I have a lot (OK a mountain) of saw dust & saw shavings from the sawmill. What is a good ratio of saw dust to top soil mix.
I have a lot (OK a mountain) of saw dust & saw shavings from the sawmill. What is a good ratio of saw dust to top soil mix.
Depends on what it was from. If it's just from untreated logs, it's fine...if it has chemicals in it of any kind, no so much.
The key to immortality is not having a life worth living, but living a life worth remembering.
- St. Augustine
A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is strong enough to take everything you have.
- Thomas Jefferson
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kris-C...6355540?ref=nf
www.etsy.com/shop/KrisAndChrisPlaques
www.politicsbykrista.blogspot.com
It is an excellent brown ingredient for compost, but when used in soil (without allowing it to break down first) it temporarily will rob the soil of nitrogen, which isn't a good thing.
Mix it with some grass clippings, let it sit a year, and you'll have brown gold.
Thanks, Chris. I don't have grass clipping, but I have used straw.
I love using straw!!! I swear by it!!
The key to immortality is not having a life worth living, but living a life worth remembering.
- St. Augustine
A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is strong enough to take everything you have.
- Thomas Jefferson
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kris-C...6355540?ref=nf
www.etsy.com/shop/KrisAndChrisPlaques
www.politicsbykrista.blogspot.com
Should be great stuff in the end. Yeah, you'll need nitrogen. Lime or ashes too because hardwoods and many pines are very acidic.
Ditto on the nitrogen robbing. I mulched the edge of my garden with sawdust too create a border and keep the weeds down. Anywoo later that fall I let the chickens in the garden to clean it up up bit. They scratched around the edge and got some sawdust in the garden. That spring after the plants started to grow, they came up yellowish indicating a nitrogen deficiency. It surprised me to see such a little bit of saw dust cause that to happen.
It can be too hot on plants if its still green, too. Compost it and you'll be fine.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
I'm being serious here, once you've mixed the sawdust and straw, pee on it every once in a while. It'll help break down the cellulose. And lets face, peeing outside is only one step away from a doorless outhouse!
Recession; A period when you go without something your Grandparents never heard of.
Ohhhh..I thought maybe the sawdust was green south of the 45th parallel which would make them "hot" like manure. Thanks.
Fresh cut saw dust will kill grass on your lawn, so I guessing it isn't real good right in the garden.
Cleaning up a downed limb, cutting with chain saw, ended up with dead spots.
Have used as tempory pathways.
I might mix sawdust with grass clipping, but sawdust needs to be really aged.
Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
Evoking the 50 year old rule...
First 50 years...worried about the small stuff...second 50 years....Not so much
Member Wahoo Killer knives club....#27
Pine, and spruce and fir, are generally acidic, while hardwoods are alkaline. Test you soil to see what the Ph level is so you'll get an idea of what the sawdust will do.
Probably be better to put it into a compost heap with straw, grass, leaves, etc. and let it "cook" to break down before you put it into the garden.
Wherefore, let us be thankful that there are still thousands of cool, green nooks beside crystal springs, where the weary soul may hide for a time, away from debts, duns and deviltries, and a while commune with nature in her undress. ~ George W. “Nessmuk” Sears ~
No. Fresh sawdust retains heat. It doesn't circulate air like aged sawdust can so it can be too hot for plants. Manure is considered hot if it is rich in nitrogen. Chicken, horse, sheep, goat and rabbit are examples of manure that have a lot of nitrogen that can "burn" the plant.Originally Posted by edr730
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
I have a local sawmill that lets me come in and collect the overflow from the truck trailers where they load the sawdust and chips. Guess they don't think that sending the hired help out there to clean it up would pay. Anyway. I get my small trailer, which will hold about 1/2 a ton full pretty much as often as I want. Uses include bedding in the rabbit pens, (i have solid wood floors) bedding the chicken and duck houses. After the usefull period is up and it's cleaned out of whichever place it's being used it goes into a large wire bin and will be there for at least 6 months then I'll move it over to the compost heap along with grass clippings, pine needles,(I have alot of these) leaves,(I have alot of these also) wood ashes, bonemeal, lime and bloodmeal. Some of these are added in small amounts but the mix seems to work in the sandy clay soil I have around here. Looking to add alot of this mix to the garden before we plant next year. Added what we had this year but not near enough for the size of our present garden. Sure can see where we used it and where we didn't. This I guess is the long way to answer SD's question. Use alot of sawdust but make sure and age it well before you.
Oldtrap
Never claimed to be an expert. Just use or do what works for me.
I was using sawmill shavings as bedding for my horses and beef critter for years. After mucking out the stalls, it would all go into the garden. Now granted, there was a lot of poop in them shavings but I would have one hell of a garden. It would get tilled into the ground every fall.
I know what hunts you.
A hare has taken up in the dirt-floor part of my shed (mostly storage for shingles and lawnmower pieces) and it likes to hang out in the circle of garlic out by the pear tree. The garlic was doing wonderfully, when it started to turn yellow all of a sudden. The wife asked me what happened to them and I thought it was just too dry, or maybe I poured out some bark liquor or something too close to them. Turns out that 'neath all the vetch and geranium is a big pile of rabbit poops.
Now I know what happened! Good info!
I have a fair sized pile of sawdust from all the beehive components I've been making. I'll be sure to mulch it for next years garden.
The most overlooked thing is bark. There’s always a pile where they yard logs. Find one that’s about 20 years old. It will be broken down beyond compost and will be pure humus. Your garden will never thank you enough for the humic acid.
Bookmarks