If you have trees in your garden, you’re familiar with the amount of debris you get after professional tree services. What if we told you all that yard debris can be used? Branches, stumps, and wood residue can generate wood chips. Wood chips are extremely valuable since it can be used for many things. Using wood chips for the garden is a great way to put all the resources you have available, to use.
If you’ve recently had a tree removal service, you can grind the stump into wood chips instead of putting it all in garbage bags. Below we’ve compiled some of the best uses of wood chips for the garden.
Ingredient for Compost
If you have a beautiful garden, you’ve probably composted before. Composting is beneficial for all kinds of gardens since it works as a fertilizer, soil conditioner, natural pesticide, and as an addition of humus. Besides fruit and vegetable waste, leaves, cardboard, and some food scraps, you can add wood chips to your compost bin. By adding wood chips to your compost, you’re adding carbon. Carbon helps break down the organic matter in your compost, providing a boost of nutrients.
Mulch
If you want to retain moisture, keep the soil cool, suppress weed growth, and add nutrients to your soil, wood chips make excellent mulch. All you have to do is spread a layer of wood chips over the soil then rake it around your plants and flowers. Wood chips are high in nitrogen so it’s best to leave them for trees and shrubs.
For Building Up Raised Beds
As previously stated, wood chips are rich in carbon so it’s a good addition to raised garden beds. When wood chips start to break down, they enrich the soil with nutrients and create an environment for good water retention.
