Building Soil with Composted Wood Chips

We have found so many benefits by using composted wood chips on our farm. There are a lot of people using wood chips, but we've found that it's best to compost them for about a year before putting them around any trees or plants. Once the proper soil food web is established, we can top dress around trees with more fresh chips because the fungi network is in place.
zoefarms.com/

Пікірлер: 110

  • @travismakoto
    @travismakoto3 жыл бұрын

    I recently received a huge truckload of wood chips dumped in my yard from a tree company working with my neighbor. I got about 20 cubic yards, but they dumped it in my driveway, blocking my dads car. I worked on moving the mountain of a pile to a different part of my property. On the third day, the pile was steaming, and I saw some fungal growth, which made me excited. The wood chips are now in a pile elsewhere on my property decomposing. I hope that it will all turn into black gold in a mater of a couple years. I will be using this mulch to mulch my fruit trees soon. Happy gardening!

  • @louisbrentnell2551
    @louisbrentnell25513 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing. I admit it, I’m a chipaholic. You would think I’m lying if I shared how many chips I have received in the last two years. Building rich black fluffy soil is rewarding.

  • @marcellemay7721
    @marcellemay77212 ай бұрын

    Yeah....i geek out about building soil and wood chips too! Right now the utility guys are working in the area. I've had my name on chip drop for over a year with no drops. I went where the tree guys park their trucks and asked them if they would dump wood chips over at my place... they were more than happy to oblige. So far I've received 4 10yd loads, about 1 load per week. They have lots of leaf matter in them too and they're chock full of mold. The piles are cooking. I turn them with my backhoe about every 2 weeks and the steam that comes off of them when i flip the piles is a joy to behold...lol.

  • @billastell3753
    @billastell37535 жыл бұрын

    I arranged for a tree company to drop off a pile of wood chips at my home. The neighbour complained to the township. The township called and asked about the wood chips and I said they were for mulch around my fruit trees and the township was satisfied. Next thing I see the neighbour putting coloured woodchips on his flower garden. He'd bought them at the landscape company at $5 a bag. What a goon. He could have asked me for some and I would have been given him all he wanted for free. You can't cure stupid. Leaves are the same. People rake em in the fall and send them off to the dump. I beat the garbage truck to the bags piled out on the street and haul them home to compost them. That makes me happier than a pig in $%^&. Most people have no idea what is valuable. I guess that's good for the few of us who do. Most are busy creating deserts while a few of us build Eden gardens.

  • @travelinthru9519

    @travelinthru9519

    5 жыл бұрын

    Just make sure you're not getting any that's got pine trees in it

  • @awesomedave8484

    @awesomedave8484

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@travelinthru9519 Pine is fine

  • @sandramcshane1747

    @sandramcshane1747

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@awesomedave8484 You can grow Indian Oyster mushrooms in pine woodchips. U can buy the spawn online.

  • @svetlanikolova7673

    @svetlanikolova7673

    3 жыл бұрын

    Exactly Bill. And most are slaves in their garden while others are kicking back and relaxing with a cup.of joe

  • @svetlanikolova7673

    @svetlanikolova7673

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@travelinthru9519 Pine is only acidic on the tree. Do more research.You can also mix the pine with fresh grass clippings and compost it for a few weeks in high heat. You get everything you can for free and just use it when its composted. Use your brain!

  • @PetalsonthePavingSlabs
    @PetalsonthePavingSlabs7 жыл бұрын

    Genius idea with the woodchip sign!

  • @user-jr5gs5bs9f
    @user-jr5gs5bs9f7 жыл бұрын

    I wish I smell it right now , I love the smell of rich soil :)

  • @callmeMsT
    @callmeMsT2 жыл бұрын

    I LOVE how your voice changed when you saw the worms... Have listened so many times.

  • @danab4337
    @danab43373 жыл бұрын

    Just learning about woodchips. Total newbie here. Thanks

  • @tonysilver6016
    @tonysilver60167 жыл бұрын

    Wow!! Once I get land, I will do that.

  • @davidschmidt270
    @davidschmidt2703 жыл бұрын

    I gave ya a thumbs up brother because I feel the same way.....I hear it put brilliantly by Shamus O'Leary...."we don't feed nutrients to the trees plants.....we give nutrients to the soil, that intern feeds the trees and plants"

  • @kennethwoolard5910
    @kennethwoolard59105 жыл бұрын

    Great to have passion for the soil!

  • @shadyman6346
    @shadyman63463 жыл бұрын

    Don’t feel bad, there are other soil geeks, too! I dream about my gardens...

  • @billastell3753
    @billastell37535 жыл бұрын

    I love this guy. He's as crazy as a fox. Thumbs up!

  • @lincwayne3435
    @lincwayne34352 жыл бұрын

    Laughin' & learnin' here - thank you!!

  • @TheVictoryHomestead
    @TheVictoryHomestead8 жыл бұрын

    this is like soil porn! I love your enthusiasm and we're going to be doing the same thing! thank you!

  • @ZOEFarms

    @ZOEFarms

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Karen Berry thanks for your kindness. If you're in the Ohio area, we will be doing seminars in May. That said, the wood chips route is great, yes... but it can also be a bad thing if rushed. That's why I allow them to break down for a year before I put them on. I've rushed it before, and like my grandpa always said... "don't rush the monkey, you'll spoil the act!"

  • @urbansodbuster175

    @urbansodbuster175

    7 жыл бұрын

    ZOE Farms. Gramps, Don't rush the monkey you'll spoil the act. Laffs.

  • @tinkertanner165
    @tinkertanner1657 жыл бұрын

    Owen Wilson!!!

  • @Mityob67
    @Mityob675 жыл бұрын

    Really cool. Thanks for uploading.

  • @franksmith7419
    @franksmith7419 Жыл бұрын

    KOOKEY IS GREAT... IM LAUGHING WITH YOU.

  • @dustman96
    @dustman967 жыл бұрын

    Love it!

  • @UniCarCycles
    @UniCarCycles3 жыл бұрын

    Woodchips is life! ❤️

  • @MidwestGardener
    @MidwestGardener8 жыл бұрын

    I found this useful. I will be using woodchips in the coming years.

  • @ZOEFarms

    @ZOEFarms

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Midwest Gardener Thank you. We've experienced great success, but only after allowing them to break down for a full year off the garden. The science of the process is something not really covered in a lot of the online videos. What's happening is actually quite simple in biological terms. We are establishing a more fungal dominated soil food web. Higher succession plants prefer a more fungal dominated soil. Once the higher ratio of fungi to bacteria is established, the plants pretty much take care of themselves via the biologic soil food web.

  • @bayramtetik6287

    @bayramtetik6287

    4 жыл бұрын

    Scientific article link please.

  • @nourishingmomma
    @nourishingmomma6 жыл бұрын

    Cute geeking out!

  • @vannom8485
    @vannom84854 жыл бұрын

    For me good as gold. Awesome

  • @peterinbrat
    @peterinbrat5 жыл бұрын

    I wet my wood chips with yard sprayer on a timer. 5 minutes four times a day. It gets broken down by fungus then earthworms.

  • @troymeredith9936
    @troymeredith99367 жыл бұрын

    Big mulch piles ,be good to have a loader or excavator to be able to give it a turn over every now and then to speed up the process.

  • @TV-yj9mh
    @TV-yj9mh Жыл бұрын

    Good shit bro

  • @Ojb_1959
    @Ojb_19593 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the upload. Two months ago I received 5 free truck loads of fresh wood chips & green leaves from the power company clearing the lines. I’m not able to turn it so I’m guessing it’ll still compost but probably just take longer. 🌱

  • @pakistaniraveasylum1396

    @pakistaniraveasylum1396

    3 жыл бұрын

    An easy way to turn is to use a petrol auger

  • @sojourner_truth
    @sojourner_truth3 жыл бұрын

    I'm pretty sure that the type of wood chips/mulch/compost that Paul Gauchi purchases is already composted to a fine level by a company that processes it, before he buys it. People forget that details in the Back To Eden Garden Doc. So yes, it is good to take measures to compost your chips with other organic matter to make it more bio-available to plants to expect good results.

  • @dailylife6432
    @dailylife64325 жыл бұрын

    If everybody will notice the grass and or weeds at the outside edge of the wood chips it is very thick and a very vibrant green compared to the other growth in the surrounding area. Prove that it works.!!!

  • @JanisTreijs
    @JanisTreijs2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome 😃👍

  • @losclaveles
    @losclaveles2 ай бұрын

    No, I was thinking "where did he get all those wood chips"

  • @teresathomley3703
    @teresathomley370310 ай бұрын

    Good video

  • @josephsaid6922
    @josephsaid6922 Жыл бұрын

    My wife says I am crazy every time I get a load of wood chips

  • @deppurple700
    @deppurple7007 жыл бұрын

    good guy !!!!

  • @raymondaten2179
    @raymondaten21796 жыл бұрын

    I would cover the whole orchard in the wood chips and you can plant may shade hardy veggies in it.

  • @dcwshoreline5416
    @dcwshoreline54165 жыл бұрын

    Dude! I love your videos. Your also close to me. Im in Ontario 🇨🇦. Do you mix the chips with manure to create that organic soil or no mixing other than stirring pile?

  • @Pacjam123123
    @Pacjam1231233 жыл бұрын

    Awesome man. Kookie grows trees for free!

  • 7 жыл бұрын

    nice1 man

  • @johnparmenter1122
    @johnparmenter11227 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the advice. We have piles of wood chips at our community garden in Ventura, CA waiting to be used. I'll be looking for a pile that's been "aged" a bit and use it around my vegetables.

  • @ZOEFarms

    @ZOEFarms

    7 жыл бұрын

    you can expedite the process by watering your pile every now and again. Because of our scale, and fairly high precipitation - we just give them six months - but that's only for putting around trees. For our garden vegetables we fully compost before top dressing

  • @georgeblumer1496

    @georgeblumer1496

    6 жыл бұрын

    John Parmenter I put chips around my young trees one summer and most died. We think it’s because we flood irritated and had a temperature spike that boiled the roots. Much better results when put between trees in winter or early spring. Love the process but timing is critical.

  • @billastell3753

    @billastell3753

    5 жыл бұрын

    Young trees need to be watered every few weeks deeply for at least the first year. Chips aren't the problem. Thirst is.

  • @fozzyozzy1030

    @fozzyozzy1030

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@billastell3753 chips make it so the water stays in the soil and doesn't evaporate from the surface.

  • @elliottspence7929
    @elliottspence79292 жыл бұрын

    Well I guess I 'm crazy too because I saw the Back to Eden Garden videos 3 or 4 years ago and I have been having wood chips delivered ever since. Have you found a good way short of heavy equipment to grind the wood chips to dirt stage any faster?

  • @solaimanali2891
    @solaimanali2891 Жыл бұрын

    Top

  • @kobewade8709
    @kobewade87097 жыл бұрын

    Could you turn the wood chips with a manure spreader.

  • @Mrvanna-fo8hc
    @Mrvanna-fo8hc10 ай бұрын

    ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @veronicabe7902
    @veronicabe79026 жыл бұрын

    what stage of wood do y put on your soil? newly cut, or aged? should i put aged wood chip first, then new wood chips on top layer? thks

  • @sweetvuvuzela4634

    @sweetvuvuzela4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    Veronica Be does not matter whatever you can get your hands on works well

  • @citic101
    @citic1017 жыл бұрын

    just passed a company selling compost and was surprissd to see wood chips and now i know why ( the company has a huge " brushing machine" to break it all down ( i guess )

  • @adriangarcia5611
    @adriangarcia56116 жыл бұрын

    U should put wood chip over that entire area not just the trees

  • @DIYSolarandWind
    @DIYSolarandWind6 жыл бұрын

    I just found your channel

  • @jeremiahshine
    @jeremiahshine3 жыл бұрын

    I've been at it for 11 years. The State showed up and dozed me flat last week. I insisted on seeing their "order" and they refused.

  • @BusterABrown
    @BusterABrown7 жыл бұрын

    One year to be safe, but not over 160 degrees. Add water = Good video.

  • @ZOEFarms

    @ZOEFarms

    7 жыл бұрын

    We actually run a farm-scale composting operation according to Ingham methodologies. The wood chips work great around trees. We don't use wood chips in our annual veggie production system... only finished compost.

  • @BusterABrown

    @BusterABrown

    7 жыл бұрын

    I haven't heard of the Ingham methodologies. Thanks for the info.

  • @BusterABrown

    @BusterABrown

    7 жыл бұрын

    I remember Dr. Ingham now. I'm 70 yrs old and don't have her resources or energy. But she is definitely the leading authority on the subject.

  • @Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor
    @Crina-LudmilaCristeaAuthor9 ай бұрын

    💛

  • @1voluntaryist
    @1voluntaryist7 жыл бұрын

    "These are my trees here." Yea, that we can see. What are they? How old? Want to speed up that chip-post? Make room at the top for lots of raw manure. Wet it frequently. The "juice" runs down into the pile speeding up decomposition. Want to go faster? Add leaves/green material? Even faster still? Buy or rent a shredder/chipper and reduce the size as much as possible. Do this first plus all the rest and you can start spreading/building soil in a fifth the time or less depending on temp & your experience. A jump start on the soil building is best for the trees as soil conditioning always comes first. Maintenance is much easier. Don't be afraid to go deep/wide with the mulch as much as you have material. If you can, do every inch of the orchard. Consider planting at least a dozen different species for a mixed orchard, using companion growing. It confuses the pests, a little of which you need to let alone if they are not too bad. Whatever you do, don't use harmful commercial chemicals. And don't till to reduce weeds, just cut them down & let lay.

  • @olatutuakinyelure9680
    @olatutuakinyelure96804 ай бұрын

    What about prebagged mulch

  • @svartbackenstradgard461
    @svartbackenstradgard4615 жыл бұрын

    Do you get problems with voles or other rodents?

  • @svend9392
    @svend93928 жыл бұрын

    Do you do this every year for the trees? could you around the tree plant comfrey that you would chop and drop instead of wood chips?

  • @ZOEFarms

    @ZOEFarms

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Meditationis Musica we manage different trees differently. Our silvo pasture hardwoods receive just wood chips. All of our orchards are planted in polyculture. Although comfrey is a great mulch, it's important to not allow it to go anaerobic (meaning, just stacking it up thick). Furthermore, the breakdown of that much green matter alone leads to a bacterial dominated soil. Trees/Shrubs do best in a fungal dominated soil, so we add the wood chips for the high carbon content to balance out all the comfrey. This keeps it aerobic and fungal dominated.

  • @svetlanikolova7673
    @svetlanikolova76733 жыл бұрын

    get chickens to poo in those chips for a year. I wish I can get truck loads but I live in the Balkans and here we dont have that service in the mountains. I have to settle for grass clippings , leaves twigs and pine cones / needles

  • @poolahpot
    @poolahpot8 жыл бұрын

    How do I make sure ticks are not brought in with the delivered/picked up wood chips?

  • @alanowens3

    @alanowens3

    7 жыл бұрын

    When the pile heats up it kill everything. It needs to get over 160 degrees f

  • @john-cv6nk
    @john-cv6nk6 жыл бұрын

    Does this method work for all types of crops? Where is the best place for me to learn more about this?

  • @sweetvuvuzela4634

    @sweetvuvuzela4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    john yes works well that is how a Forest grows nobody goes to till or do anything annually the leaves fall and rot down

  • @walkingmonument
    @walkingmonument7 жыл бұрын

    I like you

  • @MistressOP
    @MistressOP5 жыл бұрын

    You should be spreading winecaps in that mulch.

  • @TOMMYSURIA
    @TOMMYSURIA7 жыл бұрын

    Wouldn't be better to mulch the whole planting area?

  • @hobohacker258
    @hobohacker2585 жыл бұрын

    I think I remember reading that wood ships have a strong tendency to pull nitrogen from the soil.

  • @sweetvuvuzela4634

    @sweetvuvuzela4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    Unless it’s been dug into the soil it’s fine

  • @likeshareandsubscribe2866
    @likeshareandsubscribe28667 жыл бұрын

    why do you wait for it to compost? couldnt you just spread it and let it break compost inplace?

  • @walkingmonument

    @walkingmonument

    7 жыл бұрын

    like,share and subscribe this is based on the faulty notion that noncomposted wood chips will tie up nitrogen in the soil. But thats been proven false. As long as you don't till mulch into the soil, it will be ok.

  • @billastell3753

    @billastell3753

    5 жыл бұрын

    Composted chips are better because the decomposed chips are easier for worms and other creatures to eat and poop out the good fertilizer. If you drop it on fresh it will be OK as a soil protector and moisture holding mulch but until it begins to rot, some of the benefit just aren't there yet.

  • @sweetvuvuzela4634

    @sweetvuvuzela4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    Compost is a different beast

  • @robreiken
    @robreiken7 жыл бұрын

    Bottomline , all those woodchips eventually turns to fertilizer, makes perfect sense.

  • @harrycraft5100
    @harrycraft51004 жыл бұрын

    TURN UP UR VOLUME BROHAM

  • @elenab177
    @elenab1775 жыл бұрын

    I used to get all excited about mycelium untill my garden got infested by armillaria mellea and lost 4 walnut trees and countless rose bushes.

  • @CONCERTMANchicago
    @CONCERTMANchicago5 жыл бұрын

    *So one Arboricultural rule, is to never raise soil grade over existing roots. Or never apply added soil directly on top of trees B&B rootball.* _And with great majority of new trees arriving from Nursery (with root flare) already too deep in rootball. Rather than responsibly digging down to root flare level first, before excavating from field. No longer can trees be installed with top of rootball level with surrounding grade!_ Otherwise, adventitious matted fibrous root growth. Is produced after original rootsystem had become suffocated, by slowly accumulating soil that results in raising altered grade. Caused when nurseries keeping field weeds in check. Along with root pruning equipped plow making regular runs down field rows. Which ends up making up some 1/3rd of field excavated rootball. Either topped off with inches of rootless accumulated soil, or adventitious roots which just like drowning swimmers. Become disorientated, and no longer grow radially outward away from trunk, similar to spokes on a wheel. While all these new surrounding feeder roots produced in close proximity to trunk will greatly assist survival rate once permanently installed on site. Rather than severing natural feeder root systems which grow remotely away from trunk. Over time those adventitious vegetative feeder roots become woody, while increasing in girth. And when commonly persisting instead of dying off. Result is trunk SGR's, or stem girdlization. So now from my observations, after completing over 500 root flare excavations and grade corrections surrounding young trees. After Tree owners or lawn mower jockeys regularly re-apply new layers of colored wood chip mulch every few years. Inevitably if some amount of old mulch is not harvested before laying down new mulch, old mulch continues breaking down into new layers of rich soil. And/or puffing up, inflating added mix of soil and wood chips. Thus continuing to raise grade. Then when level of mulch is pulled back to see if someone had overmulched. Its growing mound is mostly built of dirt, and indeed only few inches of mulch covers that. In conclusion, I regularly witness woody bushes and perennial plants surviving heightening grade just fine. After continually regrowing new roots to get oxygen closer to rising surface. And, just like stated benefits of adding organic material over grounds "O" layer. Indeed conditions become more than optimal for lush root growth elongating through mats of mycelium. Except when roots grow throughout raised bed, they are more prone to heat of summer and freezing through winter. Resulting in these feeder roots dying off and themselves benefiting decomposing organic layer. But to an Arborist like myself, its sad witnessing trees eat themselves! PS: Today with all the American Ash trees being sacrificed to Emerald Ash Borers, then ground up into free wood chips. And mountains of stuff dropped off by municipalities in front of residences properties. All that stuff has very little time to cook, and begin decomposition during time required composting processes. Any viewpoints on this common practice?

  • @billastell3753

    @billastell3753

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you CONCERTMANchicago Although a long post it was well worth the time I used to read it. With regards to the possibility of wood chips containing Emerald Ash Borers, I expect they often do. Wood chips often contain other pathogens and tree species that are not the best for putting on a garden. For example white cedar and walnut wood chips. For me the bottom line is... the benefits of wood chips out weigh the possible downside.

  • @CONCERTMANchicago

    @CONCERTMANchicago

    5 жыл бұрын

    Bill, Can't believe I wrote all that. This old house video will explain why a trees "Primary trunk root flare" needs to be *"Visible"*. And not suffocated by soil or mulch.....ENJOY! kzread.info/dash/bejne/mH1llLqHftTSlKQ.html PS: Mounding in video is excessive, but just 3 inches causes same fatal damage.

  • @247btlggr
    @247btlggr Жыл бұрын

    FYI people don't use fresh wood chips. they need to sit ad least a year. they will hurt the plant as they will draw Nitrogen from the living plant. that's why they age fresh wood chips into mulch or long term into soil

  • @MrPondGuy

    @MrPondGuy

    Күн бұрын

    Incorrect. They only rob nitrogen from the top half inch of soil. Seedling roots are much deeper than that.

  • @wiktorpoliszczuk1372
    @wiktorpoliszczuk13726 жыл бұрын

    how do you compost wood chips?

  • @carbonado2432

    @carbonado2432

    5 жыл бұрын

    a LOT of nitrogen, from manure or cut up green plants mixed into the pile. Then add water

  • @sweetvuvuzela4634

    @sweetvuvuzela4634

    3 жыл бұрын

    If it’s arborists Chips it will have greens and browns just pile them at least a metre cube it will break

  • @wiktorpoliszczuk1372

    @wiktorpoliszczuk1372

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@carbonado2432 thank you

  • @carbonado2432

    @carbonado2432

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@wiktorpoliszczuk1372 the bacteria and fungus that composts requires oxygen AND water. That means it shouldnt be TOO wet, or TOO compacted. you can also speed up the process by covering it with a black tarp after you water the compost.

  • @wiktorpoliszczuk1372

    @wiktorpoliszczuk1372

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@carbonado2432 thank you

  • @UtilemUnus
    @UtilemUnus Жыл бұрын

    I didn't see any fungus. Is that just me or are you missing something? Don't the fungus need roots to attach to? Maybe some low cover plants growing around your trees would help build more fungus