SQWIB
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Mulch, Amendment or footpath mulch?

Mulch, Amendment or footpath mulch?
A coworker had some ducks that he got rid of and asked if I wanted these,

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I said yeah, they were supposed to be for my daughters rabbits but she said wood shavings are no good for the rabbits due to possibility of respiratory problems

Anyhow I'm stuck with these two bags and want to know if I can use them for mulch or soil amendment.

My parents newly built hugelkultur bed has a good amount of clay soil on top and I was gonna amend with manure, leaves, potting soil and a little peat moss I have left over from mels mix. Now since I have these shavings I was thinking about adding some of the shavings to the mix.
Will they tie up the nitrogen too much? How much could I get away with using?

If they are going to be more trouble than they are worth, do you think they I should just use them outside of the beds as a footpath?

I figured I could compost some but I have two huge bags.

PaulF
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I vote for footpath mulch. Personally I would rather not use wood chips in a vegetable garden. In a flower bed I think they would do fine. It takes a while for wood chips to break down. While it does require a little N in the process, the decomposed wood will ad to the organics of the soil. In a compost pile or kultur bed, mixed with the other ingredients, it would most likely be OK. Check the ingredients on the bag to be sure it is only wood shavings without added chemicals.

ButterflyLady29
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Is it pine or cedar? Cedar shavings are not good for rabbits but pine is okay. Aspen bedding is best but costs too much for my budget, also too hard to find here. If not cedar or black walnut, wood shavings work as a mulch or footpath cover. If you want to use them as mulch around your vegetables lay some sheets of newspaper down first and mix the shavings with grass clippings. They'll break down by the end of the season. At least that's how it works in my garden, but that's after the rabbits have peed on them.

SQWIB
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PaulF wrote:I vote for footpath mulch. Personally I would rather not use wood chips in a vegetable garden. In a flower bed I think they would do fine. It takes a while for wood chips to break down. While it does require a little N in the process, the decomposed wood will ad to the organics of the soil. In a compost pile or kultur bed, mixed with the other ingredients, it would most likely be OK. Check the ingredients on the bag to be sure it is only wood shavings without added chemicals.
ButterflyLady29 wrote:Is it pine or cedar? Cedar shavings are not good for rabbits but pine is okay. Aspen bedding is best but costs too much for my budget, also too hard to find here. If not cedar or black walnut, wood shavings work as a mulch or footpath cover. If you want to use them as mulch around your vegetables lay some sheets of newspaper down first and mix the shavings with grass clippings. They'll break down by the end of the season. At least that's how it works in my garden, but that's after the rabbits have peed on them.

Thanks guys,(Guys meaning everyone and not meaning gender specific :D )

I like the idea of using with grass clippings.

I'll use them up over time, composting, working in with greens.
Probably top dress the veggie beds lightly in the fall as well.
I'll also use some this spring around the flowers and shrubs.



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