Subject: Redwood is OK (Re: Containor Fruit trees Semi-Dwarfs?)

From: [email-masked] (Rick Young)
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 16:38:20 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
(BRateaver) wrote:

>Never use redwood stuff in the soil. Very bad.
>
>B. Rateaver

I live in Northern California (San Francisco Bay area). I have used a lot
of redwood compost (primarily aged redwood sawdust and byproducts with
amendments) as soil amendments, potting soil containing ³stabilized
redwood compost", and shredded redwood bark as a top cover.  I have not
experienced anything "bad" about it.  The silicon rubber parts in some
drip emitters did seem to deteriorate faster when in the redwood bark top
cover but this could have been caused by other factors (higher water
pressure, etc.).  As a member of the California Rare Fruit grower, I took
a tour of the Four Winds Nursery, a large commercial operation that
propagate dwarf citrus trees.  They rooted all there rootstock cutting in
a medium that was primary redwood sawdust.  They preferred it to other
rooting mediums.

So I am wandering what is the basis is for B. Rateaver claiming that
"redwood stuff in the soil" is ³very bad.²  My impression is that he is
misinformed.  He made such a strong (³never,² "very bad"), broad ("stuff")
and unsubstantiated claim. It disturbs me that many people may be mislead
by such misinformation.

I don't have access to the original post any more, so I don't no how this
relates to ³container fruit trees,² but redwood sawdust is used in a lot
in soil mixes around here. I have been using redwood compost and potting
soils containing redwood byproducts for years. I have NOT heard of and
have NOT experienced anything detrimental about it other than it may rob
nutriments from plants (like many other soil amendments) if not composted
(3-4 months) and/or is not nitrogen-fortified.  Redwood sawdust by itself
should probably be used as a conditioner or amendment to be mixed with
dirt and other materials.  I assume commercial potting mixes are properly
formulated and composted. This is based on my personal experience and a
description of "Redwood soil conditioner" in "All About Fertilizer, Soils
& Water" - Ortho Books (page 35). Also, "An Illustrated Guide to Organic
Gardening" - a Sunset book, has sawdust (in general) as a soil amendment
(page 34).  Under limitations it indicates that redwood, pine and fir
sawdust have a greater tendency to bind with nitrogen than other sawdust
(hardwood) which requires that it be "well aged" (composted) "or mixed
with" a source of supplemental nitrogen (this being an organic
publication, "12 lb. of chicken manure per 50 lb. of sawdust").  Another
listed limitation (of sawdust in general) is "inefficient retainer of
nutrients"; nothing to indicate that it (redwood sawdust) is worse than
any other soil amendment.

- Rick