I think that you forgot to mention a major factor why wood chips are so beneficial, and that is that it provides lots of surface area for beneficial microorganisms to grow and reproduce. And those micro organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, also help to break down the wood and to turn it into plant available nutrients. And plants and trees seem to grow better in a fungi dominated soil. But those micro organisms also turn nitrogen into a form of nitrogen that is a plant available nutrient. In return for that nitrogen the microbes receive sugar from the roots from the plants and trees. Plants and trees need the micro organisms for their source of natural nitrogen. 👍

@srantoniomatos

7 ай бұрын

What microbes? Nowdays people comment a lot about this, talk composteas, and stuff...ehat are you talking about? This is not clear science for soil scientists. Not yet. For the rest of us its just post modern witchcraft! There are all kinds of "microbes", including bacteria, in all soils. Some are good to some plants, some are bad...some kill plants! Most bacteria live for minutes, hours, sometimes seconds! Some live in wet cold winter, some in hot dry summer... Soo...what are you talking about?

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Yes gotta take care of the micro herd.

@insAneTunA

7 ай бұрын

@@StefanSobkowiak Thank you for sharing all your experience. I think that you are helping a lot of people 👍

Thank you sir, really appreciate what you do GOD bless you and your family!

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Thanks we’re glad you liked this one

I do believe I have a fantastic mix of some of the best aspects of this type of soil. While a good portion of my property is hard pack clay, mostly in my fields and yard, the areas I have created for my gardens and orchard plots were forested. I won't carry on with the massive amount of work it took to clear these areas. The soil in these spots is absolutely wonderful. Night and day difference from the surrounding soil. It is soft, full of organic material, holds water well but with good drainage, full of life- the whole food web. I also am on what was once upon a time a glacial area, so there is deep minneralization. I left many of the stumps in the ground to decompose in place. Most of the trees I disposed of were box elder(norway maple) and other invasive, crap trees. They are in large heaps on the edges, slowly but surely breaking down over the years being saved for future use. Anyways, I use wood chips in the garden and orchards for many reasons. I have other methods of composting as well to help make up for nitrogen depletion, such as chicken coop scrapings, leaf mulch, very old composted manure piled up in the barn etc... My point is, I do believe, based on observation, that what you are teaching is spot on. I have my first orchard started out in a hard pack area that is slow going and will soon be passed up and out done by the newer planted areas I described. I figure, what better place to grow trees than where the trees were already growing and thriving. Live and learn. Takes some time and some trial and error, but I sure do love it! Thank you so much for helping me learn along the way.

Diva Soil...pretty accurate. 😂 Keeping all the water for herself. One thing to never mix with clay soil is sand it actually makes it worse. Just chased down a tree trimmer to beg for wood chips and so excited the left me some!" Time to show this Diva who's boss.

So true! We just moved away from our property that was clay. I covered a lot of it with wood chips and got some fantastic soil that I planted fruit trees in. Now we’re in the country with a whole acre and, like you, we have a gravel pit behind/surrounding us. Now we have sandy soil over rocky soil and then clay. I’ll be covering with wood chips again.

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

From one extreme to the other of the soil spectrum.

Great! But I only grow fruit trees on big tubs..turns out my plum, oranges, and figs love it!

Great information. Always learning. This type of information definitely expands possibilities.

Thanks for the helpful tips, Stefan. I just planted your Plum tree and I will be mulching it heavily to protect it this winter.I hope to get a wood chipper next year. Thanks for everything.

....and deep moldboard plowing. Coarse organic matter and deep plowing allows you to recreate all the benefits of an organic 'muck' type soil, but in a more manageable form.

I've been trying to accelerate composting of arborist wood chips before using them to amend my clay soil. To a 10,000 pound pile of chips I add 55 pounds of Urea, 40 pounds of hard wood ash, 30 pounds of sugar, and 40 pounds of lime. I get mushrooms in the first week. In another location I have them laid on about 2 feet thick over a wide area, and I have other piles I'm working on with Ammonia. All told I'm experimenting with about a hundred thousand pounds of chips.

This was a great video - thank you for your knowledgeable advice!

@StefanSobkowiak

6 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Very useful!

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Although I completly agree with woodchips especially for fungi life , I did hear manure is better and faster to change heavy clay soils into more of a loam composition by soil scientist ( Gardening in Canada YT channel). Woodchips on my heavy clay last year made this years garden really do great with almost no watering too.

Excellent video. Do you have a comparable one on what to do with very sandy soil?

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

All my other videos deal with a very sandy situation since our farm is next to an active sand pit. We did this video for people who have clay.

now I would love a similar video about sandy soil, im doing the woodchip thing on my soil, but it's like the water thats below the woodchips just drains out, and the woodchips ontop soak up all the rainwater and doesnt let it down to the roots, I hope in a few years the broken down woodchips will start to follow the water down i into the sand and thus give better water retention deeper down in the soil. But for all new platings I add alot of compost in a big deep hole now and hopeing that gives some better local water retention,

@jakobbrun6535

7 ай бұрын

The first rule for sandy soil is never let it be bare. Grass, or even better clover and wild flowers is a must, or it will dry out SO fast. And once sand is dry, it sort of becomes water repellent. And then yeah, compost is the way to go, along with any and all organic materials you can get on there. Once your woodchip layer starts breaking down, you will start to create that interface of humus rich soil between the sand and the more fresh woodchip. Keep adding more and more organic matter and that interface will grow and grow. Organic matter is the panacea for all soil types, but for different reasons :)

I came to watch the fascinating and educational videos but can’t help myself from lusting for Stefan. lol 😆. He is so handsome. Really nice arms he has too 😊

Thank you for this interesting topic. Will you be at Europomme this year?

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

No European tour this year.

... biochar seems to be missing from your list. Manure and compost, mulched with plants and dead plant matter is one thing... And that is from nigh on 40 years of 'playing' with both London clay soils and clay sandwiched with Oolitic limestone. Wood chips, also but slower help the soil if used as the pathways in between no-till/no-dig veg beds where their high C:N ratio is even more beneficial. Orchard wise - I can only imagine, as that is more of the future project. Great content - thank you and keep on rolling.

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Good point.

Can you please do a video on planets and ground cover or soil amendments that can remove heavy metals and toxic metals from the soil. Links in description would be helpful. Living inMaui and we have a big problem after the fires all the manmade materials are a toxic soup mix just add rain. What recommendations do you have or areas to seek answers?

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Look up or get Paul Stamet’s book ´Mycellium Running ´ he has a chapter or bioremediation using wood chips. If you have access to wood chips from any wood cleanup crews you have the best proven material to clean up nasty byproducts. All the best.

@bbtruth2161

7 ай бұрын

Try sunflowers. Many benefits to these wonderful plants.

We have clay soil but live in an area prone to have termites so adding wood chips is a no go. What else would you suggest adding?

@jakobbrun6535

7 ай бұрын

Lots and lots and lots of autumn leaves. And I mean LOTS. High C to N content, breaks down over years, not months, and will turn your top soil into that of a forest. Fruit trees love to grow in a forest - who would have thought! :D but! Be careful of walnut and possibly chestnut leaves, which can contain toxins which may harm other plants. Otherwise, a nice thick layer of green waste compost from the recycling plant will do wonders. Lots of people, at least where I live, toss their garden trees, branches, shrubs, autumn leaves and such to a recycling center which then makes massive piles of compost. It burns hot and fast due to sheer volume, but due to it being made from tons of branchy stuff will have a quite high C to N content, and thats what you want: carbon for the soil.

👍

we have started digging 10 feet deep and mixing both green and well broken down cow manure. feel that at 10 feet deep it will keep the soil broken up

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

10’!!!! Let the worms do it for you.

@johnskillen6208

7 ай бұрын

@@StefanSobkowiak

@johnskillen6208

7 ай бұрын

oh we will we have deep clay and trying to get below so water will drain off before snow water level was about 4 feet below ground level@@StefanSobkowiak

Rule #1: do not mix sand with clay soil... the result is stone-hard concrete.

Stephan, the last time you posted a community post, I commented on it trying to get our channel viewers to find it. I think it might've been marked as spam or some spam type of tick. Could you see yourself removing the tab, as my channel is in peril? If it wasn't you, no worries.

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear that Fin I will have my son go through and remove the tab but we did not flag it on our end. Hope this will solve your issue?

@FinnBearOfficial

7 ай бұрын

@@StefanSobkowiak thank you so much. I'm an admin on many channels, I know if he continues the way he has done so far - his batting average will remain at 99,8% 🤣🫡

@FinnBearOfficial

7 ай бұрын

Also, if it wasn't on your channel it probably was someone out to ban me for whatever reason. People hurt their feelings over the weirdest of things. 🤷‍♂️

I thought he was going to say dandelions

I think that loam soils are the best soils for fruit trees. Agree/Disagree? Please opine.

@StefanSobkowiak

7 ай бұрын

If you have it, enjoy.

@ascendant95

7 ай бұрын

@@StefanSobkowiak Hi Stefan! So do you agree with my assertion that might be lacking knowledge overall? lol

@StefanSobkowiak

5 ай бұрын

Not all fruit trees like the exact same soil best. They may grow but some will do better. Some prefer gravel loam, some sandy loam, some clay loam.

Do you believe in painting with lime to your fruit tree trunks?

@StefanSobkowiak

6 ай бұрын

I’ve never tried it but it used to be common practice.

So your big secret is use hardwood mulch? Hate to tell you, that's not a secret.

Wood chips? Sorry, but no.

Aime certain he is Linky!!! Cause talking so much for finally not telling us anything!!! arg arg !!!! Wood chips we knew it!!