Did you know that Americans spend roughly one billion dollars a year on mulch? We here at Truetimber Arborists drive dozens of cubic yards of chips from clients’ properties to the dump each week. But we’re hoping to change that soon. Below are a few reasons to sign up for Truetimber’s new wood chip delivery service. It will be ready by the end of the month, connecting our tree crews, who create wood chips every day, with people like you that might need them! Keep your eyes peeled for an email from us announcing this new service. In the meantime, read on below for why you might want to take advantage.
Wood chips can be used for…
Controlling invasive plant growth. A thick layer of chips applied on pesky vines and thorny brush along a wood line can be a great use of the material created while a crew is on your property. Effective, chemical-free, and also… literally free!
Landscaping. Chips can be used to delineate pathways and work as a buffer for highly trafficked areas like gardens, parks, and trails. If you have an area of your yard where grass doesn’t seem to grow — under a swing set perhaps — chips are a great option to minimize weeds, add forgiveness to the hard-packed dirt, and protect any surrounding tree roots from abrasion.
Soil Erosion. As we’ve seen this summer, Richmond and the surrounding neighborhoods can get some serious rain. Soft loose soil can be fortified by mixing in chips. If chips are placed on top of soft soil, such as on raised beds, they can be removed when saturated and replaced with dry, absorbent wood.
Enriching compost. Wood chips added to your pile introduce carbon, a key component of a balanced compost. A 50:50 ratio of nitrogen-rich food scraps to carbon-rich chips is ideal.
Inoculating fungi. If that’s your kind of thing, you could use both chips and logs to create your own edible forest! After some research, it appears as though oyster mushrooms are considered among the easiest to cultivate. Next quarantine project?
References:
https://madison.com/wsj/business/how-much-do-americans-spend-per-capita-on-lawn-and-
garden-care/article_ef2654fa-0b36-511c-b16d-3e9bfd34f21b.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/americans-love-mulch–and-many-of-us-are-
misusing-it/2017/09/12/4c334ad6-9324-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b_story.html
Growing mushrooms on wood chip
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James Luggen
