composted hardwood fines

shoofly22 · March 16, 2009

i found these on close out at lowes for 97 cents a 2 cu. ft. bag and i have four raised beds 15" tall x4x8 ft. to fill could i use some of these in my beds ? the stuff is pitch black , i was figuring on adding two or 3 bags per box along with mels mix on top . would these hurt anything being hardwood ? ive used composted pine bark fines with good results.
jim

JCBigBlue · March 18, 2009

I saw the same thing at Lowe's and also wondered if they (hardwood fines) could adequately substitute for the often- mentioned pine bark fines in container plantings. I can never seem to find them but the hardwood fines are abundant. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Jon

dice · March 18, 2009

Not an informed opinion. The main question is how completely
composted is it (will there be nitrogen draw-down the first
year as bacteria try to digest it). That can be compensated for
with a higher nitrogen fertilizer than one would normally use in
mostly organic soil in a raised bed. Where hardwood chips were
tested as a soil amendment (to combat certain soil pathogens),
researchers found significant nitrogen draw-down the first year,
but no such affect in following years of the tests, so you would
only need to consider that a possible issue the first year.

A secondary question is whether there would be anything
allelopathic in it (is it from ash trees, walnut trees, etc).
One might want to test it in a container first with some
various seedlings to eliminate that concern (see if they
sprout in it and survive).

I get the impression that it is used mostly as a soil amendment
to lighten heavy clay soils.

Edit:
You could maybe email this site and ask if there is any information
on nitrogen draw-down with composted hardwood fines:

http://www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org/index.html

(They might even have information on the specific product at Lowe's.)

Polar_Lace · March 19, 2009

Check out this PDF:

excerpted:
"Just this year, a new mulch called “Soil Conditioner” has become available that is made up of pine and hardwood fines (finely ground wood) and bark compost, and has sixteen essential macro and micronutrients added. Right now it is only available in 1.33 cubic foot bags, but will be available soon in 2 cubic foot bags. Its price appears competitive with bags of mushroom compost. I recommend it highly not only as a great mulch, but also as an organic addition to the soil. It works well in breaking up nasty clay soil. If you cannot find it, any pine- or barkbased soil conditioner that is mushroom compost free is preferred to using only mushroom compost."

~* Robin

March 16, 2009	#1
shoofly22 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: wisconsin Posts: 14	composted hardwood fines i found these on close out at lowes for 97 cents a 2 cu. ft. bag and i have four raised beds 15" tall x4x8 ft. to fill could i use some of these in my beds ? the stuff is pitch black , i was figuring on adding two or 3 bags per box along with mels mix on top . would these hurt anything being hardwood ? ive used composted pine bark fines with good results. jim

March 18, 2009	#2
JCBigBlue Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Westland, Michigan Posts: 28	not an answer but...... I saw the same thing at Lowe's and also wondered if they (hardwood fines) could adequately substitute for the often- mentioned pine bark fines in container plantings. I can never seem to find them but the hardwood fines are abundant. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Jon

March 18, 2009	#3
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Not an informed opinion. The main question is how completely composted is it (will there be nitrogen draw-down the first year as bacteria try to digest it). That can be compensated for with a higher nitrogen fertilizer than one would normally use in mostly organic soil in a raised bed. Where hardwood chips were tested as a soil amendment (to combat certain soil pathogens), researchers found significant nitrogen draw-down the first year, but no such affect in following years of the tests, so you would only need to consider that a possible issue the first year. A secondary question is whether there would be anything allelopathic in it (is it from ash trees, walnut trees, etc). One might want to test it in a container first with some various seedlings to eliminate that concern (see if they sprout in it and survive). I get the impression that it is used mostly as a soil amendment to lighten heavy clay soils. Edit: You could maybe email this site and ask if there is any information on nitrogen draw-down with composted hardwood fines: http://www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org/index.html (They might even have information on the specific product at Lowe's.) __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; March 18, 2009 at 04:36 AM. Reason: addenda

March 19, 2009	#4
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Check out this PDF: excerpted: "Just this year, a new mulch called “Soil Conditioner” has become available that is made up of pine and hardwood fines (finely ground wood) and bark compost, and has sixteen essential macro and micronutrients added. Right now it is only available in 1.33 cubic foot bags, but will be available soon in 2 cubic foot bags. Its price appears competitive with bags of mushroom compost. I recommend it highly not only as a great mulch, but also as an organic addition to the soil. It works well in breaking up nasty clay soil. If you cannot find it, any pine- or barkbased soil conditioner that is mushroom compost free is preferred to using only mushroom compost." ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.