shavings etc

[winemaker]

What do you do with the waste shavings & sawdust, I don't think it can be use on the garden, too much for the compost head so thought I would ask what you do with yours'
Tom

 

[wizard]

Sawdust is used for ferret litter and the shavings for the chickens, then compost

 

[marcros]

a mixture of wheelie bin, and a separate compost heap for mine. if i have a lot i will take them down the tip. I save a small bag full if i have fruit woods, and a bit of oak for food smoking.

 

[finneyb]

I use it as mulch to keep the weeds down - a bit bright when you first put it down, but it gets darker.

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

A friend takes some of mine for his guinea pig. Unfortunately the rest goes to landfill because our local clowncil have no way of recycling it.

 

[procell]

If you have fruit trees in your garden use it as a mulch around the trunk. also it can be dug into vegetable patch and will gradually decompose and feed the soil.

In addition small offcuts or unusable logs are good for bumble bees and stag beetles to nest in. As they are both struggling currently any help they can get is good.

 

[tekno.mage]

Most of our shavings go to local farmers for use in trailers when transporting sheep (apparently using wood shavings rather than straw makes the cleaning out of the trailer easier), some (including the sawdust from the dust extractor on the bandsaw) goes to a neighbour for use in the compost toilets on her campsite, I keep a pot of fine sawdust for use on any oily spills in the workshop. I put a small quantity of shavings in my own compost bin and also around my apple tree as mulch, and I use to supply clean sycamore shavings to a local pet shop in exchange for peanuts for the birds, until the owner retired and the shop closed down. In winter I use dry woodshavings with kindling when lighting the fire.

Amazing stuff, sawdust and shavings

 

[gregmcateer]

guinea pigs, wood burners that can handle it, horse bedding, (not walnut, - causes hoof rot when combined with horse-pee, I believe), mulch, compost.
If you've got eg builder bags, stick it outside the house and tell people to take it, as long as they bring the bags back - most will.
HTH
Greg

 

[Phil Pascoe]

IIRC wood chips use up nitrogen when decomposing, so when used as mulch, P on them.

 

[EnErY]

well I breed tortoise and have quite a few breeding pairs ,my daughter has rabbits for the grandkids and last year I turned a lot of laburnum please beware laburnum is not animal friendly it did kill my grandsons rabbit this was confirmed by the vet not all shavings are pet compatible I use exotic woods and now after this experience all my shavings get burned or go in landfill .
Regards
Bill

 

[marcros]

i am told that oak shavings can change/tint the egg yolk colour if used for chickens. And walnut is not good either, although I forget why. I dont really use any exotics. Any sycamore/lacewood/fruit wood/ash i give the shavings to my father for his poultry. Walnut (not that i ever produce much), anything that is mixed or contaminated/dirth goes in the black bin, and oak/others go onto its own compost heap so that it doesnt take all of the nitrogen out of the soil.

Spreading walnut shavings around the fruit trees is just showing off, given the price of the stuff!

 

[johnny.t.]

I was told Walnut will inhibit growth of plants, I'm no scientist and could have been fed 'mushroom compost' on this fact but I don't put it near my plants! Walnut, Laburnum,Yew and lots of exotics are toxic so not good for animal bedding etc (or the compost for that matter). If you are using other 'friendly' shavings in a mulch just mix it with grass clippings which will provide all the Nitrogen it will need and help break it down.
That all being said, I put mine all in a 45 gallon drum with holes drilled around the bottom and burn it, its by far the easiest way to dispose of it. 8)

 

[thomvic]

If you have fruit trees in your garden use it as a mulch around the trunk. also it can be dug into vegetable patch and will gradually decompose and feed the soil.

Sawdust and shavings are definitely not good for your garden until well composted. By well composted I mean decomposed to the extent that it resembles friable soil. Before reaching this state sawdust and shavings will de-nitrify the soil. When fully composted it will only add humus (which is good) - it will not significantly "feed" the soil. Be aware that sawdust and shavings from some woods, more likely to be hardwoods, are toxic to soil and therefore plants - even when well composted.

You can safely add a small amount - say 10% - 15% of softwood sawdust and shavings to your compost heap provided that it is well mixed with green matter and the whole is well composted before you use it.

Richard

 

[procell]

Thanks for the heads up regarding using it on the garden. I just found it made a good mulch as it retained moisture well. Luckily it was only sycamore shavings I have used so far.

 

[dickm]

We are trying to creat a "flower rich meadow" patch in our garden, but the available site just happens to be one of the few parts of the garden with fairly rich soil (doh) so the grass is much too rampant. Been wondering if applying a thin mulch of planer chips would help reduce the nutrient level. The first lot went on today, but has anyone else tried this?

 

[andersonec]

Having previously owned my own plant nursery, I know there are composts available which utilise wood shavings as the main ingredient and a common additive to composts is pine bark in various grades from fine to coarse which increases drainage.
I have been putting all my shavings, including Walnut, and wood turnings on the garden for the past few years (see below) it is all thriving.

If you feel nervous about adding the shavings direct then pile them up and set light to them, allow them to smolder (a slow burn is best) then add the ashes to the garden, an excellent source of potash.

Andy

 

[marcros]

Having previously owned my own plant nursery, I know there are composts available which utilise wood shavings as the main ingredient and a common additive to composts is pine bark in various grades from fine to coarse which increases drainage.
I have been putting all my shavings, including Walnut, and wood turnings on the garden for the past few years (see below) it is all thriving.

If you feel nervous about adding the shavings direct then pile them up and set light to them, allow them to smolder (a slow burn is best) then add the ashes to the garden, an excellent source of potash.



Andy

There seems to be a dead patch of grass right in the middle Andy (hammer) :mrgreen: . Rest looks ok though =D>

 

[fluffflinger]

I combine all waste shavings and dust from workshop with paper from my household waste and make my own briquettes for the wood burner. I use one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt0QQe6Eetw

Works well and saves me some cash!

 

[thomvic]

Having previously owned my own plant nursery, I know there are composts available which utilise wood shavings as the main ingredient and a common additive to composts is pine bark in various grades from fine to coarse which increases drainage.
I have been putting all my shavings, including Walnut, and wood turnings on the garden for the past few years (see below) it is all thriving.

If you feel nervous about adding the shavings direct then pile them up and set light to them, allow them to smolder (a slow burn is best) then add the ashes to the garden, an excellent source of potash.



Andy

Most of my working life was spent running factories that made, amongst other horticultural products, professional compost such as you describe peat based and peat free. Composts made using wood shavings, bark or sawdust are all well composted and have ammonium nitrate or other nitrate source added to prevent the nitrogen draw-down problems referred to above.

Your garden seems to be well populated with shrubs and perennials - these are mainly deep rooted and therefore not so readily affected by nitrogen draw-down or lock from mulch applied to the surface. The effect though is cumulative and eventually will have an increasing adverse effect on even deep rooted plants. Try your sawdust and shavings with bedding plants and vegetables and see what happens!

Wood and/or garden waste ash is an ok source of potash but not "excellent" though it is organic. There are better sources. I would not rely on it for soft fruit or flower production.

Richard

 

[winemaker]

Thanks all you have given a solution to my problem, going to put it around my fruit bushes.
Tom