that means it isn't soil at least not yet anyway I want to say two wrongs don't make a right kind of thing. It isn't supposed to burn plants without special care like constant watering or needing to be diluted with coco or perlite.
@ ChunkyPigs - funny you mentioned that video i was listening to it while working only got about a hour and 45 in before i shut it off... Ill finish it today!!
I take it you grew in that medium with the malted barley being top dressed and by the looks of it a couple different types of mold/ fungus being active. Did you get any PM or heavy bad bug presence or even a diminished yield?
I actually added 2 chunks of mulch that were colonized from my garden beds that looked like your second post. With the wood chips being added to the bins and being mixed in. And not on top of each other i cant see the mycelium becoming a huge mat.
I did add some steel rolled wheat bran to the mix with the older soil i added to help jump start the older dormant fungus...
I stuck my finger into the beds last night and they are starting to cook allready... For shits and giggles ill take a reading tonight to see how warm its getting.
I take it you grew in that medium with the malted barley being top dressed and by the looks of it a couple different types of mold/ fungus being active. Did you get any PM or heavy bad bug presence or even a diminished yield?
I actually added 2 chunks of mulch that were colonized from my garden beds that looked like your second post. With the wood chips being added to the bins and being mixed in. And not on top of each other i cant see the mycelium becoming a huge mat.
I did add some steel rolled wheat bran to the mix with the older soil i added to help jump start the older dormant fungus...
I stuck my finger into the beds last night and they are starting to cook allready... For shits and giggles ill take a reading tonight to see how warm its getting.
ChunkyPigs - I'll have to re listen to the video but he was putting out info for a bacteria to fungal ratio for best soil health, which is nice that people have some studies on that, he also had all the names and pretty much said without a microscope its just praying...
But it was the oomycetes, The water loving fungal pathogen that's attributed to powdery mildew and dampening off, and something about tricoderma can help kill shit like that off?
Need a fucking translator for laymen terms hahaha.
But it was the oomycetes, The water loving fungal pathogen that's attributed to powdery mildew and dampening off, and something about tricoderma can help kill shit like that off?
Need a fucking translator for laymen terms hahaha.
it was my last grow in the basement in Mass 3-4 years ago and it had some PM and mites too. I was brewing tea and using lots of bokashi and other woo-woo.
nothing did particularly well that run.
I'm hoping to get some extra money around the holidays and buy a microscope so I can see for myself what's what.
my wood chip compost has been making nice flowers OD the last few years.
GMO
Mac1
Forum cookies
seems like this dr elaine shit could be right but those people charge over $1000 a yard for their compost if you can even find any.
this video with Skamnes is good, duplicates some of the other one.
[YOUTUBEIF]hbkTPGTW5mg[/YOUTUBEIF]
good series here how to use the microscope, 5 videos.
Assessing Soil Health Using a Microscope with Meredith Leigh
[YOUTUBEIF]eG5eQroUSGo[/YOUTUBEIF]
the 4th video is an hour of her looking at sample the group brought in and finding almost no fungal happening, no nematodes.
the grooviest shit out there IMO is the Johnson Su reactor compost.
check it out.
Static Pile Fungal Compost Presentation
[YOUTUBEIF]cO2nGHq40Xc[/YOUTUBEIF]
In Search of Soil #3 - Dr. David Johnson
[YOUTUBEIF]yP68RctmPc0[/YOUTUBEIF]
Veggia farmer
Well-known member
I grow in bed at the moment, and have been for some years. Same soil and/or compost. It started as almost just compost. Manure from a farm with bedding made out wood. Pretty rough pieces for soil. In the begining I watered more so more N would leach for the roots. But I never had an N problen anyway. The soil is great now after adding a lot of "everthing", but still can see wood pieces. Outdoor farming with limited resources it can hold the N for a sometime, but indoors of if I have lots of resources (as I have) I wouldnt stress so much. But maybe add it at certain times when things arent the most fragile. Like small seedling in the beging of season with little manure.
In my indoors garden I do I have had some mold issues, but thats more due to the enviroment then the soil.
My teacher talked about this but after experience Im more yeah, BUT... Good to know what you work with then apply it accordingly. But wood is good
In my indoors garden I do I have had some mold issues, but thats more due to the enviroment then the soil.
My teacher talked about this but after experience Im more yeah, BUT... Good to know what you work with then apply it accordingly. But wood is good
Coeus
Member
the proof in the pudding
Mattbho
Active member
I'll eat crow . I thought pine/ cedar have oils that are no good and was always told not to use them .
Awesome pics chunky I recognize the cobweb mold well after growing cubensis .
I really learned something here and have aspen chips laying around . I will try them on 1 20gal as mulch. I was afraid of robbing nitrogen from the plants
Awesome pics chunky I recognize the cobweb mold well after growing cubensis .
I really learned something here and have aspen chips laying around . I will try them on 1 20gal as mulch. I was afraid of robbing nitrogen from the plants
