What's new
  • ICMag with help from Phlizon, Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest for Christmas! You can check it here. Prizes are: full spectrum led light, seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!

Sawdust as mulch?

Knownasthebest

New member
Everything I do is organic, if it's not from our Earth, amendments, I won't use it, with such being said, I've read on various websites that sawdust and mulch deplete the soil of Nitrogen. I have two worm composting bins, should I mix the sawdust that I've accumulated from the trees I've cut down with wormcastings from my worm composting bin to add nitrogen/layers? Should I soak the sawdust in water before applying as a mulch? What about adding the wormcastings as well with water? Flowering season is soon, but frost isn't for a couple months, should I wait till a month before frost?

Amendments used:
Down To Earth:
Alfalfa meal
Azomite
Bat Guano
Blood meal
Bone meal
Feather meal
Fish Bone meal
Insect Frass
Kelp meal
Langbeinite
Oyster Shells
Neem Seed Meal
Seabird Guano
______
Sea-90


Do note; the plants that I'm growing are beautifully green with no signs of any nutrient deficiency. I'm just interested in trying sawdust as a mulch. And how it would benefit the soil during the fall season. Thanks for all your help!
And let's not leave a better planet for our kids, but raise better kids for our planet.
 

zzzybil

New member
as long as its not from treated wood . thinks it should be composted 1st . seen myco growin on rotting wood scraps soooooo ? honestly no authority but seen peeps feed worms cardboard ??????????? my guess in moderation should be fine tho setting it aside outside in a big pot to rot/compost prolly better
 

40degsouth

Well-known member
Gee whizz,
you’ve got a few value points already up for a “nubie” with three posts but my opinion is, mulch it with the saw dust you’ve got and hose it down with act’s, or any sort of organic liquid fertiliser you have on hand. Fungi will break the lignin down eventually. It won’t suck the nitrogen out of the soil sitting on top.
Cheers,
40
 

Knownasthebest

New member
Gee whizz,
you’ve got a few value points already up for a “nubie” with three posts but my opinion is, mulch it with the saw dust you’ve got and hose it down with act’s, or any sort of organic liquid fertiliser you’ve got. Fungi will break the lignin down eventually.
Cheers,
40

I've been growing for 17 years, I care about the world and want to produce amazing product not just for myself, but for friends, neighbors, and my community without the use of chemicals. There is nothing like smoking organic product, grown straight in mother natures soil.

What I care about most is using the sawdust at the most optimal time right before flowering. If it depletes the plant of nitrogen during flowering, it's a great thing, no?

Thankyou for the kind words!
 

hayday

Well-known member
Veteran
I’d be willing to bet that the wood chips from your trees would way better than sawdust from milled lumber. Like 40degs said ,innoculate it with some casting tea and let us know what’s up.
 

troutman

Seed Whore
Until it's fully composted it will use lots of N. ;)

Softwood sawdust will lower the pH. Hardwood sawdust would be better if you can get that.
Just keep an eye on the pH regardless what you use when composting lots of materials.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
I have a bunch of sawdust, from buying a bunch of fruit trees. The bare root trees come packaged in sawdust.

One of the best uses for it is in planting seedlings during warmer weather.

I stopped making a hole in the ground. I just drop a few corn seeds on the ground and then put a handful of wet sawdust on top.

As long as I keep the sawdust wet, everything goes as planned.
 

40degsouth

Well-known member
Hey everyone, this is awesome!!!!!
The most responses a thread’s got for ages.
A rose by any other name is still Jason.
40
 

40degsouth

Well-known member
Flylowgethigh is doing an experiment with piles of wood chips and adding straight urea to see what happens. Not 100% organic but still giving results of the experiment on here.
40
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
... not the greatest reference good buddy. He wings a lot of things. Nothing wrong with winging/experimenting with things perse, but it is not the best approach neither.
 

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
My experience with wood waste as a mulch or compost, is that it ties up a lot of nitrogen. In order for wood to break down and decay it uses a lot of atmospheric nitrogen. Be sure and add plenty of extra nitrogen if you use anything with wood in it. 😎
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
I've always wondered if growing jnto old rotted stumps is viable?:biggrin:

Dunno good buddy. I forgot more than I have learned these days (shit). I would have to say that (off the top of my head) without soil no and, if I was going to do it. I would be collecting local soil from the surrounding area. I guess the ? is, what is your ?

Disclaimer: I never was a guerilla nor do I ever have an intention to be :)
 
Top