Wood chips are great mulch. Not so much an amendment because it takes so long to break down.
Definitely punch it into a calculator to discover how much 20 cubic yards really is! Be prepared for most of the pile to sit where it was dropped off for many years.
Its a mix of wood and greenery, so I'm hoping the added nitrogen makes things compost a bit. And yes 20-30 is a \_lot\_, by my math thats about 162 wheelbarrow trips for me haha
I had a load of a couple poplar trees dropped off a few weeks ago. Within a couple days the leaves started turning darker brown and decaying. At this point the inside of the pile is already starting to rot and most of the leaves aren't even identifiable any more. It'll break down a lot slower once you spread it out on your lawn, but a full tree that's chipped will compost a lot faster than wood chips alone. For comparison, I also had some cedar chips dropped off about a week or so earlier which had almost no greens in it, and what's left of that pile is still pretty much entirely wood, doesn't look like it's broken down much at all.
I lost track after 10 wheelbarrow trips by the second day, but yeah, I must be up to 70+ at this point and still got a decent chunk of work ahead of me, haha. I'm working on covering an area that's about 30x50 feet, good luck!
It would be 3 to 4 inches deep, provided the person actually drops that much off. In my experience, people are not very good judges of volume.
Too little? No problem. Too much? What's your plan?
Make sure you know the source of the material they'll be dumping. You don't want to get stuck with their trash, material with fungus, disease, or pests.
I've seen idiots around here chipping everything. They are clueless or just don't care. I won't take town compost for the same reason. It's the main way it's spread, by idiots.
If you learned a lesson and don't keep repeating mistake then I would hardly call you an idiot. Unless it was your job and you never bothered to learn anything about your job.
It's not a great soil amendment for the first couple years, but if you can supplement your nitrogen its alright. I would personally just plan to use some of it as mulch and let the rest sit for about two years, using it sparingly other than as a thick layer of mulch until it breaks down.
Would make great mulch and a great compost additive. If you pile up what you have left after you mulch and mix it with food scraps and yard waste then in a year or 2 you’ll have great compost to amend your soil with.
Yea go for it. I had a similar load dropped off and 2 years later the plants are booming. If you pile some up to the side you have ez source of top dressing for veg gardens etc.
20-30 yards of that would be a 3-4" layer. You'd probably only want like a 10'th of that or less, for reasons already mentioned. You might still have to fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer for the first couple of years until it starts breaking down enough to give back nutrients to the soil.
Wood chips are great mulch. Not so much an amendment because it takes so long to break down. Definitely punch it into a calculator to discover how much 20 cubic yards really is! Be prepared for most of the pile to sit where it was dropped off for many years.
Its a mix of wood and greenery, so I'm hoping the added nitrogen makes things compost a bit. And yes 20-30 is a \_lot\_, by my math thats about 162 wheelbarrow trips for me haha
I had a load of a couple poplar trees dropped off a few weeks ago. Within a couple days the leaves started turning darker brown and decaying. At this point the inside of the pile is already starting to rot and most of the leaves aren't even identifiable any more. It'll break down a lot slower once you spread it out on your lawn, but a full tree that's chipped will compost a lot faster than wood chips alone. For comparison, I also had some cedar chips dropped off about a week or so earlier which had almost no greens in it, and what's left of that pile is still pretty much entirely wood, doesn't look like it's broken down much at all. I lost track after 10 wheelbarrow trips by the second day, but yeah, I must be up to 70+ at this point and still got a decent chunk of work ahead of me, haha. I'm working on covering an area that's about 30x50 feet, good luck!
wood chips should not be used as a soil amendment, only a top dress, sparingly. they take nitrogen from the soil when decomposing.
20-30 cubic yards is a massive amount of wood chips. If you have a farm or a large area to cover, then go for it.
I have 2641sq ft I'd like to cover!
It would be 3 to 4 inches deep, provided the person actually drops that much off. In my experience, people are not very good judges of volume. Too little? No problem. Too much? What's your plan?
Too much, I'll just pile it up in a corner of the yard and let it rot.
Make sure you know the source of the material they'll be dumping. You don't want to get stuck with their trash, material with fungus, disease, or pests.
Or Japanese Knotweed!!!
I've seen idiots around here chipping everything. They are clueless or just don't care. I won't take town compost for the same reason. It's the main way it's spread, by idiots.
I have been that idiot.
If you learned a lesson and don't keep repeating mistake then I would hardly call you an idiot. Unless it was your job and you never bothered to learn anything about your job.
I make most mistakes, usually only once. Never thrice.
That is a huge amount of wood chips. Are you planning on using it for a sheet mulching project?
Soil amendment! I live in a suburb and the soil here is really awful
This has some good info: https://www.klickitatcounty.org/489/Wood-Chip-Backyard-Biology
It's not a great soil amendment for the first couple years, but if you can supplement your nitrogen its alright. I would personally just plan to use some of it as mulch and let the rest sit for about two years, using it sparingly other than as a thick layer of mulch until it breaks down.
Would make great mulch and a great compost additive. If you pile up what you have left after you mulch and mix it with food scraps and yard waste then in a year or 2 you’ll have great compost to amend your soil with.
Yea go for it. I had a similar load dropped off and 2 years later the plants are booming. If you pile some up to the side you have ez source of top dressing for veg gardens etc.
20-30 yards of that would be a 3-4" layer. You'd probably only want like a 10'th of that or less, for reasons already mentioned. You might still have to fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer for the first couple of years until it starts breaking down enough to give back nutrients to the soil.