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  • From: "Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>
  • To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Wood Chips
  • Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:41:07 -0600

Jerry,
Personally, I would doubt that your chips are acid. Is there a chemist in your community? If so, he might have some litmus paper or a pH meter to test them.
Give your blueberries some ammonium sulfate................or.....................if you use the chips on your blueberries, sprinkle one cup of ammonium sulfate per bushel of chips. Soil bacteria will attempt to decompose the chips and will rob nitrogen from the soil to accomplish the task. Plants can't use ammonium but bacteria will convert it to nitrate, the form of nitrogen plants can use but the plants won't get it until the bacteria release it.. The sulfate will add acidity to the blueberry patch.
Rain and/or snow-melt will take the nutrients down to the root zone of the blueberry plants.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(877)265-6856 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]

I recently had the good fortune of having a truck load of fresh wood chips
dumped on my property (at my request!) They are from Poplar Trees (tulip
tree) from my neighbor's place who had several very large trees cut down. The
guy doing the cutting said they are no good for mulching until they compost
several months because they are too acid. I was planning on using them on a
patch that needs new chips. But does anyone know:
1. Is it true they are too acid for mulch when fresh?
2. Does age take that problem away?
3. Could I use them for my blueberries, as they seem to constantly need
more acid soil?






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