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Post by benmnwi on Jan 20, 2020 19:44:10 GMT -6
The power company trimmed a bunch of trees by my place today and they were primarily red pines. They left me probably 10 cubic yards of branch mulch- they left the logs, but chipped the small stuff.
I know conifers aren't ideal for apple tree mulch, but do they hurt anything? I know they can add acidity, but I can add line to cancel that out. Should I be concerned?
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Post by smsmith on Jan 20, 2020 19:46:49 GMT -6
I'd use it after it's composted for awhile
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Post by sd51555 on Jan 20, 2020 21:45:38 GMT -6
The power company trimmed a bunch of trees by my place today and they were primarily red pines. They left me probably 10 cubic yards of branch mulch- they left the logs, but chipped the small stuff. I know conifers aren't ideal for apple tree mulch, but do they hurt anything? I know they can add acidity, but I can add line to cancel that out. Should I be concerned? You have a great experiment in front of you. Those fresh needles might be a really good grass suppressant. When the cat was reading his allelopathy books, he came across info about pine needle exudates that inhibit the growth of non-pine species. Might be great mulch for around spruces or pines out in the grass. I wouldn't take two days and spread it all, but it'd be neat to see you try just a few to see if it holds down the grass without fabric. **Like Stu said though, best to wait a year for the breakdown of the acids if you're aiming to use it on apple trees. |
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Post by nhmountains on Jan 21, 2020 5:10:09 GMT -6
Ben,
I’d let it age 1-2 years. When it breaks down you’ll see the mycelium and other stuff going on and that’s a good time to spread it. I just saw an ad for a local guy here giving free piles of chips to anyone that wants them. Line your guy back up for a load of fresh hardwood chips as well mix them together. In a lot of cases it’s cheaper for the tree guys to dump them local then pay their guy money and time to take them back to their shop. Watch some August Hunicke videos on YouTube. He’s an awesome tree guy.
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Post by smsmith on Jan 21, 2020 7:56:33 GMT -6
I remember Ben (Bnhpr) from the old Q forums talking about adding a bunch of pell lime to fresh wood chips. He'd stir the whole pile up with the loader on his tractor a few times a year, then use the stuff the second year.
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Post by nhmountains on Jan 21, 2020 8:31:22 GMT -6
I remember Ben (Bnhpr) from the old Q forums talking about adding a bunch of pell lime to fresh wood chips. He'd stir the whole pile up with the loader on his tractor a few times a year, then use the stuff the second year. I think that would help. I could definitely see the changes in the structure/breakdown of the chips in the second year. Lots of microorganisms going on in there. From what Michael Phillips writes that’s got to be good. |
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Post by benmnwi on Jan 21, 2020 12:18:39 GMT -6
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Post by benmnwi on Jan 21, 2020 12:26:57 GMT -6
This morning I checked the mulch and there was definitely some deciduous chips included with the pine mulch. They must have had some mulch in the truck from a prior job since some of the branches in the pile didn't come from my yard. Hopefully they will drop off another load or two for me. The only place they could drop the chips was in my backyard, which isn't exactly ideal but I'll make it work.
I also have a couple dozen red pine logs that are in the 9"-15" diameter range. Anyone have any ideas on what to do with them? I'd hate to just give them away to an outdoor wood burner if I can come up with a more productive idea. This has the potential to be an idea that sounds really good in January when there isn't much to do, but seems pretty stupid when the snow melts in a few months and I have a pile of logs still laying there.
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Post by smsmith on Jan 21, 2020 12:28:24 GMT -6
May not be big enough, but chainsaw carvers like red pine
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Post by benmnwi on Jan 24, 2020 21:03:47 GMT -6
The power line tree trimmers dropped off another load of wood chips today. This load had a decent amount of white pine chips in it. I was hoping for a load of deciduous chips, but i can't be too picky since they are free.
Conifers are hard to come by down here, but somehow they have made up the majority of the chips I've received so far.
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Post by benmnwi on Feb 7, 2020 13:06:53 GMT -6
My wood chip pile must be starting to decompose a little since it is now giving off some steam from the thickest section of the pile. It's kind of odd to watch steam pour out in the morning when the temps are only in the single digits.
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 3, 2020 5:41:50 GMT -6
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