Subject: Saw Dust/chips

From: [email-masked] (DAVID MACKENZIE)
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 95 19:32:00 -0800

I recentl came across a lumber yard that has a couple of piles of saw
dust out back for the taking. I am considering tilling this directly
into my garden that has pretty sandy soil in order to improve the soil.
I am wondering what this may do as far as my PH balance. I am going to
take the saw dust from the pile that is most decayed as there are 2
piles I have seen. But I wonder if I should add something to help
balance out the acidity that I may be adding.

I have waited to long to improve my soil so now I just want to till in
whatever I can get my hands on.

Any experts out there with suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
David M.

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 03:31:53 GMT

>Any experts out there with suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Go ahead.  Your soil and plants will thank you.  If you have too low a
pH, just add lime.

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Meg Myers)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 03:39:00 GMT

PH balance. I am going to
  >balance out the acidity that I may be adding.
 David: According to my book JUST THE FACTS, if you use sawdust as a
fertilizer or even as compost, you'll need to add a complete fertilizer
as sawdust is quite low in nitrogen, etc.  Also, you can't know what
wood that sawdust came from; it could be treated lumber and you don't
want that anywhere near your yard or garden.  If you really would like
to take advantage of the sawdust, it would make a good mulch for paths
in your garden, provided you supplied some additional source of
nitrogen, etc.  If you want to add something to a compost pile, add
shredded tree leaves, or grass clippings - even newspaper is better than
unknown sources of sawdust.  Especially if it's treated lumber or from
maple or walnut trees which give off a substance that may poison
anything you plant in the vicinity.
---
 * QMPro 1.0 34-8576 * Dogs come when you call. Cats have answering machines.

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From: [email-masked] (sharon badian)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 18:07:06 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Meg Myers) writes:
|> 
|> PH balance. I am going to
|>   >take the saw dust from the pile that is most decayed as there are 2
|>   >piles I have seen. But I wonder if I should add something to help
|>   >balance out the acidity that I may be adding.
|>  David: According to my book JUST THE FACTS, if you use sawdust as a
|> fertilizer or even as compost, you'll need to add a complete fertilizer
|> as sawdust is quite low in nitrogen, etc.  Also, you can't know what
|> wood that sawdust came from; it could be treated lumber and you don't
|> want that anywhere near your yard or garden.  If you really would like
|> to take advantage of the sawdust, it would make a good mulch for paths
|> in your garden, provided you supplied some additional source of
|> nitrogen, etc.  If you want to add something to a compost pile, add
|> shredded tree leaves, or grass clippings - even newspaper is better than
|> unknown sources of sawdust.  Especially if it's treated lumber or from
|> maple or walnut trees which give off a substance that may poison
|> anything you plant in the vicinity.

I add sawdust to my compost pile all the time. My husband is a woodworker
and always has plenty of hardwood sawdust. Aside from the sawdust, the
main component of my pile is kitchen trimmings. From charts I've seen
of the nitrogen/carbon balance of various things you might add to your
compost pile, kitchen trimmings are even better than grass clippings
for supplying nitrogen which is what's lacking in sawdust (mostly
carbon, as you might imagine). Over time, I get some pretty nice looking
compost. The sawdust does a real good job of lightening it up. But, as
I said, my husband is a woodworker and I know exactly what wood is going
into my pile. No treated wood. No composites that have glue. Only plain
old hardwood (mostly cherry and oak).
-- 
Sharon Badian
AT&T Bell Labs - Denver
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 4 Apr 1995 03:31:53 GMT

Chris Owens

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From: [email-masked] (Meg Myers)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 03:39:00 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (sharon badian)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 18:07:06 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Meg Myers)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 03:39:00 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (sharon badian)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 18:07:06 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey Sharpe P275)
Date: 7 Apr 1995 18:27:23 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (DAVID MACKENZIE) writes:
|> I recentl came across a lumber yard that has a couple of piles of saw
|> dust out back for the taking. I am considering tilling this directly
|> into my garden that has pretty sandy soil in order to improve the soil.
|> I am wondering what this may do as far as my PH balance. I am going to
|> take the saw dust from the pile that is most decayed as there are 2
|> piles I have seen. But I wonder if I should add something to help
|> balance out the acidity that I may be adding.
|> 
|> I have waited to long to improve my soil so now I just want to till in
|> whatever I can get my hands on.
|> 
|> Any experts out there with suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

David:

Make sure that the sawdust/chips your are getting do not have any WALNUT,
TEAK or imported MAHOGANY.  They will kill your plants!

Something about the natural chemical mixture in the wood is toxic to most
plants.  I read this somewhere in one of my woodworking magazines.....

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From: [email-masked] (Anthony Brewster)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 15:13:45 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
killand <[email-masked]> wrote:
>You should however incoporate 16-20-0 or aproximately that ratio when you
>have added the sawdust.  this will feed the microoganisms that decompose 
>organic matter.  You will have nitrate deficiencies as a result of the 
>nitrogen being used by the bacteria and other decomposers in the 
>soil.
>
>Derryl Killan

I've been told that simply aging forest products can reduce or eliminate
the need for additional N when the wood product is mixed with soil.
However, I am a little skeptical of this because it seems that all that will
happen is that the material will be "older" but, unless some sort of other
decomposition mechanism has kicked in, the C/N ratio will still be too high
and the material will still need additional N to decompose properly. The 
amount of N needed can be quite high. One product that does have added N,
Bandini Soil Builder(redwood), contains 0.5% N or approx 1/4lb N/4 cu ft.

I am especially skeptical because the info came from salespeople selling
the "aged" but untreated with N forest products as mulch and/or soil 
amendment. Also, how long does it take for the decompostion process to
return to the soil any N that was used by the bacteria?

Anthony
[email-masked]