Re: Sawdust
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Sawdust
- From: J* B* <h*@tricon.net>
- Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 06:00:37 -0700 (MST)
At 09:05 PM 2/23/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Here's a new one for me. My husband and I have generated a large
>amount of sawdust working on the remodeling project. Is there a garden
>use for it? Can it be used in the compost pile? I hate to throw it
>away. It really seems like it ought to be good for something.
>TIA
>--
>Dana Brown, Lubbock, Texas Zone 7
>Where we are 3,241 ft above sea level, with an average rainfall of
>17.76"
>of rain a year. Our average wind speed is 12.5 mph and we have an
>average
>of 164 days of clear weather, 96 of which dip below freezing.
>
Sawdust works wonderfully on garden paths, where it composts into rich soil
in about a year. I've used it on hiking trails, near the entrances where it
gets muddiest, to soak up moisture. It can be worked into a compost heap
also, but needs to be worked in thinly so it doesn't clump up. If you have a
slow cooking heap, or if you physically turn it often it will add good
nutrients. But it is not suitable for direct application to beds. Nothing
happens for a long time, and it can attract beetles if spread thickly. I
once used it to keep vegetation down around bee hives, and the beetles ate
the leg bottoms off my hive stands.
I haven't tried this, but here's an idea: because wood decomposes slowly,
you could combine it with manure that is too hot to apply directly to the
garden, like horse or chicken manure (use the dried and well-weathered stuff
in either case). That would speed breakdown of both ingredients and should
make a very rich and beneficial compost.
Thanks for your idea. You may have given me a thought on how to retard the
erosion of my hillside iris beds.
James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
