free wood chips

I recieved a whole load of wood chips (it's all pine from what I can tell) from the local tree trimmer..Now after putting most of them on my beds, I guess I'm worried about if I did the right thing...I have them thick along my fence lines and along the grass, but not real thick in my beds... I did go heavy under some of my trees to cut down on the weeds...
Some of my other friends have used them, and no problems...but was wondering with all the rains and them being fresh if I have to worry about mold? They are chipped pretty fine. And I was reading on other sites that it will steal from the soil and ruin my plants... I don't have it touching them....
Thanks Cindy

This message was edited May 13, 2008 12:33 AM

Lucky you! Sounds like you've got it working just fine. As long as you have decent drainage, you shouldn't have a problem with mold etc........ As they break down they may deplete your nitrogen somewhat, but if your plants look a bit faded you can always side dress them with some compost. Not a big deal. In the mean time the mulch is improving your soil and keeping down the weeds. Good stuff!!

last year i had a huge tree cut down and stump ground up--i also put the chips along the fence, in the compost, on lasagna layered beds etc--------everywhere i put them they did good work for me! no mold, no plant problems, termites etc---

Thanks,
I just finished moving them all tonight...now to wait for things to start growing!

Want2, if your friendly tree guy has more, and if you have space - get an extra pile and let it sit. Composted bark or chippings is a wonderful thing, and horribly expensive to buy. Excellent for adding to heavy soil, and a beautiful dark mulch which is virtually nutrient free (so you don't have to worry about overfeeding certain plants. It is particularly good for woodland beds and blending with regular compost or leaf mulch to make it go further. Finding a good tucked away area (behind a barn or garage?) you can leave a pile for 12-24 months to compost down (or indefinately, it just gets better and better). You really won't regret it!

I had a load from last fall, but the ground was to WET to get in the feild where I stored them, so thats why I ended up and got this free fresh load. I knew the longer they sit in a pile the better they are.. But I was so worried with all the rain, that I wasn't going to get my mulch down and things were coming up, and I get impatience (did I just say that?)

I've been under once ground fresh wood mulch for more than thirty years at the present property. I have never had any problems what so ever except for an occasion visit by chip and dale. There will not be nitrogen depletion as long as your mulch is not dug into your soil. Laying on top is not a problem.....ever!

There have been events. Birds carry in seed that need pulled or covered up when they are not vines. Cats love to visit the easy digings. Deer like to walk in the soft mulch where space is to their liking. Chip and Dale plant corn and peanuts and the turkey occasionly scratch for the hidden seed. All this adds interest to gardening as well as some work.

My average debth of ground wood is three to four inches. This has been maintained by adding more every year or two. This is my management on everything but my food garden.

Our average cost for a cupic yard is $18.00 picked up at the nusery yards. The price will be going up because all the hardwood is being chipped and sent to the pellet making plants.

I get a load or two of free wood chips every time the electric company comes around trimming trees, and I've been using it for mulch for years.

No problem, as long as you use it on top of the ground. After a few years it breaks down and turns to compost. It looks like black dirt then, and it's OK to till it in.

The only thing I'm careful about - don't put it right around your house or any buildings. Termites are part of the breaking-down process, and you don't want to get those started in a structure.

Almost all houses in our community use wood chips for mulch in all beds including those around the houses. Termites live in the soil, build mud tunnels where ever they go, are easy to identify and are not difficult to kill. Termites do not frequent ground wood mulches. They can not build their run ways in it. They are totally inclosed in their soil runways. When they enter a building they build mud tunnel runways up the masonary walls both inside and outside the house.

Termites were around long before the use of wood chips became the thing to do. It is almost certain you will not import termites for the same reasons.

Last year I had 2 truck loads of fresh wood chips delivered. These did cook for a couple or three weeks.
The pile was hot to the touch. That's the only thing I figured I would have to watch out for in the future.
After the pile cooled down I had the best mulch ever.

"Termites do not frequent ground wood mulches."
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docgipe - Are you sure that doesn't depend on what kind of wood it is?

I think certain woods, like the cypress and cedar that are sold commercially as mulch, don't support termites. What I get from the electric company guys is a mixture of chips from whatever trees were crowding the power lines.

Termites attack wood that's in contact with the soil first, and they'll build enclosed tunnels to cross concrete foundations and get up to the wood in buildings - but, termites' nests are underground.

Piles of wood chips seem to qualify as "underground" for them, because when I scoop into a wood chip pile with a tractor bucket that's what I see in there - millions of termites.

Yes I am sure that the type of wood makes no difference what so ever.

I just called my buddy who has been a professional termite chaser all his life. He could not imagine what you are seeing and can not relate to your millions of termites.

Hmmm. Well, he oughta know. I guess it's possible they could be some other kind of ant-like critters, but they sure look like termites to me.

Next time I get a scoop of mulch and see them, I'll post a picture here.

But carpenter ants look much like termites and they do get into wood, big time.

doccat5 - No, we have carpenter ants on our property, too. They're the big, black, shiny ants around our oak trees - and they bite.

I Googled "termites wood mulch" and the first website on the list is from Ohio State University. It says in part:
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"Cellulose (especially wood) is the main food source for subterranean termites. In nature, termites feed on dead wood, including roots and stumps. Around homes, termites readily feed on wood mulch used in landscaping. However, any type of mulch provides termites with needed moisture and protection from the elements."
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On the list of "solutions" from that website are:

* Keep mulch levels several inches below the siding and wooden parts of the structure.
* Avoid or minimize use of wood mulch next to the foundation.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2092C.html

As I mentioned almost every house in our area uses wood mulch up to and including the beds around the house. Could we not possibly deduct assuming your research is correct that if satisfied by wood mulch there is less need for them to approach wood in the houses? Maybe houses that do not mulch with wood should have more wood mulch to keep them busy and well fed. I'm sure there are some around here but in my 72 years of living on this earth I have never seen one. I could not even find one at a house that had been inspected and had a $2000.00 treatment contract offered. A second reliable termite inspector confirmed my no termite problem opinion.

Our termite treaters always come up with the fear factor to sell their whole foundation treatment programs. Then they show the home owner a live one in a plastic box after they make the crawl spaces inspection. In another plastic box they have a piece of tunnel material. The worst of them then say, "look what we found in your crawl space sign here". Their advertisements always show the mean looking critter chewing on a two by four. Its a total sales fear attack!

With this subject like many others we only fear what we do not understand. We all need to get a little closer to that which we fear.

Some areas of the country do have more termites in their insect populations than others. I'm not sure but I would assume most areas have some termites.

docgipe - The University of Florida did research on landscape mulches and termites.

They found that termites do feed on wood-chip mulch, and that termites prefer some kinds of wood much more than others.

The study says the overall benefits of using mulch outweigh the dangers, and concluded by saying:

"Homeowners will continue to use mulches in landscaping around their houses and buildings. Our current recommendation is to be vigilant and up-to-date with termite inspection and treatment."

Sounds fair to me!

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FR075

I think the Southern states have higher numbers of termites any way their presence is considered. Warmer weather with higher humidity.

I am no expert. But I have had termites. They can get in and did eat a tunnel in the paper of my drywall, in a paperback book on a shelf in contact with the wall, any wood of course. I was first aware as they swarmed one April around the front door. We could easily find termite workers in the soil near the house, in the west and south side. That's why I only use cedar mullch near the house, in one small bed only, for "company". Keep all other wood pieces away and use only well composted stuff .
When we renovated our garden shed, there was one 2 by 4 out of the whole deal that was tunneled, all others nearby virtually untouched.
I talked to the state Ag bug guys who license for us. His most interesting point was that what they eat is determined by moisture content. They can live without bothering you for decades but when they find wood/cellulose that has gotten in the right range of moisture, there it goes. Thats why its very important to have your house drain properly.
I do not believe in the inspectors from the bug company. We use the bait system around the house that you can get at wallmart for about 50 to 100 buck s for a 3-4 BR house.
I live in a sandy soiled area which has a bad reputation for termtes.
My 2 cents!
I would like to see Ozarks termites. I bet he is right!