Sawdust for fertilizing and mulching the soil: methods and principles of use. Sawdust as fertilizer: how to make compost and apply humus correctly. Is it possible to mulch bushes with sawdust?

Mulching with sawdust protects the crops in the beds from drying out in summer and freezing in winter. Mulch retains moisture, maintains temperature and inhibits weed growth. In the article we will look at how to make mulch, what advantages and disadvantages this method has.

Features of mulching with sawdust

There are a lot of organic mulching materials available. Due to the development of agriculture, sawdust is more often used for mulching. Despite its cheapness, the material brings great benefits. Sawdust is used both in winter and summer. They prevent crop roots from freezing. It is enough to lay them out on the beds and compact them. To prevent sawdust from fluttering in the wind, cow manure is added to the mulch.

The soil is mulched for the winter in mid-October or early November. A layer of up to 3 cm is laid on the beds. But mulching with sawdust is not suitable for all plants and types of soil. Be careful with oak and pine sawdust! The thickness of the mulch layer is selected for different crops:

• for tulips, garlic and onions it is 6 cm;
• for strawberries and carrots – up to 4-5 cm.

Mulch is not removed from strawberry and wild strawberry beds all year round.

Hay and straw are similar in their characteristics to sawdust. " We present in the table the features of mulching with different organic materials.

Material	Features of application
Sawdust	Suitable for bulbs (flowers and vegetables), strawberries, carrots, beets and berry bushes.
Straw	Like sawdust, it takes a long time to rot, so it is used for early crops. The layer reaches 10-15 cm.
Compost	Suitable for all vegetable crops.
Grass (hay)	It quickly rots and saturates the soil with nutrients. Grass or hay is laid in a layer of 4-6 cm.
Fallen leaves	Suitable for cabbage and beans. Also cover flower beds for the winter.

There are several approaches to mulching the soil. Mulching according to Kuznetsov has its own characteristics:

1. The row spaces are covered with a thick layer of sawdust to prevent the growth of weeds.
2. Biocompost is added to the beds themselves. If the soil is clayey, then sand is added.
3. As the crops grow, sawdust is added between the rows, the beds themselves are loosened and biocompost is regularly added.
4. The berry fields are covered with a layer of sawdust and mulch is added regularly.
5. Sawdust can be applied on top of the manure, which will retain moisture.

To loosen the soil, improve its structure and speed up the decomposition of organic fertilizers on the ridges, it is worth casting earthworms. Alexander Kuznetsov refutes the opinion that sawdust, like mulch, adds to the soil, because it is applied on top of the soil. It is not sawdust that acidifies the soil, but the mushrooms that destroy it.

Sawdust is placed tightly between rows in vegetable beds.

Advantages and disadvantages of mulching

Sawdust is a reliable means for insulating crops. Mulch protects roots from freezing in winter and rotting in autumn. In summer, sawdust is used to prevent overheating of the soil and moisture retention. The advantages of sawdust as mulch are as follows:

1. Cheapness.
2. As they decompose, they turn into organic fertilizers and loosen the soil.
3. Retains moisture in the soil.
4. They retain heat and prevent the soil from freezing, but at the same time allow air to pass through and allow crop roots to breathe.
5. Protect crops from diseases. Sawdust, especially coniferous ones, do not allow the development of pathogenic microorganisms. They are not liked by slugs and other pests.
6. Protect ripening berries from rotting and pests.
7. Cure from fungal diseases.
8. Protect roots from sudden temperature changes.
9. Pine sawdust protects carrots from carrot flies.
10. Beneficial insects hide in the mulch and microorganisms live, which improve the structure of the soil and loosen it.

Sawdust is a natural mulch that supports the growth and development of beneficial microorganisms to improve soil structure.

Mulching with sawdust has its disadvantages. Large sawdust rots within several years. This takes a lot of nitrogen, as a result of which the plants that grow in such beds are deficient in this nutrient. Their growth and development worsens.

Fresh sawdust increases the acidity of the soil, which affects the development of crops. Coniferous sawdust inhibits the development of pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms. The latter process organic substances that are necessary for plant nutrition.

When to use sawdust on beds

Sawdust is suitable for poor soil. They enrich the soil, activate the growth and ripening of fruits. Under a layer of mulch root system protected, it receives all minerals and moisture. Mulching is carried out after the shoots have grown. As a result of this, the earth does not dry out, a crust does not appear on the surface, and the soil remains loose.

Winter mulching is necessary to protect crop roots. Mulch protects plants from temperature changes until spring. Used for bushes, trees, winter crops and berries. In dry areas, mulching with sawdust is especially important for tomatoes. To protect the roots from overheating, all that remains is to cover the soil with mulch. "

In the summer, vegetable beds with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and beets are filled with sawdust. This prevents crops from drying out.

Mulching strawberries has many advantages:

1. Productivity increases.
2. The berries are protected from pests and rotting.
3. Due to the lack of contact with the ground, the berries are clean and dry.
4. Weed growth is stopped.

Tip #1. Mulch the potato beds. After hilling, the furrows are sprinkled. A layer of mulch retains moisture and stops weed growth. Productivity increases, the effect is especially noticeable during dry summers.

Mulching trees and shrubs

Sawdust is used to cover the roots of trees and shrubs for the winter. This type of shelter is considered the most reliable. Large sawdust is buried as a heat-insulating material in holes when planting grapes and flowering shrubs. They reliably protect against frost.

A large layer of sawdust is poured around the tree trunk.

Sawdust mulching is suitable for the following garden crops:

• fruit trees;
• shrubs (raspberries and black currants);
• grapes;
• clematis.

Raspberries respond especially well to mulching. Sawdust helps increase fruiting and improves the taste characteristics of berries. With annual mulching with raspberry sawdust, the bushes can be grown without replanting for up to 10 years. In winter, the vines of grapes and climbing flowers that are on the ground are covered with sawdust along their entire length. This is done in late autumn, otherwise mice will infest the mulch and damage the crop.

Tip #2. Before mulching, it is advisable to apply nitrogen fertilizers.

Sometimes an air cover is made for such crops. Boxes are made from boards and the plants are covered with them, sawdust is covered on top, covered with film and a layer of earth is poured. There is a wet cover with sawdust for the winter, when the mulch is not covered with anything. But this method is suitable for some crops, for example, roses rot under such cover.

Sawdust is one type of mulch that can be used in greenhouses. Cultures do not rot and spoil. They are used to enrich manure and plant waste. They accelerate the decomposition of organic fertilizers, the compost is loose and breathable.

Mulch is added to greenhouses in spring or autumn. It is better to apply sawdust in combination with other components. This mixture is laid in the ridges in the fall. You can make compost:

• 200 kg of sawdust;
• 50 kg of manure;
• 100 kg of grass;
• 30 kg of food waste.

For greenhouses, sawdust can be placed in ridges in combination with straw or hay.

In the spring, the soil is mulched when intensive crop growth begins. In greenhouses, during heavy watering, a crust often forms on the surface of the soil, and the soil around the roots is washed away. In this case, it is necessary to mulch the soil. In addition, mulching reduces the watering rate and prevents overheating of the root system of crops in the greenhouse.

Tip #3. A greenhouse measuring 3x6 m will require six bags of pine sawdust. The mulch is spread in a layer of 5-7 cm between the rows and around the stems of the crops.

How to mulch beds in winter

In winter, the beds are mulched with a mixture of sawdust, manure and plants. The thickness of the layer depends on the type of soil. On clay soils it reaches 5 cm, and on sandy soils – 10 cm. When mulching, adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Mulch is never removed under berry bushes. The earth is loosened along with sawdust. In the absence of chemical fertilizers, mulch is mixed with manure and applied in the fall. This prevents the accumulation of nitrates in fruits.
2. If you put a large layer of mulch on heavy soils, rotting will begin.
3. Be sure to mulch the soil in the summer or at the end of spring after planting seedlings. The mulch is thoroughly crushed and placed around the gathering place. The results of mulching are noticeable after 3-4 years, since sawdust decomposes slowly.

Answers to frequently asked questions about mulching

Question No. 1. What sawdust is best to use for mulching?

Sawdust comes in different sizes and from different types of trees. Depending on their properties, they are used in various areas of horticulture. Let's list them in the table.

Type of sawdust	Application area
Medium-sized gray-brown semi-rotted sawdust	They are the best for mulching vegetable beds.
Large sawdust	Used to cover the roots of trees, strawberries and shrubs.
fine sawdust	Suitable for covering young shoots with thin stems.
Fresh sawdust	Suitable for mulching strawberries and wild strawberries.
Sawdust from coniferous species trees	Used for carrots.

Question No. 2. For what crops is sawdust used?

Sawdust is suitable for mulching vegetable crops that grow in beds. They are used for greenhouses and garden plots. Mulch trees and shrubs, including roses. Strawberries and strawberries take sawdust well. "

Mulching garden strawberries with sawdust on a ridge

Question No. 3. For which crops is it better to use pine sawdust?

Coniferous sawdust contains phenolic resins that protect against diseases and pests. They are suitable for covering crops for the winter, such as garlic.

Question No. 4. Is it necessary to mulch the soil in greenhouses?

Yes. The fertility of the soil improves, the soil does not overheat, the irrigation rate decreases, and moisture evaporates more slowly. Crops are even watered cold water, while it passes through the sawdust, it will warm up. The preservation of fruits, taste qualities are improved and the ripening period is accelerated.

Question No. 5. What is the time frame for adding mulch?

Late spring or early summer is suitable for mulching, when the earth warms up and crop sprouts appear. Before mulching, the soil is fertilized, loosened and watered abundantly. A layer of mulch of at least 5 cm. In summer, mulch is added as the layer decreases.

Gardeners make mulching mistakes

We offer common mistakes that gardeners make when mulching with sawdust:

1. It is important to choose the right size and type of sawdust. The younger the seedlings and thinner the sprouts, the smaller the chips are taken. But sawdust similar to wood flour is not used at all. It turns into a dense crust on the soil surface that does not allow water to pass through.
2. Large sawdust rots for several years. They are not suitable for vegetable beds. Use shavings for trees and shrubs.
3. Before applying mulch to the beds, nitrogen fertilizers must be used, otherwise the growth and development of crops will slow down.
4. Rotted sawdust is used. Fresh ones increase the acidity of the soil, which negatively affects the development of crops.
5. Don't rush into mulching. If you add sawdust to unheated soil, this will affect the growth and development of crops.

The vast majority of gardeners are convinced of the value of such fertilizer as manure, although at current prices very few buy it, unfortunately, they cannot afford it. And here few people know about the benefits of sawdust, although this is a very valuable organic matter, which, when correct use can provide very good results.

At the same time, this organic material regularly appears in considerable quantities to everyone who enthusiastically continues to carry out construction work in their garden. And purchasing a machine of sawdust is not a problem for many, since they are much cheaper compared to manure. Sometimes some enterprises even take them to a landfill. Meanwhile There are quite a few options for using sawdust in the garden.- they are placed in compost, used as a mulching material and when forming ridges, sprinkled on paths, etc. And they are even used as a substrate for germinating potatoes and seeds, and seedlings are grown on them. However, you should not take these words quite literally and immediately start, for example, growing tomatoes on sawdust or covering raspberries with a thick layer of sawdust - nothing good will come of this, since everything is not so simple.

How do sawdust affect the soil?

However, all this is true only if rotted or at least semi-rotted sawdust is used, which, unlike fresh sawdust, have dark brown or, accordingly, light brown shades. And sawdust rotting is a slow process: fresh sawdust rots on outdoors very slowly (10 years or more). The reason is that sawdust needs living organic matter and water to ripen. There is no living organic matter in a heap with sawdust, and as for water, there is no water inside the heap either, since the top layer of sawdust forms a crust through which moisture does not seep into the heap. You can speed up dehumidification in two ways: either add sawdust in small doses to a compost heap or greenhouse beds along with fresh manure, or use it as mulch after enriching it with nitrogen.

In addition, sawdust from our tree species, unfortunately, slightly acidifies the soil. Therefore, when using them in large quantities, the soil must be additionally limed.

Sawdust as a mulching material

For mulching, you can use rotted, half-rotted or even fresh sawdust in a layer of 3-5 cm - such mulch will be especially good under bushes, in raspberry fields and on vegetable beds. Rotted and half-rotted sawdust can be used directly, but fresh ones will have to be prepared first; if this is not done, they will take nitrogen from the soil, and therefore from the plants, and as a result, the plantings will wither. The preparation process is relatively simple - you need to place a large film on a free area, then pour 3 buckets of sawdust, 200 g of urea on it in succession and evenly pour a 10-liter watering can of water, then again in the same order: sawdust, urea, water, etc. d. When finished, seal the entire structure with film, pressing it down with stones. After two weeks, the sawdust can be safely used.

True, it makes more sense to use such mulching material only in the first half of summer, when moisture from the soil is actively evaporating. In this case, in the second half of summer, only memories will remain from the mulch, because... thanks to the active activity of worms and loosening, it will be well mixed with the soil. If you pour such a thick layer of sawdust in the second half of summer, when there is a lot of rain, then such mulch will prevent the evaporation of excess moisture from the soil, which will negatively affect the ripening of annual shoots of fruit and berry plants and their preparation for winter.

If the layer of mulch turns out to be too large and it does not mix with the soil, then in the second half of summer, during heavy rains, it is necessary to thoroughly loosen the mulched soil. If rains are rare, then this operation can be postponed to the fall, but you will still have to loosen it (or dig it up or treat it with a flat cutter, if we are talking about vegetable beds), otherwise in the spring the frozen layer of sawdust will delay the thawing of the soil layer. This is especially important for areas where planting is carried out in the early stages.

Sawdust in greenhouses and greenhouses

In closed ground, sawdust is absolutely irreplaceable. They are useful for flavoring both manure and plant residues. In combination with sawdust, manure and all kinds of tops warm up faster in the spring. In addition, the rate of their overheating increases, and the resulting compost will be much better both in terms of looseness and breathability, and in terms of its nutritional value and diversity of composition. Just keep in mind that when using fresh manure, fresh sawdust is used, which will take away excess nitrogen from it, and if rotted manure is added, or if you do without it at all, then only rotted sawdust is used - they do not need additional nitrogen.

You can add sawdust to the ridges of greenhouses and greenhouses both in spring and autumn, and it is best to mix them with other fragments of the soil being formed. It makes the most sense in the fall to lay a layer of plant debris on the ridges in the form of straw, fallen leaves, mown grass and various tops. And in the spring, add a layer of fresh manure, sprinkle the latter with lime and a small amount of fresh sawdust, then use a pitchfork to mix the manure with other organic residues. After this, you will need to cover the manure with a small layer of straw or leaves, lay a layer of soil, adding ash and mineral fertilizers to it. For better heating, it is also advisable to pour boiling water over the ridges and cover them with film.

Sawdust in compost

Since it is the rotted sawdust that is of the greatest interest, it is wiser to compost some of the sawdust. It is best to mix them with manure and bird droppings (100 kg of manure and 10 kg of bird droppings per 1 m² of sawdust), and then let them sit for a year, moistening and covering them if necessary, so that the beneficial substances are not washed out. It is also useful to add mowed grass, hay, fallen leaves, kitchen waste, etc. to this compost. In the absence of manure, you will have to add urea to the sawdust (200 g of urea for 3 buckets of sawdust), you can replace the urea with diluted mullein or a solution of bird droppings.

To speed up the process of sawdust rotting, before adding compost, you need to moisten it well with water, or even better, with slurry or kitchen waste. In addition, it is useful to add soil to the sawdust: two or three buckets per cubic meter of sawdust. In such compost, earthworms and microorganisms will quickly multiply, accelerating the process of wood decay.

If sawdust was stored near abandoned areas overgrown with weeds, they also need to be pre-composted. Moreover, the compost heap must warm up to at least +60°C - only in this case the weed seeds, which can remain viable for up to 10 years, will die. This heating of the pile can be achieved by watering the sawdust with hot water and then quickly covering it with plastic wrap.

Sawdust on strawberry beds

Sawdust will also be useful when mulching strawberry beds - it will not allow the berries to touch the ground, and this will reduce fruit loss from gray rot. And when applied in the fall (a very thick layer is required), sawdust will also protect the strawberry plantings from winter freezing, and next year they will prevent many weeds from germinating. True, when mulching strawberries, you need fresh sawdust, pre-treated with urea, and preferably from coniferous trees. Indeed, in this case, they will to some extent begin to scare away the weevil.

Sawdust when forming ridges in low places

Sawdust will also help raise ridges in low places. In this case, wide (30-40 cm) furrows are dug around the proposed ridge to a depth of 20-25 cm. The soil removed from the furrows is placed on the bed. Sawdust is poured into the trenches formed around the bed. This is beneficial for a number of reasons. Firstly, after any rain you can walk to the garden bed in slippers. Secondly, by filling the furrows, you will thereby prevent the bed (especially its edges) from drying out. Thirdly, sawdust will prevent weeds from germinating. Fourthly, in the future, rotted sawdust will become an excellent fertilizer - when they are transferred to the garden bed, the soil will become not only lush, but also warmer and more fertile.

Sawdust on high ridges

Vegetables, flowers and other garden plants grow well in raised beds formed on a thick layer of organic matter with the addition of a small amount of soil. You can also create such a multi-layer bed using sawdust. First, remove the top fertile layer of soil and set it aside. In the resulting trench 1 m wide and 3-5 m long (the length depends on your desire), lay a layer of grass (hay, straw, etc.), add a layer of sawdust flavored with urea. Then lay another layer of organic debris, such as leaves, and cover the entire structure with the previously deposited soil on top. And to prevent the earth from crumbling along the edges of the ridge, build a kind of barrier around it from mown grass, straw or layers of turf (it must be placed with the roots facing out). Keep in mind that plants on such a bed require more water, so it is also a good idea to cover the sides of the bed with film to reduce evaporation.

Sawdust as a substrate for seed germination

There are two technologies for sowing seeds for seedlings: directly into the soil or into old sawdust. Sawdust are ideal soil for a short period of time, because they represent a very loose substrate, ensuring intensive development of the root system, on the one hand, and guarantee absolutely painless plant transplantation, on the other. True, we are talking about a short period, because... sawdust does not contain nutrients in a form accessible to plants, and therefore plants can develop on them only as long as they have enough nutrition from the seeds - that is, approximately until the appearance of the first true leaf.

The technology for sowing into sawdust is as follows. Take a flat, shallow container filled with wet sawdust. Seeds are sown into it at a certain distance from each other and again sprinkled with sawdust - the last operation for many seeds need not be done, because In the light, seed germination increases. True, in the absence of a top layer of sawdust, the danger of the seeds drying out increases, and if you do not have the opportunity to check their condition several times a day, then it is better not to refuse the top layer.

The containers are placed in slightly opened plastic bags in a warm place (for example, on a radiator, if it is not too hot there). During the germination period for many seeds, in particular nightshade crops, it is desirable to maintain a temperature of approximately 25...30°C. With the emergence of seedlings, the temperature is reduced: during the day to 18...26°C, and at night to 14...16°C, but the given temperature data, of course, differs for different plants.

After the emergence of seedlings, the bags are removed, sawdust is sprinkled with a layer of fertile soil of about 0.5 cm, and the containers are moved under fluorescent lamps. When the first true leaf appears, the plants are planted in separate containers.

Sawdust for early potato harvest

If you dream of getting an early potato harvest, then sawdust will come to the rescue here too. Get the right amount of light-sprouted potato tubers of early varieties, several boxes and old, moistened sawdust. Two weeks before planting the tubers in the garden, fill the boxes 8-10 cm with sawdust, place the tubers sprouts up in the boxes and cover them with a layer of the same substrate 2-3 cm thick.

Make sure that the substrate, on the one hand, does not dry out, and on the other, does not become waterlogged. Provide it with a temperature no higher than 20°C. When the height of the sprouts is 6-8 cm, water them generously with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers and plant them together with the soil in prepared holes, covering both the tubers and sprouts with soil. Before this, the soil must be pre-warmed, covered in advance with plastic film, and after planting, the entire potato plot must be covered with straw or hay, and then with the same plastic film, so that the tubers do not freeze. As a result, you will speed up your potato harvest by several weeks.

Svetlana Shlyakhtina, Ekaterinburg

Mulching – this is an agricultural technique, reducing moisture loss in the soil and improving the structure or composition of the soil.

In addition, mulch protects the plant from:

• overheating and freezing of roots;
• slugs;
• weeds.

Any garden and vegetable plants receive nutrition and substances necessary for growth in the form of aqueous solutions, which they absorb with the help of their roots.

Therefore, the lower the soil moisture, the more difficult it is for the roots to extract nutrients from the ground, so the soil must be constantly moistened.

However, frequent watering often leads to rot, so it is extremely important increase the interval between waterings and reduce the rate of water loss from the soil.

Water leaves the soil four ways:

• it is consumed by plant roots;
• it seeps into deep layers of soil;
• it evaporates due to heating by the sun's rays;
• she is carried away by the wind.

The influence of the first two points cannot be stopped or slowed down.

Therefore it remains influence water evaporation due to heat and wind. Mulch, that is, material covering the ground, reduces the intensity of soil heating and also separates the soil surface from moving air, which is why water losses caused by these factors are reduced.

After rotting, mulch made from natural materials mixes with the soil and improves its structure, making the soil looser. Thanks to this, plant roots have easier access to water, because in loose soil the moisture is distributed more evenly, so it naturally compensates for what the roots have consumed.

In summer, mulch protects the soil from sunlight, so the plant roots do not overheat. In winter, the mulch layer protects the roots from frost, serving as a heat insulator.

If the water in the soil and roots freezes, then will increase in size and rupture the root cells, after which they will no longer be able to perform their functions normally. Thanks to the heat-insulating properties of mulch, the water in the roots does not freeze even in severe frosts, and in the spring it is easier for the plant to wake up from sleep and resume growth.

In addition, mulch protects the beds from slugs and weeds, because the former experience discomfort when moving on a very uneven surface, and the latter cannot grow normally through a thick mulch layer.

Impact of wood waste on the earth: pros and cons

To understand how mulch from wood sawing waste differs from mulch from other materials, you need to understand how sawdust affects the soil.

The transformation of wood into humus (humus), that is, a substance suitable for absorption by plants, occurs due to the activity a huge number of different bacteria and fungi.

This process occurs with any organic matter, due to which any plants, animals and other living organisms turn into humus after death.

During the life of microorganisms that ensure the decay of wood, various acids are released, only some of which are necessary to obtain humus.

Other acids do not affect mechanical properties soil, but changes the acid-base balance of humus, and then the soil with which it comes into contact.

This effect appears most strongly during the decay of softwood sawdust, so even partially rotted waste from sawing wood acidifies the soil, changing the acid-base balance and making the soil unsuitable for some plants.

In addition, bacteria and fungi that ensure wood decay consume a lot of nitrogen, extracted both from sawdust and air, and from the soil with which wood waste comes into contact.

Therefore, with any use of sawdust, it is necessary to take into account the consumption of nitrogen by bacteria and the reduction in the level of this element in the soil.

Some of the acids secreted by bacteria and fungi are danger to young seedlings and shoots, which have not yet had time to grow a strong bark that protects them from pathogens of various diseases.

Therefore, mulching young seedlings with fresh sawdust leads to damage to their skin and infection with pathogens of various diseases.

If a decrease in nitrogen levels and an increase in acidity can be compensated for with lime or ash, as well as nitrogen-containing fertilizers, then the only way to protect seedlings– use only completely rotted material for mulching.

To compensate for the change in the acid-base balance of the soil after using sawdust mulch, the soil is sprinkled with ash, dolomite flour or slaked lime (fluff).

The alkali from these drugs reacts with acids , because of which the latter turn into salts with the release of water.

These processes happen slowly: Therefore, both the increase in acidity and the decrease occur over a period of several months.

That is why adding ash or other reagents along with applying a layer of sawdust mulch keeps the soil from changing acidity if the amount of reagents corresponds to the amount of acids released from wood waste.

How to prepare mulch?

For mulching you can use different materials, the most popular of which are:

• polyethylene film;
• pulled or mown weeds;
• forbs (hay);
• straw;
• a mixture of various organic materials (weeds, hay, straw, etc.) with rotted manure or compost;
• needles;
• sawdust.

Polyethylene film, especially black or two-tone, It suppresses the growth of weeds well and gives the garden a beautiful appearance, but has no effect on slugs.

In addition, on a hot summer day the ground under such a film heats up to dangerous levels, which often leads to the death of roots.

Low vapor permeability of this material leads to increased humidity on the surface of the earth and the appearance of mold and colonies of harmful bacteria, as well as the rapid proliferation of woodlice.

In addition, the film cannot protect against frost, so other materials must be used along with it.

In any garden bed or greenhouse, various weeds constantly grow, which take away nutrients and moisture from cultivated plants, so they are weeded out or torn out.

Picked, mowed or torn out weeds can also be used as mulch, which protects against heat and cold better than film. However, such material often leaves weed seeds in the ground, which eventually germinate and then have to be pulled up or weeded out again.

A few days after laying on the ground, in the pulled out weeds the transformation into humus begins. Moreover, it is carried out by the same fungi and bacteria that ensure the rotting of sawdust.

As a result, the soil becomes slightly acidic, and the free acid damages the thin skin of the seedlings, making them vulnerable to disease.

Weeds rot much faster than sawdust due to the lower lignin content in the trunk, so they have time to completely rot before the onset of frost.

This leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of frost protection, because as a result of rotting the thickness of the weed layer is greatly reduced.

The situation is the same with forb hay, straw or pine needles - these materials quickly rot and can also contaminate the area with seeds, which will lead to the appearance of extra plants in the garden bed or greenhouse.

Due to rapid decay, spring mulch cannot protect plant roots from frost, and due to the presence of mulch, weeds that can be used for autumn mulching do not grow in the beds, so you will have to buy hay or straw.

If it is possible to buy these materials, then they effectively protect roots plants from frost.

Since the rotting of any type of organic matter is ensured by the same fungi and bacteria as sawdust, their effect on the soil is approximately the same.

The only difference is that the dried stems of any herbs are much less dense than sawdust, therefore, with the same volume, they differ greatly in weight.

At the same time, the number of microorganisms that ensure decay, as well as the amount of acid they secrete and nitrogen consumed from the ground, is directly related to the mass. Therefore, the influence of mulch from hay, straw and pulled out weeds on the soil is much less than the influence that sawdust has.

In addition, the shape and structure of sawdust better suited for loosening soil, than any other materials.

After all, torn stems, as well as hay or straw, consist of long elements, and the waste from sawing wood, in size more like very coarse sand or very fine gravel.

Therefore, the soil with them allows water and air to pass through well. A mixture of any stems, as well as hay or straw with droppings/manure, compensates for the consumption of nitrogen by microorganisms, and lime or ash compensates for the increase in acidity.

However, even in this combination these materials may not be as effective as mulch , like sawdust.

After all, woodlice do not breed under the sawdust, and weeds do not grow, because the density of the mulch layer is much higher and the reserves in the weed seed are not enough to push through such a mass of wood waste.

If the total mass of weed, hay or straw mulch was equal to the mass of sawdust mulch, then the level of change in the acid-base balance, as well as nitrogen removal, would also be the same.

That's why negative impact on the soil sawdust and these materials are the same, but the benefits of sawdust are much greater.

The maximum effectiveness of any mulch, including winter mulch, is achieved only with the planting of green manure.

After all, even a mixture of rotted waste from sawing wood with droppings or manure cannot fully compensate for all the substances spent on the growth of cultivated plants.

But a combination of mulch and litter or manure with planting properly selected green manures completely compensates for all spent substances and allows you to effectively grow crops in one area for many years.

Moreover, green manure and even the best mulching cannot replace each other because they have different purposes.

Preparation of raw materials

To prevent sawdust from harming the soil and plantings, they must be properly prepared to make mulch, completely or partially converted into humus(humus).

To do this, you can use either clean wood waste of any species, or a mixture of sawdust with any feces, as well as nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

To begin the fermentation process, in which various bacteria and fungi will process the wood into humus, it is necessary provide high humidity and temperature over +15 degrees.

After all, the number of microorganisms must exceed a certain minimum threshold, after which they will be able to effectively process organic matter.

Adding manure or humus to the fermenting mass reduces temperature requirements.

After all, excrement already contains most of the necessary microorganisms, and much more than the minimum amount.

After reaching the minimum quantity, microorganisms begin to process the material, releasing thermal energy, so the pile of a mixture of sawdust and droppings/manure is warm inside even on frosty days.

By adding lime, ash or dolomite flour to rotting sawdust or a mixture with droppings/manure, you will get mulching material with excellent fertilizing properties and neutralize components that change the acidity of the soil.

This is especially important if you want to use material that is not completely rotted for mulching.

For natural decay of waste sawing wood takes 2–4 years, depending on temperature and humidity. Adding droppings/manure reduces the period of complete rotting to six months at above-zero temperatures or slight frost.

If, along with excrement, you add a drug that accelerates the growth of bacteria, then sawdust They will completely rot in 3–4 months.

For more information about these processes and the preparation of sawdust for application to the ground or use as mulch, read the article sawdust compost.

Is it possible to use fresh sawdust, and how to apply it correctly?

When choosing waste from sawing wood for mulching certain plants, keep in mind that not completely rotted conifers sawdust acidifies the soil much more strongly than deciduous wood.

Therefore, hardwood sawdust is better suited for mulching with not completely rotted material.

If you wait until the wood waste has completely rotted, then There is no difference between conifers and deciduous trees.

For every plant use their own methodology adding mulch, so the method of mulching peppers will not work with strawberries or raspberries.

In addition, mulching annual plants differs from the same procedure in beds or in greenhouses with perennial plants in that no need to protect roots plants from frost.

How can it be used as winter protection?

After harvesting, it is necessary to restore nutrients spent on plant development and loosen compacted soil.

If perennial plants are planted in beds or greenhouses, then their roots must also be protected from frost.

To do this, you can either increase the layer of summer mulch or add winter mulch. For treating soil under annual plants green manure is first planted, then cover the ground with winter mulch, which loosens the soil and fills it with nutrients.

Best suited for this mulch based on:

• sawdust of any species;
• droppings or manure;
• slaked lime;
• a drug that accelerates the decomposition of compost.

Moreover you don't even have to wait mulch rotting.

Indeed, thanks to a drug that accelerates the proliferation of bacteria, as well as droppings or manure, microorganisms that process organic matter will reproduce and perform their function even at sub-zero temperatures.

Therefore, it is enough to scatter the thoroughly mixed composition throughout the greenhouse or garden bed, after which microorganisms will turn it into humus, which will loosen the soil and compensates for the loss of nutrients and microelements.

If you want to mulch a garden bed or greenhouse, where perennial plants are planted, then consider the following:

• Only completely rotted material is suitable for laying directly on the ground;
• Partially rotted material is also suitable for laying on a layer of summer mulch, but around the plant trunks you will have to leave a free space of 10 cm in diameter, otherwise the plant trunk will suffer.

Therefore, it is not advisable to use material that is not completely rotted for perennial plants, because it will loosen the soil and provide it with nutrients, but will not protect plant roots from frost.

Completely rotted humus from sawdust and animal excrement is free from these shortcomings.

Nevertheless winter mulching cannot fully replace the use of green manure, because even mulch based on the above composition compensates for the loss of only essential substances, but cannot replace what green manure restores.

That's why maximum effect achieved when winter mulching carried out only after collecting green manure, Moreover, the green manure is scattered over the bed before laying the mulch layer.

Video on the topic

This video details the use of sawdust for mulching.

Conclusion

Sawdust is a good material for mulching any plants. When used correctly, such mulch protects plants from:

Mulching has many benefits. This agrotechnical technique allows you to retain moisture in the soil, reduce the amount of watering and loosening, and effectively fight weeds. In addition, mulching prevents soil erosion, freezing in winter and overheating in summer. For this purpose, straw, hay, compost, peat, humus, etc. are used. Did you know that sawdust can also be used to mulch the soil? Let's find out what effect they have on garden soil and what are the rules for using sawdust as mulch.

If you are afraid that such mulch may harm the future harvest, try taking a risk and mulching at least one bed this season. You will see that mulching with sawdust will only bring benefits. That is why many people use this material for mulching - it is cheap, easy to use and safe. You can cover with sawdust both the surface of the beds and the passages between them, as well as the tree trunk circles, the surface of the ground under raspberry and currant bushes, etc.

Mulching with sawdust is also widely used indoors - in greenhouses and greenhouses. This material combines perfectly with manure, which is also used to fertilize the soil in a greenhouse, with tops and other plant residues. Such compost, flavored with sawdust, overheats faster and at the same time remains loose and breathable. However, it should be noted that only fresh sawdust is used with fresh manure, and only rotted sawdust is used with rotted manure.

Mulching the soil with sawdust can be done both in spring and autumn. After the end of the season, sawdust can also be incorporated into the soil along with straw, fallen leaves, and mowed grass.

How to prepare sawdust for mulching?

You can use either rotted or semi-rotted sawdust as mulch. The main difficulty is that the process of sawdust re-melting naturally is very long and can last up to 10 years. Therefore, for mulching, fresh sawdust is specially prepared before sprinkling vegetable beds with it.

One of the most common methods of preparation is this. You need to spread a large plastic film, pour 3 buckets of sawdust and 200 g onto it, and pour 10 liters of water on top, trying to evenly moisten the sawdust. Then this procedure is repeated several more times to obtain several layers of wet sawdust sprinkled with urea. The film is hermetically sealed and left for 2 weeks, after which the sawdust can be safely used for mulching.

Experienced gardeners claim that fresh sawdust can be used as mulch without preparation. This is only possible if the sawdust lies on the surface of the earth. Then they will not take nitrogen from the soil, as is the case with adding fresh sawdust to garden soil. If you plan to use sawdust not only for mulching, but also as a soil loosener, then in order to avoid the problem of nitrogen deficiency, you can additionally apply nitrogen fertilizers.

Also, many novice gardeners are interested in the question of which sawdust is best to use for mulching. In principle, any sawdust is suitable for this, except for those left over from cutting chipboard, fiberboard and similar materials. To mulch vegetable beds, row rows or garden paths, you can use sawdust from any deciduous tree. But coniferous wood is especially relevant for garden strawberries: thanks to its characteristic smell, such sawdust repels the weevil, one of the main pests of strawberries. Pine sawdust is good for laying in a warm bed. They play the role of biofuel, warming up the bed from the inside during the process of rotting.

Advantages:

• the weed disappears;
• soil moisture is maintained;
• protection from insects;
• the soil remains loose;

Mulching

High warm beds

Mulch for strawberries

Sawdust in a greenhouse and greenhouse

• sufficient hydration.

Sawdust and plant insulation

DIY fertilizer

1. What sawdust should I use?
2. Several fertilizer recipes
3. Recipe 1: Wood and Ash
4. Fresh sawdust fertilizer
5. Strawberries and wild strawberries
6. How to cover roses
7. Sawdust for seedlings

Advantages of sawdust:

Harm from wood waste:

• Fresh sawdust oxidizes the soil.

What sawdust should I use?

Several fertilizer recipes

Recipe 1: Wood and Ash

Stack:

• Wood sawdust – 200 kg;
• Water – 50 liters;

• Wood waste – 200 kg;
• Cow dung – 50 kg;

Fresh sawdust fertilizer

1. Ammonium nitrate – 40 g;
2. Calcium chloride – 10 g.

Strawberries and wild strawberries

How to cover roses

Sawdust for seedlings

Read the contents of the article!

Sawdust for the garden: use, benefits and harm of sawdust. There is still no consensus on the use of sawdust in the garden. This technology arouses keen interest among beginning gardeners. Experienced gardeners refuse sawdust because of negative experience with use. In fact, wood chips have a number of positive properties that can provide a good result. However, it should be used with a certain amount of caution, following certain rules.

With the help of sawdust, the fertile layer of the earth becomes more loose and airy. Such soils do not form a crust that is harmful to plants, which allows the amount of loosening to be reduced. Sawdust can also be used as fertilizer. As a result of proper preparation of the material, high-quality humus is formed, which is similar to more expensive manure. In winter, mulch made from wood shavings protects plant roots from freezing, and in summer it helps retain moisture in the soil.

This is interesting! The beneficial properties of sawdust appear only in combination with fertilizers or after 10 years in a compost heap.

During this period, bacteria appear on the surface of the chips, which saturate the wood with minerals. In its pure form, sawdust is used to fill paths. This allows you to reduce the risk of weeds spreading and gives neatness to the entire area.

The negative consequences of using wood waste include:

• Increasing soil acidity;
• Decrease in yield due to nitrogen leaching.

You can find out the acidity of the soil on your site using tests with litmus papers, which are purchased in specialized garden stores.

To neutralize the effect of acid, sawdust is mixed with substances containing alkali:

• dolomite flour;
• crushed chalk;
• lime or lime-acidifier;
• wood or peat ash.

Fertilizers such as superphosphate, potassium chloride, sodium or calcium nitrate, and potassium sulfate are also used for these purposes.

When using alkalis, certain rules must be observed. For example, fertilizers are added to a mixture of lime and dolomite flour, which include boron and manganese. A solution of calcium nitrate (urea) helps prevent nitrogen deficiency.

Options for using sawdust in the garden

Mulching

Wood chips are often used as a base for mulching. This operation is carried out at the beginning of summer, when active evaporation of moisture occurs. The material chosen is rotted sawdust. If this is not observed, use fresh shavings. Before the procedure, it undergoes special treatment.

Method for preparing mulch from fresh sawdust

You will need 3 buckets of wood waste, 10 liters of water and 200 grams of urea. The shavings are laid out on plastic film, fertilizer is added and water is poured evenly. Then the procedure is repeated. The structure is covered with polyethylene and left for 14 days, pressed down with stones. Sawdust is usually placed in the passages between the beds, mixing with ash. At the end of the summer season, wood waste is dug up along with the ground.

Carrots, garlic, onions, beets, and turnips need a protective dusting of sawdust. The procedure is carried out after picking, when the plantings have reached a height of 5–7 cm. Mulch vegetable crops in a thin layer of several centimeters. It is better to sprinkle cucumber bushes with substrate around the stem.
Sawdust will look especially good in raspberry fields and under strawberry and strawberry bushes. As a result of mulching, the fruits will be clean and not rotten. In addition, such treatment will help perennials survive the winter. Bedding under the bushes is done when the seedlings have already taken root and have gained a height of more than 7 cm.

Video: sawdust for a large harvest

To achieve maximum effect, experts recommend combining chips from different tree species. Most crops are suitable for waste from deciduous trees, with the exception of oak trees. For lovers of “acidic environments” – tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and also strawberries – you should select softwood sawdust. These shavings are practically not tolerated by pathogenic microbes, which eliminates the risk of plant infection.

Pre-winter mulching will have a great effect on the condition of the soil. The use of sawdust in the fall is slightly different from the spring procedure. During this period, it is necessary to mix the shavings with compost and peat, and only then spread them on the beds. In the spring, all that remains is to carry out shallow digging or simply loosen the soil with harrows.

Fertilizer

Expensive manure will become more affordable if you mix it with sawdust. Per cubic meter of wood chips you will need 10 kg of bird droppings and 100 kg of cow manure. At the same time, it should be taken into account that rotted shavings are combined only with rotted manure, and fresh ones with fresh ones. This improves the quality of the compost. Instead of manure, you can use mullein, urea or a solution of bird droppings.

Fertilizer is prepared throughout the year from the beginning of summer. Before laying the compost heap, sawdust is moistened with water or slurry. Ordinary soil (at the rate of 2 - 3 buckets per cubic meter of sawdust) will not be superfluous here. As necessary, water the compost and add grass, hay, and kitchen waste to it. The top of the pile is covered with polyethylene, leaving small pores for heat exchange and ventilation.

Here are several recipes for such fertilizers.

Wood and ash:

• 200 kg sawdust;
• 50 liters of water;
• 10 kg of ash;
• urea, saturated with nitrogen (up to 47%) 2.5 kg per heap;
• up to 100 kg of food waste, grass.

Grass and shavings are laid in layers, ash is added and a pile of urea dissolved in water is poured over. Cover the compost with polyethylene and organic matter (on soils poor in microelements):

• 200 kg of shavings;
• 100 kg of freshly cut grass;
• 50 kg of cow dung;
• 30 kg of organic waste;
• Humates (1 drop per 100 liters of water).
• a bucket of wood chips;
• 40 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 30 grams of granulated superphosphate;
• a glass of slaked lime;
• 10 grams of calcium chloride.

The substrate is infused for two weeks. Then, when digging the beds, they add it to the soil. The soil should be fertilized in the amount of 2 – 3 buckets per 1 square meter of area. This procedure promotes natural loosening of the soil.

If sawdust was stored near abandoned forest areas, they should also be composted first. In order for the pile to warm up to at least 60 degrees, it is poured with hot water and covered with polyethylene. This temperature allows you to destroy weed seeds.

Treating seeds in wood shavings

Sawdust serves as a favorable environment for growing seedlings. This method is used only when nutrients are present in the seed. If the plant is not transplanted into the ground in time, it will die.

To treat seeds, use only rotted sawdust from deciduous trees. The moistened shavings are poured into a container in a thin layer, after which planting material is laid on them. Then add fertilizer to the container and sprinkle with another layer of wood chips. The container is placed in a slightly open plastic bag and hidden in a warm place. After the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are transferred to a cooler place, the film is removed and sawdust is sprinkled with a layer of soil of about 0.5 cm. When the first leaf appears, the plants are planted in the ground in a separate pot. Any seeds can be treated in this way.

Early potatoes ahead of schedule

Wood chips are also used to prepare sowing potatoes. Two weeks before planting the tubers in the ground, the box is filled with a 10-centimeter layer of sawdust moistened with water. Place dried potato tubers (early varieties) on top of the sprouts.

After this, the seed material is sprinkled with another layer of sawdust (2–3 cm). During the entire period of preparing potatoes, it is very important to maintain the humidity of the sawdust and the temperature no higher than 20 degrees. When the height of the sprouts reaches 6–8 cm, the tubers are watered with a fertilizer solution, planted in holes and completely covered with soil. The top of the area is covered with straw or hay; in case of frost - polyethylene.

How to insulate plants with wood chips

The simplest method is considered to be when plastic bags are filled with sawdust, and then the root system of the plants is covered with them. Garlic tolerates cold well under damp pine sawdust - they provide warmth, but also protect the crop from diseases and pests.

As a more reliable option, experienced gardeners choose a wooden box without a bottom. It is placed above the plant, covered with sawdust and covered with film. The top of the box can be sprinkled with a layer of earth. Plants such as roses, clematis and grapes are left to overwinter in their place of growth. For protection, the shoots are bent to the ground and covered with a layer of sawdust. It is better to cover plants with shavings in late autumn, then the risk of rodents appearing in it will be much lower.

A thick layer of wood waste at the bottom of the planting pit will help provide the root system with thermal insulation.

Using sawdust in closed ground

In greenhouses and greenhouses, sawdust acts as biological fuel. They can be combined both with manure and with rotten plants. As a result of this combined effect, the soil warms up faster, and the plantings better absorb useful substances. In addition, the speed of their digestion increases, and the compost becomes more airy and nutritious. You can add wood shavings to the greenhouse soil in both autumn and spring. If fresh organic matter is available, use fresh sawdust, otherwise use only rotted waste.

In the fall, it makes sense to cover the ridges with a layer of straw or mown grass, and at the beginning of spring work, add fresh manure and fresh sawdust mixed with lime. Then vegetable waste is mixed into the resulting mass. The soil is covered with straw and a layer of soil, flavored with ash and mineral fertilizers. To warm the soil, the ridges are poured with boiling water or covered with an airtight film.

Formation of high beds

With the help of rotted sawdust, you can increase the height of the ridge. To do this, large trenches up to 25 cm deep are dug around the intended location. The bottom of the pit is covered with the remains of straw and covered with a mixture of sawdust, alkali and urea. A layer of leaves is placed on top, and then covered with the previously deposited soil.

To prevent the earth from crumbling around the edges, a barrier of mown grass, straw or layers of turf is placed around it (it must be placed with its roots facing out). The sides of the ridge are covered with film to reduce evaporation. The remaining shavings are distributed between the beds. In the future, it is used to fertilize plants. Cucumber, squash and pumpkin seedlings and young plants actively grow on the formed multi-layer ridges.

Other areas of use of sawdust

From juniper sawdust you can make a fragrance for your closet.

Small wood waste absorbs water well and is therefore suitable for storing vegetables in the cellar.

With the help of wood shavings it is easy to insulate the attic floor or the floors of the first floor. To do this, the material is mixed with lime and cement, and then water is added. Instead of cement, crushed clay is often used. Only before carrying out construction work should the stones be removed from it. Any operations with solutions containing small wood chips require prior installation of waterproofing. This is due to the fact that sawdust material absorbs moisture well.

Video: use of sawdust in other areas

High-quality fuel is obtained from shavings. To press briquettes at home, use a manual machine equipped with a form for filling in wood chips. The finished product is dried outside. Such briquettes are inferior to factory products in terms of heat transfer, since they have a low density due to low pressure during pressing. Nevertheless, this method of obtaining economical fuel has found wide use among owners who have large reserves of wood shavings.

Sawdust can also be used as bedding for pets. In this case, the shavings perform two functions:

1. insulation;
2. hygiene products (absorb liquid, waste).

Fruit tree waste contains less resin. It is advisable to dry the pine chips well first. But walnut sawdust can cause hoof inflammation in horses.

If it is necessary to make the soil loose, use sawdust for the garden, the benefits and harms of which have been studied by experienced gardeners. But using fresh sawdust is not recommended. First they need to be prepared. To do this, urea or mullein infusion is added to wood shavings, covered with polyethylene, and then stirred from time to time to speed up the reheating process.

After a couple of weeks, the shavings are ready to be used as fertilizer. Much has been written in reviews about the benefits or harms of sawdust in the garden. Experienced summer residents claim that they take nitrogen from the soil, and therefore from the plants. They say that you should not use fresh sawdust in the garden, as the plantings will begin to wither.

The benefits of sawdust in the garden

Plants require loose soil to grow fully. The addition of rotted sawdust makes the soil a favorable environment for planting garden plants, the roots of which receive sufficient moisture and oxygen. The use of sawdust allows you to get rid of the crust during dry periods.

They contain a large amount of fiber, essential oils and active substances. The material is successfully used to eliminate soil moisture. To do this, dig ditches between the rows and fill them with sawdust mixed with lime. Their regular use improves soil composition, reduces the number of weeds, and increases productivity.

What is their secret and how do they work?

They form a natural ecosystem for plants in the garden. It is important to use sawdust that has not been chemically treated or contaminated. Otherwise, they will become a real poison for garden crops. If rotted sawdust is used as mulch at the beginning of summer, then by the end of the season, as a result of loosening and the activity of earthworms, it will mix with the soil.

A thick layer of sawdust distributed over the surface of the earth during the rainy season prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface. This negatively affects the condition of fruit and berry crops.

Basic rules for using sawdust

Wood sawdust perfectly mulch the soil. They are sprinkled with a thick layer after planting the seedlings.

Advantages:

• the weed disappears;
• soil moisture is maintained;
• protection from insects;
• the soil remains loose;
• favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria.

Mulching

Do you need sawdust for your garden in the fall? Everyone is trying to find out their benefits and harms. As a rule, the soil is mulched for the winter. To do this, fresh sawdust is mixed with peat or manure and scattered on the beds. Over the winter, the wood decomposes and becomes a nutritious substance. In the spring, they dig up or loosen the soil.

High warm beds

Every summer resident should study the benefits and harms of sawdust for the garden. How to make multi-layered high beds in a low-lying area? For such purposes it is convenient to use sawdust. The top layer of fertile soil is removed. They build a side and cover it with film to retain moisture in the bed. Form a trench and fill it with straw, hay or grass. Next, sawdust soaked in urea is placed on top of this, then a layer of organic residues is placed and the whole thing is completed with a fertile layer of soil.

Mulch for strawberries

Do pine sawdust bring benefit or harm to the garden? Sawdust used as mulch under strawberry bushes protects them from contact with the soil. Thanks to them, the berries are protected from the effects of gray rot. For this purpose, fresh pine shavings treated with urea are used. Mulch is applied in the fall to protect strawberries from freezing and create an obstacle for many weeds. Pine sawdust in the garden repels weevils, the benefits or harms of which can be determined by practical experience.

Sawdust in a greenhouse and greenhouse

Sawdust is a useful fertilizer for soil in a greenhouse. They are sprinkled with plant residues and manure, which heat up in the spring and overheat faster. The air permeability of the soil increases, it becomes loose and nutritious. In autumn, straw, mown grass and tops are laid out on the garden bed.

In the spring, add fresh manure and sprinkle with lime and sawdust and mix with a pitchfork. Then soil mixed with ash and mineral fertilizers is laid. To increase the speed of heating, pour boiling water over it.

Sawdust for early potato harvest

So, why do we need sawdust for the garden? What are their benefits and harms? Using sawdust helps speed up the potato harvest. Tubers of early varieties are selected and germinated in the light. 10 cm of sawdust is poured into the bottom of the boxes, tubers with sprouts are laid out and sprinkled with moistened sawdust. Set aside for 2 weeks.

Substrate care features:

• the optimal temperature is not higher than +20 °C;
• sufficient hydration.

Before planting, cover the soil with film to warm it up. Sprouts 8 cm high are watered with complex mineral fertilizer and planted in prepared holes. First, cover the potato planting with straw or hay, and then with film.

Sawdust and plant insulation

To prevent sawdust from getting wet, they are stuffed into bags. Then they are laid out around the plants. If sawdust is poured around the plant and not covered, it will get wet and turn into an ice crust in winter. Rodents also like to hide in them, so be sure to cover them with polyethylene.

Sawdust for seed germination

The seeds are comfortable in moistened sawdust, but if the plant is not replanted on time, it will die.

The germination technology is as follows:

1. Sawdust is poured into the container and the seeds are laid out.
2. Sprinkle with a thin layer of sawdust.
3. Cover with polyethylene and put in a warm place (+25…+ 30 °C).
4. As soon as the shoots appear, the container is removed to a cool place.
5. Remove the polyethylene and sprinkle with soil.
6. They dive when the first true leaf appears.

This technology can be used when germinating any types of seeds.

DIY fertilizer

Nutritious compost can be prepared 4 months in advance. Thick polyethylene is spread on the ground, shavings, weeds, and leaves are poured. Add 200 g of urea and pour in 10 liters of water or mullein. Cover the top with polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect. Under the influence of sunlight, the process of reproduction of microorganisms begins, and the sawdust quickly rots. The main thing is to monitor the humidity inside the heap and stir it periodically. Vegetables and raspberries can be mulched with semi-ripe sawdust.

After a month, the matured sawdust is ready for use in the garden beds. The constant use of such fertilizer will make the soil loose, similar in consistency to that sold in flower shops.

Disadvantages of using sawdust and cautions

So, we have already found out whether fresh sawdust brings benefit or harm to the garden. If you add sawdust without waiting for the moment when it has completely rotted, then the wood will take some of the nitrogen from the soil for the decomposition process, as we discussed above. The acidity of the soil may also increase and the growth of beets and cabbage will slow down.

Before the start of winter, it is not recommended to fill the beds with a thick layer of sawdust, since the layer below will begin to overheat, and no changes will occur on top until the onset of spring. Spruce or pine shavings contain a lot of resin, which garden plants do not like. Sawdust generated during construction work may contain chemicals. Therefore, they are used with caution.

1. Properties wood chips and shavings
2. What are the benefits and possible harm?
3. What sawdust should I use?
4. Several fertilizer recipes
5. Recipe 1: Wood and Ash
6. Recipe 2: Organically Enriched
7. Fresh sawdust fertilizer
8. How to do mulching correctly
9. Strawberries and wild strawberries
10. How to cover roses
11. Sawdust for seedlings

Mulching is the surface covering of garden soil with mulch, which can be crushed bark, pine needles, sawdust and other natural materials. This agrotechnical technique allows you to avoid many problems with the health of cultivated plants on the ground and in the greenhouse. Using sawdust as mulch allows you to achieve amazing results in the growth and development of a plant, but only if you follow certain rules.

Properties of wood chips and shavings

Sawdust mulch is suitable for use on all types of soil. What's good about this material:

• Does not release moisture from the ground, thereby helping to maintain the balance of water during dry periods and in hot areas;
• Prevents weeds from germinating. This is one of the main reasons for using wood waste as a mulch;
• Fresh sawdust is used as bedding for berries - the smell of the tree repels some pests from the fruit, and clean, small chips keep strawberries and wild strawberries clean;
• Mulching the soil allows the roots of some plants to survive the winter;
• Wood chips serve as fertilizer. True, for this you need to fulfill some conditions.

It is worth noting that mulching with sawdust cannot be done in the form in which it is. The fact is that wood does not saturate the soil with useful substances, but, on the contrary, draws them out like a sponge. Sawdust material becomes useful if it is added to basic fertilizer mixtures or kept for a year or two in a compost heap. At this time, bacteria settle on the surface of the chips, which saturate the wood with useful microelements released during rotting and proliferation of microflora.

What are the benefits and possible harm?

Sawdust is often used by gardeners to improve the quality of life of plants, but people do not always know about the true benefits of the intake and are not able to accurately assess its harm. However, in most cases, there is still a positive effect from their use. Sawdust in the garden - good or bad?

Advantages of sawdust:

• With proper preparation, you get excellent humus, similar in properties to traditional manure, which, as you know, costs a lot.
• Sawdust scattered on paths in the garden prevents the spread of weeds.
• Retain moisture in the soil, especially in spring. To do this, it is necessary to mulch the soil in the fall.
• Promote natural soil aeration several years after use.
• Coniferous shavings and wood chips practically do not tolerate pathogenic microbes, which eliminates the risk of plant infection.

Harm from wood waste:

• Sawdust in its pure form is not a fertilizer. According to some reports, they absorb minerals from the soil and the soil becomes depleted. To be more precise, nitrogen, necessary for the life of microorganisms, is drawn from the fertile layer.
• Fresh sawdust oxidizes the soil.
• When using sawdust of unknown origin, it is possible to infect plants with certain diseases. To eliminate this drawback, you should not take material from unknown sources.

What sawdust should I use?

Wood shavings from different trees are not suitable for all plants:

• Waste from deciduous trees, except oak, is suitable for all crops.
• Coniferous species saturate the soil with acid, therefore they are suitable only for those who love such an environment - tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and others.

Several fertilizer recipes

Sawdust in its pure form is only suitable for filling paths in order to retain moisture and stop the development of weeds. In other cases, preparation of raw materials is required.

For sawdust in the garden to become useful, it needs to rot.. To achieve the desired condition, they will have to lie in a pile for at least 10 years while bacteria convert the wood into a useful substrate. To speed up the process, you should make compost from sawdust. In combination with manure and additional additives, the fertilizer matures faster due to thermoregulation in the desired range and maintaining a sufficient level of moisture.

Recipe 1: Wood and Ash

Stack:

• Wood sawdust – 200 kg;
• Urea, rich in nitrogen (up to 47%) – 2.5 kg per heap;
• Ash required to alkalize the soil – 10 kg;
• Water – 50 liters;
• Grass, food waste and sewage – up to 100 kg.

The shavings and grass are laid in layers, ash is added and the “pie” is filled with urea dissolved in water. You can cover the pile with a polyethylene film, but small pores should remain in the surface: this way the temperature and humidity level will be optimal, and oxygen access will remain.

Recipe 2: Organically Enriched

For poor soil that requires a significant dose of fertilizer, prepare the following compost from sawdust:

• Wood waste – 200 kg;
• Cow dung – 50 kg;
• Fresh cut grass – 100 kg;
• Organic waste (food, feces) – 30 kg;
• Humates – 1 drop per 100 liters of water (no more).

When this fertilizer ripens, a significant amount of nitrogen is released.

Fresh sawdust fertilizer

As already mentioned, fresh sawdust does not benefit the soil as a fertilizer for the garden. If you have not done composting in advance, but it is necessary to saturate the soil, use a sawdust mixture with the following additives on a bucket of wood chips:

1. Ammonium nitrate – 40 g;
2. Granulated superphosphate – 30 g;
3. Slaked lime – 120 g (glass);
4. Calcium chloride – 10 g.

The mixture needs to be infused for 2 weeks. To do this, spread plastic outside and scatter the ingredients on it.

Mix and leave to highlight the necessary elements and carry out chemical reactions. After this, add the resulting mixture to the soil when digging the beds. The soil will receive a sufficient dose of ammonia, the acid-base balance of the soil will be leveled, and the release of useful substances will occur immediately after the first watering. The soil should be fertilized in the amount of 2-3 buckets per 1 square meter of land. This procedure promotes natural loosening of the soil.

How to do mulching correctly

Sawdust at the dacha is useful not only for speeding up the composting process, but also for winter shelter for plants, fertilizing them and protecting them from pests.

It is good to use prepared sawdust as mulch in the first half of summer, when seedlings and plants are just gaining strength and need protection from weeds, loss of soil moisture and disease attacks. By mid-summer, there will be no obvious trace left of the powder - it will be mixed with the soil by rain and worms.

Basically, sawdust saturated with fertilizers is lined in the passages. This must be done between beds with tomatoes, potato rows and other plants.

Other vegetables grown in the garden - onions, carrots, beets, garlic, turnips - also need protective powder. It needs to be done after picking, when the plantings are thinned out and have reached a height of 5-7 cm, they are covered with a 3-4 cm layer of sawdust.

Raspberries are one of the main favorites of mulching in the garden. It is necessary to preserve the soil moisture necessary for setting berries. Prepared sawdust is generously poured under the bushes.

Strawberries and wild strawberries

Is it possible to mulch strawberries with sawdust? The answer is clear - you can and should, just like strawberries. This procedure is useful for berries:

• Sawdust maintains the moisture balance in the soil;
• Tender fruits remain clean without touching the ground;
• Slugs and snails do not crawl onto the berries.

For mulching, you need clean sawdust without impurities, but before the procedure it is important to saturate the soil with minerals and fertilize it well to prevent depletion of the fertile layer. The material used can be mixed with urea in the above proportions.

The sawdust is moistened and laid out under the bushes, under each branch and between the bushes. The layer thickness should be 5-7 cm. This work is presented in the video.

Backfilling is done when the seedlings have already taken root and gained a height of more than 7 cm. Mulching strawberries with sawdust for the winter will help the perennial plant to better survive the winter and maintain the integrity of the root system.

How to cover roses

Gardeners say: “A rose is a child of manure,” because sawdust is necessary for it as fertilizer, but it is not suitable as a covering for the winter; such mulch does not have sufficient heat-retaining properties.

Covering roses with sawdust can only be used for wintering in combination with other, more effective materials. The expert will talk about this in more detail in the video.

Sawdust for seedlings

Tomatoes and other seedlings do not come to the garden as seeds, but as ready-made seedlings. They can also be bred in small wood waste - such an environment is more favorable for the delicate seed than soil. How to organize the process correctly:

1. Moistened small shavings are poured into a flat container;
2. They plant seeds and generously sprinkle them with fertilizer, since there is nothing nutritious in sawdust;
3. Cover with film, make holes for air and expose to the sun;
4. When sprouts appear, soil is poured on top so that the plant gets used to it.

The advantage of germinating seeds in woody material is a loose environment, which allows the root system of seedlings to intensively develop, but only if there is a sufficient supply of nutrients.

Various production wastes are often used in the household.

Often they can successfully replace purchased products and turn out to be no worse in quality.

Waste generated during the sawing process of wood (sawdust) can be very helpful in the garden.

After all, with their help:

• fertilize the soil, making it more fertile;
• create favorable conditions for the germination of seedlings and seedlings;
• fight weeds;
• regulate soil acidity;
• protect plant roots from drying out and frost;
• make the paths cleaner and more convenient for movement.

Use before planting

Most types of seedlings must be planted at the very beginning of spring, when the air temperature at night often drops to negative values.

Because of this, the soil temperature does not exceed +5 degrees, so it the roots do not develop well and the plant becomes sick.

If it is not possible to install a greenhouse, then good decision You may end up pouring fresh wood waste into grooves or holes.

Sawdust needs to be poured 3–5 cm below the root level, so make the seats a little deeper.

Having dug a hole or groove and placed some sawdust on the bottom, water them with any fertilizer that contains nitrogen and phosphorus, you can also add a few grains of urea.

In this case, bacteria that ensure the decay of wood waste and raise its temperature will take these substances from the fertilizer that has soaked the soil and the top layer of soil will be provided with constant heating, and also will not lose the microelements necessary for plant growth.

Wood sawing waste is better suited for this type of bedding. deciduous fruit trees(pear, apple, apricot, etc.). If such sawdust is not available, then you can use any other deciduous waste, mixing it with a small amount of manure or droppings to speed up the decomposition processes of wood.

If only pine sawdust is available, then you need it mix in equal parts with manure, and also treat with aerobic bifidobacteria. Such preparations are sold in garden stores, they can also be bought on the Internet, for example, here. The cost of packaging sufficient to process 25 m2 is 4–4.5 thousand rubles.

Place on top of the sawdust a mixture of garden soil and humus, because in most cases, garden soil is severely depleted, so the plant will not be able to develop normally in it.

The mixture of soil and humus contains many useful substances and microelements, so the planted seedlings will not suffer from a lack of them.

Do not mix soil with unrotted sawdust, litter or manure, because this mixture will burn the roots of the plants and you will not receive a harvest.

If you have completely rotted sawdust, then they can also be added to the mixture of soil and humus; they will improve the structure of the soil, so that the earth will be better filled with water, air and various nutrients.

In addition, rotted sawdust will provide the plant with additional nutrients, in particular calcium and phosphorus.

This planting method can be used for any garden plants, however for best result soil acidity must be taken into account.

It can be determined using tests or by looking at the plants on the site. If they grow there:

• sorrel;
• horsetail;
• buttercup;
• sorrel;
• blueberry,

That the earth is very acidic and holes or grooves for planting are needed pour slaked lime solution, and sprinkle the bottom layer of sawdust with wood ash.

If the following appeared on the site:

• heather;
• fern;
• cornflowers,

that's enough pour lime mortar into the holes or groove.

Most root vegetables, as well as cucumbers and tomatoes, love moderately acidic soil, so if the site does not have the above plants, then sawdust poured into the bottom of the hole, grooves or furrows will slightly acidify the soil, so that the seedlings will grow better.

Rotted sawdust does not change either the acidity or the amount of nitrogen in the soil, therefore, by mixing it with soil and humus, you only add additional fertilizers, so no acidity or nitrogen adjustment is required.

The same method of adding sawdust to the bottom of grooves or holes can also be used for planting seeds directly into the ground. However, for such planting a greenhouse is necessary, because the time for planting seeds is in February and March, so sawdust burning will not be able to warm the ground and air to the required level.

Planting seeds on sawdust allows you to meet deadlines and avoid transplanting from pots into soil that injures the roots of plants, because, unlike soil, sawdust has a very loose structure, so When transplanting, the roots are kept intact.

If you are going to grow seedlings in separate containers and then transplant them into open or closed ground, then you need completely rotted sawdust mix with soil and humus. This will provide the maximum amount of nutrients and elements necessary for seedling growth.

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Fertilizer

Sawdust is a good material for producing fertilizers, and depending on the method, its composition, characteristics and the time during which they are converted into fertilizer change.

Here main methods of obtaining fertilizers:

• natural decay;
• rotting with droppings or manure;
• rotting with the addition of bifidobacteria.

The natural decay process takes several years, and its speed depends on the type of wood, humidity and temperature.

Soft hardwoods rot most quickly. The process lasts somewhat longer in hardwood waste of medium hardness. Sawdust from coniferous and hardwood species takes the longest to rot.

Adding droppings or manure to wood waste accelerates their decay, as well as makes ready-made humus more useful.

In addition to glucose, calcium and phosphorus, it contains nitrogen and other useful substances. Adding bifidobacteria to the mixture of sawdust and litter or manure allows you to obtain ready-made humus within several months.

Such fertilizers can be apply from autumn to spring. In the summer, when the plants gain strength and bear fruit, it is not advisable to do this. After all, the soil must absorb the fertilizer and mix with it, otherwise in the area of ​​the roots there will be areas where the content of useful substances exceeds not only the norm, but also the safe value.

That's exactly how it turns out vegetables soaked in nitrates– the fertilizer was applied at the wrong time and it did not have time to dissolve in the ground. As a result, the roots of the plant ended up not in the soil, but in the fertilizer and absorbed too many nitrogen compounds.

Mulching

After watering, water not only saturates the soil and goes deep, but also evaporates from the surface.

The evaporation process directly depends on wind speed and air temperature, so on sunny or windy days the ground dries out quickly.

As water evaporates, soil moisture drops and plant roots lose their ability to absorb nutrients and microelements necessary for growth.

The roots can only absorb an aqueous solution of these substances.

A layer of sawdust laid on top of the soil (mulch) reduces the rate of moisture evaporation, due to which plants absorb water solution more efficiently and need watering less often.

Fresh sawdust negatively affects the acidity of the soil and also draws nitrogen out of it, so immediately after laying sawdust mulch, the soil must be watered not only with water, but also solution of nitrogen-containing and alkaline fertilizers.

In addition, these fertilizers need to be applied 2 more times throughout the season - in mid-spring and mid-summer. For more information about this process, as well as about various combinations of fertilizers, read the article (Sawdust mulch).

Weed and pest control

Chemical control methods used in the fields not always applicable in the garden, because domestic animals often run along it, which can be poisoned. Therefore, gardeners are forced to look for other methods of control, one of which is to cover the soil with a thick (5–10 cm) layer of sawdust.

This is similar to mulching, but not only the area around the plant trunk is covered, but the entire bed.

Wood waste, laid in a thick layer, deprives weed seedlings of sunlight, due to which they cannot grow and soon die off.

Slugs are one of the most dangerous and tenacious pests living in vegetable gardens. Mulch made from fresh sawdust sticks to the body of slugs, causing them to lose their ability to crawl and soon die from dehydration.

This mulch should be added once a week in a thin layer, and pour over the coffee residue dissolved in water, which is harmful to slugs.

If you only have rotted sawdust, then due to the softening of the wood during the decay process, they can no longer stop slugs, so useless in the fight against these pests.

Backfilling of paths

During the rain the paths between the beds become muddy and turn into a difficult-to-pass porridge, so many gardeners fill them with various materials.

Wood waste is better suited for this task than crushed stone, broken slate or brick, because it not only remove dirt, but also improve soil structure. In addition, the bottom layer of fill gradually rots and after 1–4 years, depending on the humidity and type of wood, it turns into good fertilizer, which is received by nearby plants.

If over time you decide to change the shape or location of the beds/plantings and dig up the garden, then sawdust will be useful in this case too.

They will improve the structure of the soil, making it looser, and also fill the soil with nutrients.

To reduce the negative impact of wood on the soil, 3-4 times a year, water the sawdust-strewn paths with urea and slaked lime or ash solution.

These drugs compensate for the loss of nitrogen in the soil, and also adjust the acidity of the soil to an acceptable level.

Choosing between coniferous, including pine and hardwood sawdust, take into account their different rotting times. Deciduous wood turns into humus much faster, and the softer the wood, the less time is needed for this process.

Waste from sawing alder or poplar will rot in 1-2 seasons, and waste from oak or coniferous wood will rot in 3-5 seasons.

Can do not divide the garden into beds and paths, covering the entire area with sawdust. Optimal thickness layer - 10 cm. In this case, it is advisable to use rotted sawdust, because it is advisable to dig up the ground before winter and spring.

Fresh wood, once in the soil, will acidify it and reduce the level of nitrogen content. If there is no rotten wood waste, then immediately after backfilling and in the fall, after harvesting, pour the sawdust with a solution of droppings or manure, as well as a means that accelerates the proliferation of bifidobacteria.

From spring to autumn, these sawdust will play the role of mulch and filling, and bacteria will turn them into high-quality fertilizer by spring. Having plowed the entire garden, you will mix the soil with fertilizer, thanks to which all plants will receive more abundant and balanced nutrition.

Coniferous and deciduous – which is better for the garden?

On numerous forums, users often ask the question - which sawdust is best for the garden and is it possible to use coniferous or other wood waste?

When used correctly any sawdust brings many benefits, but improper use can be harmful and completely destroy the harvest making the land unsuitable for growing some plants.

Any waste from sawing wood make the soil more acidic and also draw nitrogen out of it Therefore, it is necessary to add fertilizers along with them to compensate for these changes.

Sawdust, both completely or partially rotted and fresh, improves the structure of the soil, which is especially important on clay soils. On particularly heavy soils consisting of solid clay, it is necessary add sand along with sawdust.

Fresh wood waste becomes very hot during the process of decay, which leads to an increase in soil temperature and overheating of plant roots, so fresh sawdust cannot be laid close to the roots.

That's why there is not much difference between coniferous and deciduous sawdust - when used correctly, they bring many benefits, but mistakes can be harmful and lead to dire consequences. Most of the negative reviews about the use of sawdust in the garden are caused by their incorrect use, while those who used them correctly are satisfied with the results.

Conifers

However, it is important to understand the differences between hardwood and softwood sawdust, as well as how the latter affects the soil.

In most cases, pine sawdust means pine or spruce sawdust as the most accessible, as well as as cheap as possible. Pine and spruce are used for most carpentry and carpentry, so sawdust is everywhere.

Fresh pine and spruce sawdust due to the high resin content, it takes much longer to rot deciduous and also pull more nitrogen from the soil.

Improper use of pine and any coniferous sawdust causes much more damage to the garden than deciduous sawdust.

Due to the high content of resins, humus from pine sawdust contains more microelements necessary for plants, therefore better suited for balanced feeding.

If pine sawdust is placed in furrows, ditches or holes, then due to the greater need for nitrogen for complete decay, it is necessary to increase the amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

In addition, pine sawdust acidify the soil more strongly, so you need to increase the amount of slaked lime or ash.

Use pine and other pine sawdust in the garden not only possible, but also necessary, taking into account their characteristics and compensating for the negative impact on the earth. Only in this case will they bring much benefit.

Deciduous

Due to the lower resin content, humus from leaf waste is slightly less balanced, but they rot faster. In addition, deciduous sawdust is less accessible, so dried and crushed branches and branches of fruit trees are often used in the garden.

When using such material, be careful, because among the dried branches often come across sick or injured various pests.

Such sawdust cannot be used, because bacteria will not be able to process pests and pathogens, therefore fertilizer made from them can infect your plantings.

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All this allows us to conclude that sawdust that It’s easier and cheaper to bring it to the garden. Whatever wood waste you use, you will still have to use other fertilizers along with it.

In this article Where to get sawdust, we talked about the places where you can buy sawdust waste, and also talked about various ways that allow you to save on their purchase.

Only an integrated approach, in which the negative impact of wood on the soil is compensated, will lead to improved plant development, as well as more abundant and high-quality fruiting.

Video on the topic

This video talks about using sawdust in the garden:

Summarize

Sawdust is very useful material, which will be useful to any gardener. After all, they are used for:

• mulching;
• filling paths;
• plant nutrition;
• improving soil structure;
• earlier planting of seedlings or seeds.

After reading the article, you learned how to use this material correctly and what mistakes garden owners most often make.

An inexpensive and accessible natural material is sawdust. They can be purchased at the nearest sawmill, or obtained on your own site during construction or sawing firewood. Farmers have found many ways to benefit from this waste. However, do not forget that they can also cause harm. Later in the article, let's take a closer look at such aspects as the benefits and harms of using sawdust in the garden. And also how you can fertilize or treat beds with them.

Areas of application of sawdust in the country house or garden

Sawdust and shavings are sometimes burned to obtain mineral fertilizer - wood ash. But this is how valuable organic matter evaporates, the voluminous loose substance disappears. It's better to do it differently:

1. Mulching.
2. Compost.
3. Adding to soil and greenhouses.
4. Neutralizer of harmful substances.
5. Acidifier.
6. Dehumidifier.
7. Temperature insulator.
8. Pest repeller.
9. Additive to seedling soils.
10. Substrate for mycelium, germination of seeds and tubers, forcing flowers and herbs.
11. Medium for winter storage of rhizomes and tubers.
12. Covering garden paths.
13. Bedding in livestock and poultry farming, in a dog kennel.
14. Filler in a country toilet.
15. Material for stuffing a garden scarecrow, garden furniture and pillows.
16. Construction raw materials (insulator, insulation, filler for sawdust concrete).
17. Fuel in heating boilers.
18. Source of smoke in the smokehouse.

Sawdust close up

Types of small wood waste

Small waste from cutting wood is divided into shavings, large and small fractions. There are also differences in the type of wood: from coniferous or from deciduous species. Sometimes the differences are important, for example: leaf waste rots faster; Coniferous trees are not suitable for smoking products, etc. But any organic matter is valuable. It is advisable to treat the sawdust before use.

Benefits and harms

1. The presence of impurities such as creolin, chemical oils, paint particles, glue, and gasoline is dangerous for humans and the environment. That's why you need to take pure wood products, and not chipboard or sleepers.
2. Resinous substances inhibit seed germination and plant development. This deficiency is neutralized by scalding the substrate with boiling water, as well as by composting.
3. Unripened organic matter (when introduced into the soil and onto its surface) begins to decompose by microorganisms that intensively consume soil nitrogen. Because of this, plants experience nitrogen starvation - they turn pale and develop worse. Therefore, it is recommended to put only rotten sawdust in the ground, and when mulching with fresh sawdust, flavor it with nitrogen fertilizers.
4. Sawdust compost acidifies the soil. Simultaneous alkalization is necessary (in the fall - with lime, in the spring - with dolomite flour, ash).
5. Seedling sawdust soils dry out too quickly. It is necessary to follow the recommended proportions of components and monitor regular watering.

Mulching

Sawdust mulch is a cheap and convenient option. They cover it at the dacha:

• surface of beds with vegetables and strawberries
• soil in raspberry gardens, flower beds
• tree trunk circles in a fruit and berry garden

Sawdust in bags, ready for soil mulching

The layer thickness can be from 4 to 20 cm.

Mulch is applied in the spring or early summer, and for fruit and berry and ornamental crops it can also be applied in the fall. At the beginning of the season, rotted sawdust compost from last year or the year before is used; at the end of the season, organic matter from spring composting is suitable.

It is also possible to mulch with fresh sawdust. They are pre-cooked: soak strong solution nitrogen fertilizers. To do this, 3 buckets of mulching material are filled with 10 liters of water, where a quarter kilogram of urea or saltpeter is dissolved. It is best if this mixture sits for a couple of weeks (covered with polyethylene) before mulching, after which you can sprinkle it on the beds. Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with fresh manure or droppings (2 liters), but such mulch is not suitable for strawberries and some vegetables (for hygienic reasons).

Advantages of sawdust mulch

1. the material is not contaminated with weed seeds
2. gradually rotting, the mulch enriches the soil with organic matter
3. moisture is saved
4. no soil crust and erosion
5. roots are insulated, temperature changes are smoothed out
6. comfortable for beneficial soil inhabitants (microorganisms, earthworms)
7. makes it difficult for some pests to escape
8. no dirty splashes from rain and watering – cleaner products and fewer diseases
9. inhibits weed growth
10. ridges, garden, flower beds look well-groomed and beautiful

Mulching a potato bed with sawdust

How to fertilize with compost

The best option for sawdust disposal is proper composting. Simply poured out in a large heap, they will rot for several years (especially from coniferous trees). Rotting is accelerated by layer-by-layer mixing with substances such as

• manure, droppings
• feces
• foliage
• herbal humus
• dolomite flour, ash.

The mass is regularly shoveled and spilled with water, as well as solutions of mineral fertilizers, herbal infusions, biological preparations (Baikal, Flumb Super, Shining). The process of compost maturation usually lasts from six months to two to three years. The minimum waiting period is 2 months.

Mixed compost is considered the best organo-mineral fertilizer for all crops.

Compost made from sawdust

Adding to soil and greenhouses

The fertilizer “works” in the soil for 3-5 years: it nourishes plants and loosens heavy loams.

Small wood waste is also used to add biofuel to greenhouses. They are mixed: fresh sawdust with fresh manure, rotted with rotted manure (in a 1:1 ratio).

Using sawdust in greenhouses

Neutralizer of harmful substances

A fresh mass of small wood waste serves as an “ambulance” in emergency situations. It is added to the soil if an excess of nitrogen and other fertilizers is noticed. This way the plants will avoid fattening, accumulation of nitrates and harmful salts.

Acidifier in garden beds

Rotted sawdust is useful when planting and mulching those plants that like high acidity of the soil (hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers, blueberries).

Pine sawdust as a desiccant

Sawdust compost

Fresh sawdust can absorb an amount of liquid that is 5 times its volume. They are good for filling drainage ditches and paths between high ridges in wetlands.

Temperature insulator

In regions where winter temperatures are low, dry sawdust is used to protect the root zone and branches of shrubs (grapes, hydrangea, roses, clematis), planting winter garlic and perennial flowers (lilies, irises, chrysanthemums) from freezing. To avoid overheating, the shelter is made when sub-zero temperatures set in, and the opening is made earlier in the spring. To protect against dampness, a waterproof material (polyethylene, roofing felt, etc.) is placed on top.

Some fruit and berry crops bloom very early, and the ovaries freeze. If the root zone is covered with a thick layer of sawdust, then the trees and shrubs will wake up later. Flowering will be postponed to a more comfortable time.

Rose bushes sprinkled with sawdust for the winter

Pest repeller for garden plots

Small wood waste is soaked in tar or gasoline and laid out to repel rodents, onion and carrot flies.

Adding prickly sawdust makes it difficult for snails and slugs to move around. The resinous aroma partially protects plants from attack by beetles (Colorado beetle, raspberry beetle, flower beetle, weevil).

Additive to seedling soils

A soil substrate containing from 10 to 50% rotted sawdust compost is recommended for

• seedlings of vegetable and flower crops
• rooting cuttings and strawberry mustaches
• growing seedlings with a closed root system.

Other components of such soil are garden soil, peat, and a little sand. Loose soil requires frequent watering or special additives that retain moisture (hydrogel, vermiculite, coconut substrate).

Unrotted organic matter can cause starvation of young plants. If the foliage has turned pale, then you need to give nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizing.

Path covered with sawdust

Using substrate as fertilizer

Seeds of cucumbers (as well as zucchini, pumpkin, melons and watermelons) are germinated in fresh small sawdust and seedlings are kept. The substrate is poured with boiling water, then the water is immediately drained. The procedure is repeated twice to wash off the resinous substances. The warm, wet mass is laid out in a layer of 6 cm, and dry seeds are placed into it at a depth of 1.5 cm (at a distance of 3 cm from each other). The crops are covered with film and placed in a warm place. The seedlings “shoot” after 3-4 days. The seedlings are ready for planting in two weeks.

In sawdust you can force onions and tulip flowers. The substrate must first be spilled with boiling water and fertilized with a complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen. Potato and dahlia tubers are sprouted in the same way before planting.

The middle fraction of crushed wood from deciduous trees is used for artificial cultivation of mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms.

Medium for winter storage of rhizomes and tubers

In autumn, flower growers dig up dahlia tubers, calla lilies and begonias, and canna rhizomes. They are stored in a cellar or refrigerator, sprinkled with dry, fresh sawdust. Resinous components inhibit rotting.

This method is not suitable for preserving lilies and onion sets (they will lose turgor).

Farmers are zealous and creative people. They have the ability to convert waste into income, especially when it comes to organics. As you can see, using pine or any other sawdust can be beneficial in the right hands.