If you have fallen branches, old tomato stakes or any other type of wood around your garden that you'd like to get rid of, consider recycling it in the compost pile. Wood expert Dr. Brian Bond explains how. Large pieces of wood break down quite slowly, but you can speed up the process. Large sticks actually benefit your compost pile by adding oxygen--creating voids where air is trapped--but the smaller you can break up the pieces of wood, the more quickly they'll decompose. Large pieces of wood make the pile hard to turn, and you don't want large chunks in your finished compost. Use a screen to sift your compost pile each time you turn it. Chicken wire works well as screening material (figure A). Anything that won't pass through the screen should be tossed back into the pile. The large pieces will decompose eventually. Wood chips are often used as mulch, but you should avoid using fresh chips, which are acidic and will pull nitrogen from the soil as they decompose. Compost them first, speeding the process by adding some manure to the pile. Or add a compost-pile activator. In 3 or 4 months the chips should be ready to use as mulch. The chips are ready when they produce no sulfur or ammonia smell and are cool to the touch. Mulching slows weed growth and moisture loss and keeps soil cool--as well as providing a great way to get rid of yard debris.
GUESTS :
Brian Bond
UT Agricultural Extension Service
PO Box 1971
Knoxville, TN 37901-1071
Phone: 865-974-7346
Fax: 865-974-1068
Email: aes.bbond@utk.edu
Website: http://www.utextension.utk.edu
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