Planer Chippings

[mbartlett99]

I'm not a brilliant gardener so was hoping there was someone who knows about this stuff. I'm generating an awful lot of maple/cherry waste on the thicknesser lately; is there any reason I can't use this as a mulch on my flowerbeds?

 

[--Tom--]

It will need composting first if your putting it around smaller plants.

As wood decomposes it will take nitrogen from the soil, which is one of the main nutrients plants need for growth. A thick mulch of planer shavings will be pretty effective at controlling weeds and generally slowing growth.

On a windy day you could also find it goin everywhere!

 

[mbartlett99]

Thanks - we have a large communal compost pile I'll chuck it there over the winter.

 

[Jacob]

It composts very very slowly. Speeds up if nitrogen added e.g. grass cuttings. Hence composting toilets are a brilliant idea - or just take every opportunity to p|ss on your compost heap of chippings. Keen gardeners keep a bucket in the lav and take it out to the compost heap.
Good for paths on allotments. You turn it in after a few years and start a path somewhere else.

 

[F Flinstone]

Dont throw them away, save them in a plastic bag and if you are into BBQs buy yourself a little "Box" smoker, you can smoke almost anything, I do meat, some fish, and as I live in France I cannot get "Applewood" smoked cheese, so just use a French hard cheese and cold smoke it, there are some good books and plenty on the web, people pay good money for "Waste" wood, obviously the favorites are fruit woods, but of course Oak/Beech etc I find that chicken is very good for taking on the flavours, waste not want not.

 

[marcros]

Having just paid a few quid for a small bag of whisky wood chippings for smoking wood, it is well worth saving a few handfuls. I am on the lookout for some fruit woods now. I have a bit of cherry to try

 

[mbartlett99]

Thanks guys - I'd be able to make enough biltong to feed an army though. I'm talking wheelie bins full of it. #4 so far.