Uses for wood chippings

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Uses for wood chippings

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Toffer

Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 247
Location: Sutton St Edmund, Lincs

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 4:26 pm Post subject: Uses for wood chippings
Anyone have any suggestions on what we could do with a large amount of wood chippings, the course kind that come out of tree surgeons' shredders? I was thinking it might be possible to sell to gardeners but have been told that it causes nitrogen leaching problems, also thought about using as a fuel source but that's a bit of a project and we have a lot to get rid of! Cheers

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 4:29 pm Post subject:
I use wood chippings on the garden because it's the only way I can manage the ground elder and bindweed. I have a border full of flowering perennials that I have grown from seed and surrounded with wood chip. Apart from those the rabbits have eaten they are all looking well.

kirstyfern

Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 1574
Location: Great Dunmow, Essex

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 6:09 pm Post subject:
borders and woodland paths

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 7:02 pm Post subject:

Define "lots"?

To give you some idea of what I consider to be lots.

One day last week I chipped about 4 tonnes of 23% moisture (was tested when delivered) milling waste wood that filled a 13m3 tractor trailer. As soon as the new barn is finished (another job I am helping on) there is over 150 tonnes to be chipped ASAP with another 150 that will be arriving soon.

If its dry sell it for fuel.

If its wet pay to get rid of it. Or compost it down.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 8:33 pm Post subject:
Fuel, as Richards says. I'd be experimenting with gasification if I had access to wood chips.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 8:37 pm Post subject:
Good for chicken runs as well - they Keep the ground dry

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 9:17 pm Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Fuel, as Richards says. I'd be experimenting with gasification if I had access to wood chips.

The next wood down from me is getting into it in a big way. Its their barn I have been working on & their chipping I did. At the min they only have one buyer but its a big ish one.

How much do you want?

Could you do the same with saw dust? It does tend to be wet. He has problems shifting that as he does not make enough to make it worth while for some one else to collect or for him to get a pellet maker.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Sun May 29, 11 9:43 pm Post subject:
I wouldn't need a lot to start with, a small trailer load. The research I've done seems to indicate that sawdust could work but chippings are less likely to clog.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 11 6:51 pm Post subject:
So where do you want it tipping? Took the big chipper about 5 mins to fill that 18.5m3 trailer. It then went on to fill the barn. It took 2 of us all day to fill it to 14m3 using a PTO chipper. the chipper, a Jenz Hem 7000 Hired out by J&S Vicary The operator reckons that it can do 4 x 27 tonne lorries per hour & can take a 700mm wide log

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 11 7:51 pm Post subject:
Wood chip can make very good compost, and in a surprisingly short time. You want to mix with an accelerator and pile it in a nice big heap, then turn it over on a regular basis. I've wondered about woodlouse farming: every pile of chip has a very healthy population... Not sure they're very marketable in themselves, but perhaps feed for chicken or fish?

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 11 8:55 pm Post subject:

From a gardeners point of view they only rob nitrogen if you mix or dig them into the soil. Used as a mulch with a barrier layer of cardboard or newspaper they suppress weeds and gradually compost down to form a great soil improver.

I have been using this system for the last five years on difficult borders on a thin, chalky soil and the tests have shown no significant decrease in nitrogen.

Size of woodcip makes no difference to the effect except for the speed od decomposition. Shavings from my woodturning take 9 to 12 months to rot down, tree surgeons shreddings take 18 to 24 months.

Hope this helps

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 11 3:53 pm Post subject:
Well, I would love some wood chippings if I could get my hands on them!

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 11 5:09 pm Post subject:
Jean Pain.

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