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  • From: Alliums <garlicgrower AT earthlink.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: Wood Chip Mulch
  • Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 08:18:28 -0400

Allan wrote:

A neighbor is a woodworker and just offered me a mountain of 'fresh' pine shavings. (He also has cherry, oak, walnut, etc. What about that walnut? It's not alleopathic at the chip level, is it?)

Fresh shavings will repel slugs because they don't like all the tannins in the wood chips. The tannins are composted over time, so older wood chips don't give you this benefit.

The question: will mulch on the surface tie up nutrients in any significant fashion?

No, especially if you do newspaper, then chips

Do i need to amend or block (newspaper and then chips)

I like newspaper, then chips because 1) you don't have the nutrient tie up question and 2) sunlight always gets between the chips and weeds grow up regardless. Newspaper blocks the sun, thus you have very little weed seed germination.

Dorene






Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator
St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden

A mission of
St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460





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