Hello!
We've recently chopped our tuja (green giant) hedge, and put all the excess in a large pile in the forest on top of many old logs and sticks (almost no vegetation there because of the logs). The pile is about 7x7 meters wide and aprox. 1 meter tall. Will it compost? How long will it take? Will it stink? Will it help vegetation there once it's composted? Should we add something else to the pile to make it compost better?
In advance, thank you.
- Quantonium
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- rainbowgardener
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I expect this is thuja, I.e. arborvitae. It's organic, it will break down eventually, but it will take a lot of years. Evergreens are full of oils that make them rot resistant. Since it breaks down so slowly, it's not likely to stink. I don't know what you could add to compost it better, but running it through a chipper shredder would help. If it finally does break down, it would acidify the soil there, so it would be good for acid lovers, like blueberries, azaleas.
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- Greener Thumb
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That's pretty thick and deep.
Eventually in several years it will condense, break down, and dissipate. Not composting per se.
The critters will make use of it with burrows and tunnels, then bugs and fungi a little later on. Probably by the end of the summer the pile will look a little smaller and drier.
If you are in an area prone to forest fire, this is not a good idea.
Eventually in several years it will condense, break down, and dissipate. Not composting per se.
The critters will make use of it with burrows and tunnels, then bugs and fungi a little later on. Probably by the end of the summer the pile will look a little smaller and drier.
If you are in an area prone to forest fire, this is not a good idea.
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