If it is necessary to make the soil loose, use sawdust for the garden, the benefits and harms of which have been studied experienced gardeners. But using fresh sawdust is not recommended. First they need to be prepared. To do this, add urea or mullein infusion, cover with polyethylene, and then stir from time to time to speed up the process of overheating.

After a couple of weeks, the shavings are ready to be used as fertilizer. Much has been written in reviews about the benefits or harms of sawdust in the garden. Experienced summer residents claim that they take nitrogen from the soil, and therefore from the plants. They say that you should not use fresh sawdust in the garden, as the plantings will begin to wither.

The benefits of sawdust in the garden

Plants require loose soil to grow fully. The addition of rotted sawdust makes the soil a favorable environment for planting garden plants, the roots of which receive sufficient quantity moisture and oxygen. The use of sawdust allows you to get rid of the crust during dry periods.

They contain a large number of fiber, essential oils and active substances. The material is successfully used to eliminate soil moisture. To do this, dig ditches between the rows and fill them with sawdust mixed with lime. Their regular use improves soil composition, reduces the number of weeds, and increases productivity.

What is their secret and how do they work?

They form natural ecosystem for plants in the garden. It is important to use sawdust that has not been chemically treated or contaminated. Otherwise they will become a real poison for garden crops. If rotted sawdust is used as mulch at the beginning of summer, then by the end of the season, as a result of loosening and the activity of earthworms, it will mix with the soil.

A thick layer of sawdust distributed over the surface of the earth during the rainy season prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface. This negatively affects the condition of fruit and berry crops.

Basic rules for using sawdust

Wood sawdust perfectly mulch the soil. They are sprinkled with a thick layer after planting the seedlings.

Advantages:

• the weed disappears;
• soil moisture is maintained;
• protection from insects;
• the soil remains loose;
• favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria.

Mulching

Do you need sawdust for your garden in the fall? Everyone is trying to find out their benefits and harms. As a rule, the soil is mulched for the winter. To do this, fresh sawdust is mixed with peat or manure and scattered on the beds. Over the winter, the wood decomposes and becomes a nutritious substance. In the spring, they dig up or loosen the soil.

High warm beds

Every summer resident should study the benefits and harms of sawdust for the garden. How to make multi-layered ones in a low-lying area raised beds? For such purposes it is convenient to use sawdust. Upper layer fertile soil cleaned up. They build a side and cover it with film to retain moisture in the bed. Form a trench and fill it with straw, hay or grass. Next, sawdust soaked in urea is placed on top of this, then a layer of organic residues is placed and the whole thing is completed with a fertile layer of soil.

Mulch for strawberries

Do pine sawdust bring benefit or harm to the garden? Sawdust used as mulch under strawberry bushes protects them from contact with the soil. Thanks to them, the berries are protected from the effects of gray rot. For this purpose, fresh pine shavings treated with urea are used. Mulch is applied in the fall to protect strawberries from freezing and create an obstacle for many weeds. Pine sawdust in the garden repels weevils, the benefits or harms of which can be determined by practical experience.

Sawdust in a greenhouse and greenhouse

Sawdust is a useful fertilizer for soil in a greenhouse. They are sprinkled plant remains and manure, which warm up in the spring and rot faster. The air permeability of the soil increases, it becomes loose and nutritious. In autumn, straw, mown grass and tops are laid out on the garden bed.

In the spring, add fresh manure and sprinkle with lime and sawdust and mix with a pitchfork. Then lay the soil mixed with ash and mineral fertilizers. To increase the speed of heating, pour boiling water over it.

Sawdust for early potato harvest

So, why do we need sawdust for the garden? What are their benefits and harms? Using sawdust helps speed up the potato harvest. Select tubers early varieties and germinate in the light. 10 cm of sawdust is poured into the bottom of the boxes, tubers with sprouts are laid out and sprinkled with moistened sawdust. Set aside for 2 weeks.

Substrate care features:

• the optimal temperature is not higher than +20 °C;
• sufficient hydration.

Before planting, cover the soil with film to warm it up. Sprouts 8 cm high are watered with complex mineral fertilizer and planted in prepared holes. First, cover the potato planting with straw or hay, and then with film.

Sawdust and plant insulation

To prevent sawdust from getting wet, they are stuffed into bags. Then they are laid out around the plants. If sawdust is poured around the plant and not covered, it will get wet and turn into an ice crust in winter. Rodents also like to hide in them, so be sure to cover them with polyethylene.

Sawdust for seed germination

The seeds are comfortable in moistened sawdust, but if the plant is not replanted on time, it will die.

The germination technology is as follows:

1. Sawdust is poured into the container and the seeds are laid out.
2. Sprinkled thin layer sawdust
3. Cover with polyethylene and put in a warm place (+25...+ 30 °C).
4. As soon as the shoots appear, the container is removed to a cool place.
5. Remove the polyethylene and sprinkle with soil.
6. They dive when the first true leaf appears.

This technology can be used when germinating any types of seeds.

DIY fertilizer

Nutritious compost can be prepared 4 months in advance. Thick polyethylene is spread on the ground, shavings, weeds, and leaves are poured. Add 200 g of urea and pour in 10 liters of water or mullein. Cover the top with polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect. Under the influence of sunlight, the process of reproduction of microorganisms begins, and the sawdust quickly rots. The main thing is to monitor the humidity inside the heap and stir it periodically. Vegetables and raspberries can be mulched with semi-ripe sawdust.

After a month, the matured sawdust is ready for use in the garden beds. The constant use of such fertilizer will make the soil loose, similar in consistency to that sold in flower shops.

Disadvantages of using sawdust and cautions

So, we have already found out whether fresh sawdust brings benefit or harm to the garden. If you add sawdust without waiting for the moment when it has completely rotted, then the wood will take some of the nitrogen from the soil for the decomposition process, as we discussed above. The acidity of the soil may also increase and the growth of beets and cabbage will slow down.

Before the start of winter, it is not recommended to fill the beds with a thick layer of sawdust, since the layer below will begin to overheat, and no changes will occur on top until the onset of spring. Spruce or pine shavings contain a lot of resin, which garden plants do not like. Sawdust generated during construction work, may contain chemicals. Therefore, they are used with caution.

IN household, especially during construction work, sawdust accumulates - waste from carpentry work. Some young owners, not realizing what invaluable material for gardening fell into their hands, immediately throw the waste into the fire, and then scatter the ash, like fertilizer, throughout the garden. Indeed, where can you use sawdust, how to use it, and is it worth the candle? I hasten to reassure readers. There are many ways to use sawdust in gardening. They just need to be used correctly. Let's try to figure out where and how sawdust is used.

Sawdust for use in the garden. © Bills Garden Tips

What is sawdust?

Sawdust is waste from sawing wood and other materials (plywood, panels, etc.). Sawdust material is quite lightweight. Bulk density sawdust is 100 kg per 1 m³ and 1 ton contains 9-10 m³ of raw materials at a standard humidity of 8-15% (Table 1). This material is very convenient to use.

Table 1. Bulk density of sawdust

Characteristics of sawdust composition

The chemical composition of sawdust is characterized the following content chemical elements:

• 50% carbon:
• 44% oxygen:
• 6% hydrogen%
• 0.1% nitrogen.

In addition, wood contains about 27% lignin, which gives trees their lignified density, and at least 70% hemicellulose (practically, carbohydrates).

Natural organic material, when decomposed in the soil, provides elements needed by plants. 1 m³ of sawdust contains 250 g of calcium, 150-200 g of potassium, 20 g of nitrogen, about 30 g of phosphorus. Some types of sawdust (mostly coniferous) contain resinous substances in the wood, which negatively affect the growth and development of plants.

Sawdust – sterile substrate and when it gets into the soil it is immediately populated by microflora. Provided with organic material, microflora uses nutrients wood and soil, depleting the latter of necessary nutrients (the same nitrogen and phosphorus).

The composition of sawdust made from natural wood does not cause allergies and does not emit harmful emissions when burned. But you need to keep in mind that the above composition characterizes natural wood, the qualities of which are determined by the composition of sawdust. Sawdust as waste from artificially produced wood boards impregnated with adhesives and varnishes cannot be used in gardening.

Types of sawdust and their uses

Sawdust is named according to the main type of tree crop: birch, linden, oak, chestnut, pine, aspen, coniferous, etc.

All types of sawdust (any tree species) can be used on the farm. But first you need to reduce their negative impact on soil components using various methods.

This is the most accessible and inexpensive raw material, which has a wide range of applications in personal farming. Sawdust is used in the construction of outbuildings, for insulation of walls, floors and in other cases of construction.

But the most valuable use of sawdust is in gardening work:

• For improvement physical condition soil for planting garden or berry crops.
• As one of the components of compost preparation.
• How to use it for mulching vegetable, flower and garden crops.
• Sawdust has low thermal conductivity and can be used as insulation for heat-loving plants (roses, young southern fruit crops, exotics in cold regions).
• Sawdust is an indispensable component when preparing warm beds.
• As a covering material for paths to prevent them from becoming overgrown with weeds.

Methods of using sawdust

Improving the physical properties of the soil

Chernozem soils, clayey and loamy soils are dense and heavy. Most garden plants prefer soil that is light, loose, air- and water-permeable. Improve high-quality composition Such soils can be added up to 50% of the volume of the soil mass of sawdust when preparing greenhouse substrates or preparing soil mixtures for growing seedlings.

To prevent sawdust from reducing fertility, before applying it, it is mixed with semi-rotted manure or mineral fertilizers, a solution of urea or mullein are added.

Making compost using sawdust

Preparing compost eliminates all the negative properties of sawdust (depletion of soil nutrients, reduced oxidizing properties, reduced effect of resinous substances, etc.).

Compost can be prepared in two ways:

• receive fast or aerobic compost (with air access), which will be ready for use in 1.0-2.0 months;
• anaerobic compost (without air access); this preparation process is longer (3-6 months depending on the components used), but with this method the nutritional value of organic matter is preserved.

Sawdust compost. © Rocky Mountain Compost

Aerobic method of preparing compost

With this method, you can prepare sawdust-mineral, sawdust-organic and sawdust-mixed compost.

1. For sawdust-mineral compost, 1.25 kg of urea, 0.4 kg of superphosphate (double) and 0.75 kg of potassium sulfate are added to 50 kg (0.5 m³) of sawdust. Fertilizers are dissolved in warm water and shed sawdust, constantly stirring it or laying it in layers. Each layer is spilled with the prepared solution. During the composting period, the compost heap is stirred to increase air access, which will accelerate the fermentation of sawdust organic matter.
2. To prepare sawdust-organic compost, chicken droppings or manure are needed. Organic matter is added to sawdust at a ratio of 1:1 (by weight) and for fermentation it is mixed with sawdust or laid in layers. During fermentation, the pile is aerated with a pitchfork (fluffed).
3. To prepare sawdust-mixed compost, sawdust-mineral compost is first laid and after a month of fermentation, manure or chicken droppings are added. Manure is added in a ratio of 1:1, and chicken manure is 2 times less (1:0.5).

Remember that for fast fermentation, loose laying is necessary, without compaction. Air will flow freely into such a compost heap, which will accelerate the decomposition of the compost components.

If composts are laid in the spring, then by autumn they will ripen and be ready for digging. Such composts can be applied half-baked, after 3-4 weeks. They are not yet fertilizer, but have already lost their properties negative impact on soil and plants.

When digging, add 1-2 buckets of ready-made compost, depending on the condition of the soil.

Anaerobic method of preparing compost

With the anaerobic method, the compost heap is prepared over time, gradually adding components. IN compost pit 50 cm deep, lay in layers of 15-25 cm various crushed organic matter (leaves, branches, unseeded weeds, sawdust, manure, tops from the garden, waste food production etc.). Each layer is sprinkled with one or two shovels of soil and spilled with a fertilizer solution. Add up to 100 g of nitrophoska to a bucket of solution.

Unlike the first (aerobic) method, all components are compacted well to reduce air access. In this case, fermentation is carried out by anaerobic microflora. After laying the compost heap is completed, it is covered with film or a layer of grass. Fermentation lasts 4-6 months. Anaerobic compost is more “nutritious” and all types of waste (including coarse branches) are used for its preparation.

When preparing composts optimal humidity compost heap should be 50-60%, temperature +25...+30°C.

Mulching shrubs with sawdust. © nwfruit

Mulching the soil with sawdust

Mulching translated into Russian means covering, shelter.

Benefits of using sawdust mulch:

• Sawdust mulch - cheap natural material for improvement physical properties soil;
• she saves upper layer from overheating in hot weather;
• good insulation. Protects the soil from freezing and at the same time allows air to pass freely, preventing the development of putrefactive fungal and bacterial infections;
• mulch from pine sawdust promotes easy oxidation of the soil, which is important for a number of crops, especially flowers: begonias, pelargoniums, ivy, ficus, cyclamen, citrus fruits and others;
• protects ripening berries in contact with the soil from rotting and pests (slugs).

Disadvantages of sawdust mulch

The negative properties of sawdust appear when used incorrectly:

• V pure form this raw material takes 8-10 years to rot, using soil nutrients for fermentation;
• when using sawdust to prepare composts, the temperature rises very quickly;
• Raw materials with constant application increase the acidity of the soil.

Ways to use sawdust mulch

Only paths and other surfaces free of plant crops are covered with clean sawdust. For example: row spacing, paths, tree trunk circles in the garden.

Light-colored mulch reflects the sun's rays, which reduces heating of the top layer of soil.

As it shrinks, add clean mulch to the rows and paths. A layer of untreated mulch of 6-8 cm, constantly renewed, prevents the growth of weeds.

Mulch retains moisture well in the soil and on the surface. Keeps the top layer moist for a long time, protecting it from drying out and cracking.

Mulch is used as bedding for berry plants, whose crop spreads along the ground (for example: under strawberries, wild strawberries).

Mulch the soil around the perimeter of the crown of garden crops. You can use clean (untreated) sawdust - against increased weed growth and compost as an organic fertilizer.

The soil under plants should only be mulched with treated sawdust.

In rows with plants and under fruit bushes, only treated mulch (mature or semi-raw compost) is always added.

During the growing season, feed the plants on top of the sawdust. The applied fertilizers contribute to their faster overheating.

After harvesting, perform autumn work directly over the mulch: they dig up the soil with the preliminary application of mineral fertilizers and organic matter.

Mulching beds with sawdust. © Nikki

Using sawdust mulch to prepare high and warm beds

High warm beds prepared on any site (rocky, gravelly, with high groundwater levels).

Warm beds (low, above ground) are placed on cold soils, as well as for obtaining earlier heat-loving vegetables and growing seedlings.

In such beds they ripen faster vegetable crops, they suffer less from fungal rot and are affected by pests.

The beds are prepared in the usual way:

• a “drainage” layer of thick branches and other waste is laid under the base;
• the second layer is filled with sawdust and spilled with urea solution;
• sprinkle with any soil, literally a few shovels;
• the next layer is laid out from any other organic matter - straw, manure, chopped weeds, leaf litter;
• each layer has a thickness of 10-15 cm, and the total height of the bed is at the discretion of the owner;
• usually a thermal cushion made from organic waste is laid at a height of 50-60 cm;
• all the layers are shed hot water, better solution urea or any organic matter (manure, bird droppings);
• cover with black film; warming up usually lasts a week;
• after the temperature of active fermentation has decreased, the film is removed and a layer of soil is laid out.

The high bed is surrounded by a fence to prevent it from falling apart. Conventional warm beds are buried 25-30 cm into the soil or prepared directly on the soil, removing the topmost fertile layer(10-15 cm).

If it is necessary to quickly warm up the bed, use sawdust mixed with a small amount of lime and ash, and spill it with a hot urea solution. You can prepare a mixture of sawdust and manure. Gardeners also use other, their own methods of heating the soil of a warm bed.

Mulching garden paths sawdust. © Jason Dingley

Sawdust as insulation and covering material

Sawdust is a good insulation material for young seedlings and heat-loving crops.

• When planting heat-loving crops (grapes, various vines) in cold regions, large sawdust mixed with small wood chips is poured into the bottom of the planting hole (as drainage). They will serve as a heat insulator against deep cold.
• You can stuff it with sawdust (with a light tamper) plastic bags or bags and cover the roots and shoots of young plants on all sides before the onset of a steady cold snap.
• You can cover the vines of grapes, clematis, raspberries and other plants bent to the ground with sawdust along the entire length. Cover the top with film and press down or dig in from gusts of wind. Such a shelter is prepared just before the frosts, so that mice, other rodents and pests do not make warm winter “apartments” for themselves in the sawdust.
• A warm shelter can be prepared for rose bushes, other heat-loving crops and young fruit seedlings in the form wooden frames. Sprinkle sawdust on top of the frame. Place soil on the sawdust and cover it with film. The result will be a primitive dugout or a warm hillock. If sawdust is poured inside the panels and the panel cladding is covered with film, the bushes will survive the winter well. In the spring, the bushes need to be freed from sawdust so that when the snow melts, water does not get inside and the lower part of the plants does not begin to rot. Sawdust should not be left exposed. They will become saturated with moisture, freeze into one lump, and the plants under such cover will die.

The article provides only a small list of the use of sawdust in the garden and vegetable garden. Write about your ways of using sawdust. Your experience will be gratefully used by our readers, especially beginning gardeners.

After cutting down trees, sawing wood or construction work, sawdust always remains. Many, due to ignorance, simply throw them away or burn them, depriving themselves of very useful material. Where and how sawdust is used can be read in detail in this article.

What are sawdust used for?

This, in fact, waste can be used for the following purposes:

• To add looseness to the soil.
• Fertilizer as a component of compost.
• Mulching of garden crops.
• Insulation in the cold season for heat-loving plants.
• Covering material for paths.
• Storing vegetables and fruits.
• Growing seedlings and mushrooms.
• In decorating.
• Construction works.

It’s just important to remember that there is different types sawdust Some may not be suitable for specific purposes. For example, pine sawdust is not suitable for fertilizers and working with soil. But birch, linden, fruit tree, and maple sawdust are universal.

Garden work

In order to use sawdust on your site, you need to know all its features. Since when misuse and used in their pure form, they may not only not give the expected effect, but also cause harm.

Fertilizer for beds

In order for sawdust to serve as a fertilizer, it must be mixed with minerals. There are two good reasons for this:

• Sawdust in its pure form makes the soil acidic.
• Nitrogen, which is so necessary for most plants, is removed from the soil.

To avoid such problems, making compost is a great option. Two cooking methods:

1. Fast way: with air access. Can be used after 1-2 months.
2. Long-term method: with limited air access. Such raw materials will be ready in 4-6 months.

And now more about these methods

Instant compost

There are three varieties, depending on the constituent components:

• Sawdust-mineral. To prepare it, you need to adhere to the proportion: for 5 kg of sawdust (in 1 10 liter bucket - 1 kg of sawdust) take 125 g of urea, 40 g of superphosphate and 75 g of potassium sulfate. Dissolve mineral fertilizers in water, pour over the sawdust, which is placed in the prepared hole. Mix everything thoroughly for better air access. Leave for a month, or better yet, two. Stirring occasionally.
• Sawdust-organic. In this option, you need to add chicken droppings or manure to the sawdust. With manure, the proportion of sawdust is 1:1 (by weight), and litter should be taken in half as much. Mix all. Leave to ferment, fluffing and stirring occasionally with a pitchfork.
• Sawdust-mixed. In this case, compost is prepared as in the first option - with mineral fertilizers. They stand for a month, and sawdust with organic matter is placed on top. Leave for another month, stirring regularly, and the fertilizer is ready for use.

Important to remember! No compaction or pressing. Looseness and free access of air are the main rules of this compost.

If you can keep this compost longer (3-4 months), then you can get excellent fertilizer. Having made a bookmark in the spring, in the fall you will get an excellent mixture for digging up the soil.

Long-rotting compost

You need to dig a hole about 50 cm deep. Throw into it crushed unnecessary organic waste from the garden and home (branches, leaves, grass, peels of vegetables and fruits, tops from carrots and beets, tomato stems, sawdust, manure, food waste) everything compact thoroughly. It is best to do this by pouring in small layers, pouring each layer with several shovels of soil. Pour nitrophoska solution at the rate of 100 g per bucket of water, gradually filling and compacting the hole. Cover everything with plastic wrap. To block air access. Keep for 4-6 months. High humidity and a temperature of at least 20°C are excellent conditions for good compost.

Remember: the longer the compost rots in the pit, the better it turns out. And even after 2-3 years, it will be an excellent fertilizer, better than a young one.

Growing seedlings and germinating seeds.

By mixing sawdust with soil (rotted or pre-treated with urea, ash or chalk), you can get excellent soil for growing seedlings of peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

But ordinary sawdust is suitable for germinating seeds. Pour a thin layer of these small pieces of wood, spread out the seeds, and cover with a thin layer of sawdust. Pour over and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for germination. When shoots appear, remove the film and lightly sprinkle the sawdust with earth. When the first true leaf appears, the plants are planted in separate containers with fertile soil.

Mushrooms on sawdust

You can grow oyster mushrooms on sawdust from hardwood trees. But the growing technology is not as primitive as it seems. You need to properly prepare the sawdust: mix it with hay, bran, and mineral components. The bran itself is simmered in hot water to remove microorganisms that live in them. Sow living mycelium into a moist substrate. Maintain high humidity and temperature from 8°C to 28°C.

Warm beds

A feature of these beds is the faster ripening of vegetables, since heating from below makes it possible to plant crops earlier than usual, and the ripening time with constant heat is reduced. Plants in such areas are less susceptible to disease and it is difficult for pests to get to them.

You can make a garden bed like this:

• Dig a hole, 25-30 cm deep, at the site of the future bed.
• Protect the edges with sides so that the bed does not fall apart.
• Place everything in layers, at least 10 cm thick.
• At the bottom there is a drainage layer of coarse branches and organic waste.
• Pour in sawdust and pour urea solution over it.
• Place a layer of whatever is on the site on top: straw, grass, leaves, chopped corn stalks, weeds, manure. The thickness of this layer is 15 cm.
• Sprinkle each layer with hot water or a solution of manure or chicken droppings.
• Cover with plastic wrap to reheat (for a week or 10 days).
• After the temperature begins to decrease, open the film and lay out a layer of soil (12-15 cm).

After such procedures, the bed is ready for planting vegetable crops.

You can use sawdust not only in the garden. They will also find work in the garden and flower beds.

Using sawdust in the garden

Shredded wood is an excellent insulation material for plants that are difficult to tolerate cold. Young seedlings also need insulation for the winter.

Sawdust insulation

If you use sawdust as insulation, you need to remember that they cannot be left on outdoors. They get wet, freeze, rot and destroy the plants. It is better to fill polyethylene bags with sawdust and cover seedlings or bushes with them. You can also do this: cover bent branches, vines or vines with sawdust. Then cover the top with film and secure the edges. But such insulation must be done before frost, so as not to create a shelter for rodents.

Mulching

For this purpose, you cannot use fresh sawdust. They need to be prepared: mixed with ash, poured with urea solution and allowed to brew for two weeks. Such sawdust can already be poured under the plants. The layer thickness is no more than 4 cm. Strawberries, raspberries, strawberries, and garlic like this mulching. It is better to add this product in the spring. It is better not to do such manipulations in the middle of summer. For garden crops, mulching should be carried out along the perimeter of the crown. Fertilize and water on top of the mulch.

From a practical point of view, such paths have proven themselves well in both dry and rainy weather. The likelihood of getting dirty is reduced to a minimum. And the dense layer does not allow weeds to break through.

Using sawdust for decorative purposes

Stuffing for crafts

Well-dried sawdust can be used as a filler for stuffed animals in the country, summer pillows on the terrace, decorative and soft toys.

Colored sawdust

Crushed wood can be easily painted with gouache solution. After drying, you can make applications from it, gluing it onto cardboard to create a picture. A soft decorative rug will appear on the floor or path.

Other Applications

Harvest storage

Sawdust is an organic material that is successfully used to increase productivity in summer cottages. In the garden and vegetable garden, sawdust can be used to fertilize the soil and control weeds and pests. If you mulch trees and shrubs correctly, you can improve the quality and extend the harvest time.

Sawdust consists of fiber, various microelements, resins, essential oils, and therefore becomes an excellent fertilizer for all plants. They enrich the soil with carbon, which increases beneficial microflora. They make the soil looser, lighter, more breathable, which simply saves heavy loamy soils.

The ability of sawdust to retain moisture can be used very advantageously in dry areas and in lowlands that suffer from floods or rainstorms. To remove from plants excess water, make small trenches (30–40 cm wide, 20–25 cm deep), fill them with sawdust. And to retain moisture in the soil, mulching is done. Mulch made from fresh sawdust prevents moisture from evaporating, reflects sunlight due to its color, and therefore prevents the earth from overheating in the hottest summer. Properly organized mulching relieves summer residents from the need to frequently loosen the soil and weed the beds, because it prevents crust from forming after rain. And if any weed sprouts, it is very easy to remove it from the loose, airy soil.

The roots of many shrubs are located at shallow depths; provide them the right amount Tyrsa scattered around the stems will help with moisture.

Sawdust of which trees to choose

For fertilizers, you can use crushed parts of all trees, as long as they are not treated with chemicals. But coniferous sawdust contains a lot of resin, which slows down decay, so they are not used for compost or as part of complex fertilizers. But they perfectly repel the Colorado potato beetle, weevil and other pests - they are useful for sprinkling the rows of potato beds, covering strawberries, roses or other plants for the winter. Pine sawdust The Colorado potato beetle really doesn't like it in a potato bed, but it is advisable to change them at least three times over the summer - then there will really be results. You can mulch beds with eggplants and bell pepper, which are also often attacked by this pest.

Most often, people use a wide variety of tyrsa, without caring about the types of trees. Probably, the trees we use in the construction and furniture industry are only those that will not harm the plants in the country. The main thing is to use sawdust correctly, knowing that an excess of it can greatly acidify the soil, and burying it fresh can deprive the soil of nitrogen. Lime, wood ash, urea or manure will help enrich the soil with useful elements without disturbing the acid balance or reducing the amount of nitrogen.

Video “All about mulching the soil”

What is the best way to mulch the soil and why it is needed.

How to use

Regular introduction of rotted sawdust with manure and ash (or lime) into sandy soil, of course, will not turn it into black soil, but will significantly increase its fertile potential and will increase the yield of literally all crops. It must be remembered that fresh sawdust is mixed with fresh manure, and rotted sawdust is mixed only with rotted manure. If the soil is not too alkaline, you can always add lime flour or ash to prevent excessive acidification.

Vegetable beds can be mulched with a thin layer of sawdust (optionally mixed with manure) immediately after planting the seedlings. This will help retain moisture and make caring for plants less burdensome - you will have to loosen and weed less often. By the end of summer, the tyrsa will mix with the top layer of the earth and make it more loose and airy. This way you can organize an unobtrusive but constant delivery of the necessary fertilizer to the root system of plants.

Useful for trees and shrubs

Wood waste can be used for mulching not only for vegetable beds. It is very useful to sprinkle a thick layer of sawdust on the ground in the raspberry patch. They do it this way: a thick layer of tyrsa (20 cm) is sprinkled with lime, and diluted urea is poured on top. Thus, it turns out that the earth constantly receives organic fertilizer, retains moisture, constant temperature - even in the hottest, driest summer, raspberries will have enough moisture, and a thick layer of mulch will protect the soil from overheating. The owner will not have to loosen the soil often, and there will also be significantly fewer weeds. The result of such care will be an increase in yield, even an extension of the fruiting period.

Currant roots are located at a depth of 10 cm from the surface; very often the ground dries out in the summer or freezes to such a depth in the winter. Some gardeners use wood waste to create more comfortable conditions this plant. It has been proven by experience: if you mulch the ground around the bush, currants grow better, the fruits are larger and sweeter. In large beds, it is recommended to cover the entire soil with sawdust, even between the rows of bushes. The same applies to other shrub plants in the country.

The ground underneath fruit trees Often they also mulch in order to retain moisture, get rid of weeds or overheating. It is noticed that then more side shoots appear. In addition, young trees shelter wood waste to protect the roots from freezing. But it is important to do this just before frost, so that mice do not make winter nests in warm organic mulch. It is better to cover the soil under a tree in the spring with fresh grass with manure - slow rotting will provide feeding for the entire growing season. If there is a danger of excessive acidification, it is worth adding lime or ash.

Sawdust can bring as many benefits to trees and shrubs as it does to vegetables in the garden beds. The main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise you will have to remove compacted but not rotted remains so that they do not delay the freezing of the earth in the spring. Some summer residents are afraid spring frosts, in this way (by building a thick layer of sawdust and snow around the trunk) they try to delay flowering. But competent botanists do not approve of this - not all trees can benefit.

Video “How to mulch trees”

This video tells and shows how to mulch trees using sawdust and wood chips.

Sawdust as a fertilizer causes a lot of controversy among gardeners and gardeners. Many people consider them excellent fertilizer, others oppose the use of such organics. Which one is right? Like any fertilizer, the use of sawdust requires some knowledge, since if you use it thoughtlessly, you will not get a positive effect, but you can also cause harm.

Options for using sawdust on garden plot a bunch of:

• Effective mulching material for forming beds;
• Sprinkle sawdust on the paths;
• Used as a substrate for germinating seeds and potatoes, as well as for growing seedlings;

The effect of sawdust on the soil: benefit or harm?

Soil rich in a large amount of loosening organic matter, for example, sawdust, is breathable, absorbs moisture well, as a result, plants actively develop in such soil. Such soil is not subject to drying out, does not form a crust during dry periods, and therefore requires less frequent loosening.

However, all of the above advantages apply largely to rotted sawdust, which is dark or light brown in color.

Fresh sawdust

Using large amounts of fresh sawdust can do more harm than good to the soil.

• During the decomposition of sawdust, soil bacteria consume a large amount of nitrogen from the soil, thereby significantly depleting it. Plants growing on this land are deficient in this essential microelement.
• In addition, fresh wood shavings are replete with substances harmful to vegetation, such as resins.
• Fresh sawdust can negatively affect the condition of the soil, as it has an acidifying effect. Therefore, when using them, the soil needs additional liming.
• Therefore, fresh sawdust should absolutely not be used. Most the best option, make compost from sawdust.

Sawdust compost

When preparing compost, you also need to adhere to some technology, because if you just dump wood shavings in a heap, and hope that it will rot over time. This process will take a lot of time. The fact is that sawdust piled up will never get wet through and through (this required condition rotting), even if there are heavy rains. The wet top layer, after drying, forms a strong crust that protects the lower layers from any influences.

• In the compost heap, mix 1 cubic meter. sawdust with manure (100 kg) and bird droppings (10 kg);
• Sawdust should first be thoroughly moistened with slurry or water;
• You can also add fresh grass clippings, fallen leaves or plant waste to speed up the process.
• In case not required quantity manure, it can be replaced with a solution of urea (200 g per 3 buckets of sawdust), or a solution of mullein and bird droppings.
• During the year, the compost will mature, during which time it is necessary to regularly moisten and cover the biomass so that the beneficial substances are not washed out.
• To improve the quality of compost, you can add a little soil at the laying stage: 2-3 buckets per 1 cubic meter. sawdust, then earthworms and microorganisms will become accelerators of wood decomposition and transformation into high-quality compost.

Keep in mind that if the sawdust was stored near abandoned areas where there were thickets of weeds. Such sawdust should be cleared of possible contamination with weed seeds using the hot composting method. To do this, the temperature in the biomass should be brought to +60C. This can be achieved by watering the sawdust with hot water and immediately covering it with plastic wrap to maintain the temperature.

Mulching material

Sawdust as a fertilizer and as a mulching material is sprinkled in a layer of 3-5 cm. This material is especially good for mulching the soil under raspberry bushes, strawberry and strawberry beds, when growing vegetables, as well as for flowers.

Rotted sawdust is immediately ready for use, but fresh sawdust should be prepared first, as it can draw nitrogen from the soil.

Preparation for mulching

• Place a large oilcloth or film on the ground
• Pour sawdust (3 buckets), urea (200g) in order and moisten evenly with 10 liters of water, then repeat everything in order.
• At the end of the work, cover the sawdust with film, making it as airtight as possible, and place a few stones on top.
• After two weeks, the sawdust is ready for use.

It is most effective to use this mulching material in the first half of summer, during the period when active evaporation of moisture occurs from the soil. With this approach, by the end of summer the mulch will have done its useful work, and thanks to the work of earthworms and regular loosening, the sawdust will be completely mixed with the soil.

If initially a too thick layer of mulch was poured, then by the end of summer it should be mixed with the soil, thoroughly loosening the soil. Otherwise, with the onset of spring, the frozen layer of mulch will become an obstacle to thawing of the soil cover. It is especially important to take this fact into account when processing areas where early spring plantings are carried out.

For greenhouses and greenhouses

When growing cucumbers and tomatoes indoors, sawdust as a fertilizer is an irreplaceable material.

Sawdust is used in combination with manure and all kinds of tops; in this combination, the compost rots much faster. When preparing compost, you should keep in mind: fresh sawdust is added to fresh manure, which will take on excess nitrogen; when using rotted sawdust, rotted manure or sawdust as independent material– because they do not require additional nitrogen.

Sawdust can be added to the beds of greenhouses or greenhouses in spring and autumn. To add sawdust, you can use this method:

• In the fall, place a layer of vegetation residues (straw, fallen leaves, mown grass and plant tops) on the beds;
• Add a layer in spring fresh manure and sprinkle it with lime and a little fresh sawdust;
• Thoroughly mix sawdust, manure and plant residues;
• Then you should cover this mixture with straw or leaves and lay a layer of soil, adding ash and mineral fertilizers to it;
• For better heating, it is recommended to pour boiling water over the soil and cover it with film.

Sawdust for sprouting potatoes

For getting early harvest Potato sawdust serves as an irreplaceable material.

• First of all, you should acquire the required amount of moistened sawdust and sprouted potato tubers of early varieties.
• A couple of weeks before the planned planting of potatoes in the ground, fill the boxes with sawdust to 10-15 cm, place the potato tubers there.
• Place a 3-5 cm layer of substrate on top.
• Make sure that the substrate is optimally moistened, do not allow it to dry out or become waterlogged, and maintain a temperature of no more than 20C.
• When the sprouts reach 6-8 cm, water them thoroughly with complex fertilizer and plant them together with the substrate in the holes, sprinkling the tubers and potato sprouts with soil.
• It is recommended to pre-heat the soil; to do this, cover the soil with plastic film in advance.
• After planting potatoes, cover the entire area with hay or straw, and then with the same film, to prevent the tubers from freezing.
• As a result, the potatoes will ripen several weeks earlier than usual.