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nafex - [NAFEX] Sawdust Mulching

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  • From: Evan <kodama@riseup.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Sawdust Mulching
  • Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 09:44:11 -0400

I've got a source of pine sawdust that I've started using as mulch on some of
my shrubs around the orchard. My process now is to mow the vegetation around
each bush, lay down a slab of cardboard with a generous hole in the middle
where the plant pops up and then cover the cardboard in about 1-2" of the
pine sawdust and top it with the cleared vegetation. Due to my concerns about
acidity, I'm prioritizing using this sawdust on blueberries, aronia, and
serviceberry, which from the literature seems to be able to handle acidity...
and so far on the native acid soil (5.4) with no amendments they seem to be
doing well.

But I'm wondering about my other trees -- apples, pears, a quince, a peach, a
couple kaki persimmons -- that sound like they prefer more neutral soils. I'd
like to mulch them with sawdust too, but I'm wondering if it will make the
soil too acid. I've thought about mixing in a little lime with the sawdust if
I use it around those trees, thinking this might neutralize that acidifying
effect.

Does anyone have experience or insight with this?

take root,
Evan
Zone 6, Southern Appalachians, 2800'



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