What Do Tree Services Do With Their Wood Chips

Can I Use Wood Scrap Mulch From a Tree Service?

Past: Jennifer Howell

Recollect you tin can't use wood flake mulch from a tree service? The adept news is, you can. Here'due south what y'all should sentry for to make sure y'all apply it correctly.

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Chipped trees as mulch

For years I'd heard you shouldn't utilize arborist wood chip mulch (the kind fabricated of fallen trees and other brush chopped upwards by tree removal services) considering they could spread problems such every bit diseases or insects to your garden. But the price was correct (free if you flagged down one of their trucks in the neighborhood and offered them a place to dump their load instead of the landfill) and then I took my chances. I've never had whatever issues short of the random chip handbag or drink cup chopped into the mix from a worker'southward luncheon. Simply there tin exist concerns, so here'due south some pros and cons to using forest chip mulch from a tree service in your garden.

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Is wood chip mulch safe for my plants?

Some woods, such as walnut, contain a chemical that prevents other plants from growing well nearly that tree, and so you wouldn't want walnut in your mulch. Construction materials or fenceposts with toxic creosote treatments are wood that could become chopped up along with a tree crew's cleanup job. I recommend asking what wood are chopped into the mulch and if pesticides have been used on them to be sure what you are bringing in is safe to use on your plants. Virtually of the fourth dimension, arborist woods chips are simply trees that have been cut out of ditches and power lines or are storm-damaged and are no problem.

What about bugs?

Almost insects won't survive the chipping and shredding process, so yous needn't worry much over that. Termites are unlikely to tag along in arborist wood scrap mulch. They much prefer old lumber and railroad ties over wood chip mulch, which stay too dry out as mulch and are not very digestible. Proceed mulch at least half-dozen inches abroad from your house or wood siding to just be sure other insects won't wander in.

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What well-nigh diseases?

While it could be possible for plant diseases to come in with wood scrap mulch, the fries would have to exist in contact with the soil close to your institute's roots to spread. Since most arborist forest fries are chopped fresh from living or storm-damaged trees, let the wood chip mulch age and dry out, even as long as a flavor, before using it. If the pile heats and starts to compost, that should destroy any potential affliction pathogens. If they are non aged, use woods chip mulch on only the soil surface — don't incorporate them into the root zone or in contact with the trunk.

What most mold?

Since I have a place to store a big (higher than 4 ft.) pile of forest scrap mulch for a season or more, occasionally information technology heats up inside, and smells sour. While the heating can kill potential pathogens that sneak into the mulch, you don't desire to spread information technology on plants when it is hot or pungent smelling. Sour mulch is actually fermenting wood material, and it accumulates acids that tin damage leaf temporarily or impale tender seedlings. Bagged mulch that has gotten wet can take the trouble equally well.

How to remedy moldy mulch

Spread the mulch out to dry and get air circulating through the material for a couple days, then it will be safety to employ. You may also notice white tendrils of mold growing in a mulch pile. These are molds that help decompose organic matter and are perfectly normal. Fluffing the forest scrap mulch up and airing it out earlier using it will get rid of any cruddy masses of mold.

Arborist wood scrap mulch is OK to use

So don't worry about arborist wood chip mulch. Yous'll be doing the garden a favor by adding soil-building mulch while keeping tons of organic matter out of the landfills. And your handbag volition thank you lot, too.

Published: March 27, 2020

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