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  • From: prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com
  • To: Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] wood chips
  • Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:54:08 -0500


Wood chips being all carbon will use up available nitrogen in order to break down, but once broke down will release all the nitrogen back to the soil. Available nitrogen also regulates the speed at which the carbon material decomposes. Many fungi forming mycorrhiza roots  can obtain some nitrogen from the air, but as with the tree lying in the forest it takes a long time to decompose. Chipping wood makes many more surfaces for colonization by fungi (whose roots form the  mycorrhiza realationships) and thus breaks down faster. The best use for wood chips is as an ingredient for compost, one part nitrogen to two parts carbon. The resulting heat will pasteurize all weed seeds diseases and to an extent neutralize any chemical contaminants (though maybe not 100 percent so use caution) The resulting compost will be rich with the mycorrhiza and other soil organisms. Also with the proper carbon nitrogen balance, moisture, and churning  the chips can break down in a matter of weeks.
 
Hope this helps
Josh Crissen
Promised Land Farm



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