The dangers of using fresh wood chip as a mulch on flower borders

After planting, many gardeners turn to wood chip mulch to help suppress weeds and also reduce water loss from the soil.

One important aspect of using wood chip mulch to take into consideration, is if using fresh wood chips, the chances are your plants and shrubs may suffer with nitrogen deficiency, which in-turn, can lead to long-term stunted growth.

Bacteria present in soil which is needed to break down woody matter, feed off of nitrogen and if there's no freely available, these bacteria will take it from the surrounding soil.

How to avoid nitrogen deficiency in your plants

Dress borders with a rich source of nitrogen - preferably organic - so the bacteria can work happily without your plants suffering.

Composting the wood chips for a while will ensure it is safe to use. As a rule of thumb, leave softwood a minimum of one year to break down - or in cases of high sap content, leave softwood for two years and the same for hardwoods.

All fir chips are acidic so bear this in mind when using around your shrubs.

Comments

[Geoff (Jaef) Parsons]

Some years ago I used barkchip to create a mulch for blueberry bushes planted on a rather sandy soil. It is now a fine tilth (compost)and, hopefully, it supplements the plants' other nutrients.

[Kris]

Vancouver, Washington. After watching "Back to Eden" (one hour - You Tube), I decided to take the plunge and mulch my entire garden with wood chips (about 4" thick). Tomatoes doubled in size within a week, and everything else seems to be loving it. I was careful NOT to mix the chips into the soil. But they seem to be working great after several months. My garden soil is very peat-like and does not hold water very well. The chips have helped immensely!

[George Balaur]

Hi, Kris!
Do you think I could use a
mixture of saw dust and hard
wood bark instead of wood chips?
I have no wood chips in my area.

Thank you for your answer.

George Balaur, Mangalia, Romania