Sawdust for the garden: the benefits and harms of such fertilizer. The use of deciduous and pine sawdust in the garden Sawdust for plants use

Ecology of consumption. Estate: Gardeners have been arguing about the benefits and harms of sawdust in their summer cottage for a long time. Some are categorically against their use, while others...

Gardeners have been arguing about the benefits and harms of sawdust in their summer cottages for a long time. Some are categorically against their use, while others regularly sprinkle them in a thick layer in the garden and claim that this improves the structure of the soil and fertilizes it.

Who is right? We'll figure out!

But first, let's talk about the properties of sawdust.

Properties that are useful and not so useful

1. Sawdust makes the soil looser

They help it breathe and prevent the formation of a crust on the surface of the earth, so you don’t need to loosen the plantings so often.

2. Sawdust absorbs and retains moisture

For plants, this feature is, of course, only a plus.

3. Weeds do not break through the layer of sawdust

A controversial fact... But partly this is true. In any case, not everyone will make it through.

4. Sawdust fertilizes the soil

But this is only true if they have rotted well and if they were introduced into the soil correctly.

5. Sawdust acidifies the soil.

And this is a minus. Some gardeners have had negative experiences and say that even fertilizers don’t help - almost nothing grows in the garden. Let's talk about this too.

6. Sawdust takes nitrogen from the soil.

They “steal” it from plants, and this is also a minus. However, any negative can be turned into a positive if you know how to do it.

Problems and solutions

So, Problem No. 1 is soil acidification. If you mulch blueberries, conifers or rhododendrons with sawdust, then there is no problem at all - they love “sour” things. For most other plants, acidification is detrimental.

Solution: If you remember from chemistry course, alkalis and acids neutralize each other by reacting. Remember how long ago you “quenched” soda with vinegar when preparing dough? The same can be done in the garden plot. Just instead of soda you need to use:

• ash (peat or wood);
• regular lime or special deoxidizing lime (sold in stores);
• dolomite flour;
• fertilizers (potassium chloride, potassium or ammonium sulfate, calcium or sodium nitrate, superphosphate);
• crushed chalk.

All in all, It is necessary to add alkalis with sawdust. The main thing is to follow the dose and rules. So, with lime and dolomite flour, you need to add fertilizers enriched with boron and manganese to the soil.

To find out the acidity of your soil, use special litmus tests. They are also sold in garden centers and are very easy to use (no chemistry knowledge required).

Problem No. 2 - “pulling” nitrogen. And with a lack of nitrogen, as we know, plants develop poorly.

Solution: urea (calcium nitrate). In this case, you must use water so that the fertilizer dissolves and the sawdust is saturated with it.

Now let's move on directly to ways to use sawdust in the country.

Areas of application of sawdust in a summer cottage

1. Sawdust - mulching material

The tasks of any mulching material:

• retain water in the soil;
• reduce the number of weeds;
• prevent erosion and soil erosion;
• prevent soil overheating in summer and freezing in winter;
• keep the soil loose;
• prevent the formation of crust on the soil surface;
• protect plants from pathogens present in the soil and falling on the leaves during watering;
• stimulate the formation of adventitious roots.

In order for sawdust to become a good mulch, you need to prepare it.

Here's one way:

• Lay out plastic film on the ground and pour a bucket of sawdust onto it. Distribute them.
• Sprinkle 200 g of urea.
• Pour in 10 liters of water.
• Cover the top with plastic, press down with stones and leave for 2 weeks.

After the sawdust has “ripened”, sprinkle it on the ground in a layer of 3-5 cm, mixing with the ash. Or you can mix it with alkali at the first stage. I’ll note right away that it’s not necessary to cook rotted sawdust this way, but fresh sawdust needs to be “marinated” in any case.

Gardeners who grow strawberries especially love this mulch - the berries are always clean and do not rot when they come into contact with the soil. At the end of the season, the sawdust is dug up along with the ground.

2. Sawdust + manure = good fertilizer

Manure is not a cheap pleasure. To generously fertilize the entire area, mix manure with sawdust and let it rot well. The worms will do their job, and the sawdust will quickly become safe for your garden.

The ratio is as follows: 1 cubic meter of sawdust requires 100 kg of manure (preferably cow manure) and 10 kg of bird droppings. This mixture should last for a whole year. Periodically, the compost heap needs to be watered, “flavored” with hay, grass, leaves and kitchen waste. It is better to cover the pile on top so that rain does not wash away useful elements. Instead of manure, you can use urea alone, mullein or a solution of bird droppings.

Before starting the compost pile, be sure to thoroughly moisten the sawdust with water. Slurry or liquid waste from the kitchen is also suitable. In addition, ordinary soil would be useful in the compost heap, at the rate of 2-3 buckets per cubic meter of sawdust - this is necessary so that the worms get to work faster.

3. Sawdust for paths

Firstly, it looks nice and neat. You can walk along such paths even in late autumn without the risk of getting your shoes dirty with mud.

Secondly, There is less grass growing on such paths. The sawdust is compressed and prevents the growth of weeds.

AND, Thirdly, sawdust sprinkled between the rows protects the edges of the beds from drying out. Do not forget that fresh sawdust must be prepared in any case.

4. Sawdust for beds

If your site is located in a low area, you can use sawdust to raise the level of the beds. To do this, dig a trench 25 cm deep, cover it with straw or hay and fill it with sawdust (with urea and alkali, of course). We place the dug up soil - the most fertile top layer - on top, thereby raising the level of the beds. Immediately place sawdust between the beds. When they rot, they can be used to fertilize the plantings.

5. Sawdust for seed germination

Sawdust easily replaces soil, but only for as long as the seed contains nutrients. If the plant is not transplanted into the ground in time, it will die.

To germinate seeds in sawdust, you need to do this:

• Pour a thin layer of sawdust into the container and place the seeds on it.
• Sprinkle the seeds with another layer of sawdust, lightly. You don't have to sprinkle it, but you will need to check the moisture content often. So it's better to sprinkle it.
• Cover the container with polyethylene and place it in a warm place (+25...+30 degrees). When shoots appear, the container must be removed to a cooler place, the polyethylene removed, and the sawdust sprinkled with soil on top.
• As soon as the seedlings have their first true leaf, we plant them in the ground in separate containers.

This way you can germinate almost any seed.

6. Sawdust and early potato harvest

Do you want to eat new potatoes before all your neighbors? Use sawdust!

What do we do:

• Sprout tubers of early varieties in the light.
• Moisten the sawdust with water and pour it into the box in a 10 cm layer.
• Place the potatoes on top, sprouts up, and sprinkle them with another layer of sawdust (2-3 cm).
• Keep the sawdust moist. When the length of the sprouts reaches 6-8 cm, we plant the potatoes in the holes and completely cover them with soil. You need to lay straw or hay on top, you can cover it with film for the first time (if it’s still cold).

This method of preparing planting material allows you to harvest the harvest several weeks earlier than usual.

7. Sawdust and plant insulation

The most reliable way is to fill bags with sawdust and place them around the plants. In this case, the sawdust does not get wet during bad weather, does not freeze, and does not become a habitat for mice. True, there is a more reliable way. Thus, the vine is often insulated in the following way: a frame is knocked together from boards (like a box without a bottom), placed on the plant, covered with sawdust on top and covered with polyethylene. They also put a layer of earth on top. With such protection, the plant is not afraid of any frost.

You need to carefully insulate plants with sawdust. If you just pour sawdust, it will get wet and then turn into an ice ball. In addition, as already mentioned, mice and other rodents can “have fun” in them. Therefore, it is better to use the dry method of insulation with sawdust, be sure to cover them on top with polyethylene and something inaccessible to mouse teeth.

8. Sawdust on the farm

What else can you do with sawdust in your dacha?

Here are some possible areas of their application:

Ceiling insulation

Of course, now there are more modern and safer materials - for example, ecowool - but you can use sawdust the old fashioned way. And if you mix them with clay and apply them to the floor of the attic, you will not only insulate the ceiling, but also take care of fire safety.

Room heating

There are even heating boilers that run on compressed sawdust.

Plaster for walls

Previously, this was the only way to plaster: they mixed clay with sawdust - and that’s plaster. Cement can be used instead of clay. The method is suitable, for example, for plastering a garden house or gazebo.

Sawdust in children's creativity

Children actually love them as much as sand! Did you know that you can even make colored appliques from sawdust? To do this, they need to be painted in a gouache solution and dried in the sun. Then draw some kind of outline on the cardboard, spread it with office glue and sprinkle multi-colored sawdust on it, creating appliqués.

Storing vegetables in the cellar

As you know, sawdust absorbs water well. Therefore, feel free to use them if the cellar is too damp: sawdust will absorb excess moisture, and fruits and vegetables will not rot.

Firing clay products

If you are interested in sculpting, you should know: a beautiful glaze on products appears when they are fired again using sawdust, when burned, the product quickly heats up and cools down.

Sawdust as a filling material

Do you make toys, decorative pillows for the garden or dolls? You can fill them with sawdust. By the way, now is the time to make a garden scarecrow for the new summer season.

Sachets

Juniper sawdust can be used to make cabinet scent. Place them in a cloth bag and hang them in the closet.

Animal bedding

In this case, sawdust plays 2 roles: floor insulation and hygiene products (absorb slurry and waste). However, not all are worth using. Of course, fruit tree sawdust is best - it contains less resin. Pine ones are possible, but it is advisable to dry them well first. But nut sawdust can even cause inflammation of horses’ hooves.

The main reason for the popularity of sawdust as a fertilizer is its relative cheapness, especially in comparison with expensive chemicals or manure. There are several main ways to use sawdust as a means to improve the structure and fertility of the soil.

Sawdust as a mulching material

Adding sawdust to the soil helps make it looser, thereby improving its hygroscopicity and ability to pass moisture, and also increasing the oxygen content in the fertile layer. The most effective is considered to be adding sawdust to the soil in the autumn. Sawdust should be spread in a thin, even layer immediately before digging up the garden. Sawdust is also used to create a mulch layer in raspberry fields or on walkways, from where they are evenly spread over the soil over time.

Sawdust for “soft” fertilizer

Fertilizing the soil in the process of growing garden crops is often associated with the risk of damaging the root system of plants. To avoid increased concentrations of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, they can be spread using sawdust. When adding urea to the soil, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:12 and sawdust is soaked in the resulting solution for one week. Chemical fertilizers are distributed in exactly the same way. Before fertilizing with bird droppings, it must be soaked in water and mixed with sawdust until a homogeneous thick mass is formed.

Sawdust with fertilizer is laid out in a ring around the base of the plant stem. In the process of periodic watering, sawdust will gradually release nutrients into the soil, which also helps to save fertilizers and reduce the frequency of feeding garden crops with them.

The use of sawdust in combination with compost

Sawdust can be used as a supplement to humus. Fresh sawdust should not be brought into the compost pit; it is much better to let it weather and become saturated with moisture. To do this, sawdust is packed in burlap and left in the open air for a long time. The supply of sawdust in bags can last for several years, but this will not reduce their beneficial properties. Sawdust is usually added to the compost pit in the fall, after it has been completely or partially cleaned. Pine sawdust itself does not contain a large amount of nutrients, but as part of the humus, it drains the top layer of soil well and makes the fertilizer composition more uniform.

Gardeners often use them for mulching and winterizing some crops. However, not everyone knows that sawdust can also be used as fertilizer. The pre-processed material will become an excellent organic fertilizer - in particular, the main component of a nutritional complex of natural origin.

Is it possible to add sawdust to the soil?

Sawdust is an excellent soil loosener. Thanks to them, the soil becomes much lighter and has excellent air and water permeability. Plant rhizomes begin to receive the required amount of oxygen, moisture and nutrients. This certainly affects their growth, development and fruiting.

However, controversy around sawdust continues: some gardeners are confident in their benefits, others see only harm.

Benefits of sawdust:

• Serve as a component of organic complexes.
• They have excellent heat dissipation.
• Retains moisture.
• Improves soil structure.
• Does not contain weed seeds.
• Capable of repelling harmful insects.

One of the interesting advantages of sawdust is the ability to repel the main enemy of all gardeners without exception - the Colorado potato beetle. This pest cannot tolerate fresh resinous spirit. He especially hates pine shavings.

When planting potatoes, the row spacing is sprinkled with sawdust. Precisely pine ones. To enhance the effect, this should be done at least 3 times during the summer.

The most valuable organic raw materials prevent the crop from drying out and overheating, which has a positive effect on the formation of tubers and the harvest as a whole.

Harm from sawdust:

• When applied fresh, nitrogen is drawn out of the soil, which significantly depletes it.
• If you dump sawdust, combining it with manure, in a heap and forget to stir, fungus will soon grow there.
• Wood shavings contain not only useful substances, but also resins that are harmful to some plants.
• Not suitable for areas with arid climates.
• Fresh raw materials can lead to acidification of the soil.

Composition and properties

Rotted sawdust contains microelements necessary for plants, essential oils, a large amount of fiber and a number of other essential substances. They supply the soil with carbon, in which beneficial microbes then happily settle.

Only properly processed, composted sawdust is endowed with such properties.

Pure wood shavings cannot be used as fertilizer. It contains too much nitrogen, cellulose, as well as resins and lignin, which deplete the soil. This is caused by the formation of countless microorganisms in decomposing raw materials that absorb the food intended for plants. First of all, it pumps phosphorus and nitrogen.

At the same time, the process of soil acidification is underway.

For this reason, fresh sawdust is not recommended to be added to the soil. Plants deprived of nutrition will simply die. But it is not forbidden to sprinkle the beds with fresh sawdust on top. They retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Under strawberry bushes, sawdust is most useful: it protects the berries from rotting, weevil damage, and simply from contamination.

Coniferous sawdust not only fights pests, but also disinfects the soil. However, their composition is replete with resins, which not all cultivated plants like.

Oak and birch sawdust are allelopathic - they release chemicals that inhibit the growth of certain crops.

Making fertilizer and preparing for application

To obtain complete organic fertilizer from sawdust, it is best to compost it. There, thanks to the warmth, they overheat faster. Already in the spring, humus is ready for laying - it is breathable and loose.

Sawdust-based compost

Its preparation requires careful adherence to technology. Simply throwing sawdust in a heap and waiting for it to overheat will not work. They require moisture to decompose. A pile of sawdust will never get wet through. Accordingly, the process of overheating can drag on for years.

Technology:

1. Choose a place for the future compost heap.
2. Mix sawdust (1 cubic meter) pre-moistened with water or liquid, any manure (100 kilograms), chicken droppings (15 kg).
3. Plant waste, weeds, and fallen leaves will only intensify the process of overheating. Therefore, you can safely add them to the compost.
4. In the absence of manure, you should use uric acid (200 g of urea per 30 liters of sawdust) or fresh mullein.
5. When the compost dries out, it needs to be moistened periodically.
6. To speed up the process, cover the pile.

The quality of compost can be improved by simultaneously adding all the components and a small part of the soil (a couple of buckets is enough). This will help the earthworms and microbes do their jobs more efficiently.

Do not forget that sawdust in contact with weeds will most likely become unwitting carriers of their seeds. They can be cleaned by hot composting, which deliberately increases the temperature inside the organic matter. To do this, the pile is immediately covered with polyethylene or simply spilled with boiling water.

Use in the garden

It is best to use sawdust as fertilizer in late autumn or spring. Preparatory work may vary depending on the type of plants being fertilized:

• Nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants) prefer the autumn application of fresh sawdust mixed with manure.
• Umbelliferae also love autumn feeding with fresh organic matter.

Carrots fertilized in the spring will respond by producing small, gnarled roots.

• Melon plants favor spring fertilization. But it is better to feed them with rotted biomaterial.

Sawdust for greenhouses

Their positive effect is difficult to overestimate. Sawdust is brought into greenhouses both in autumn and spring. And in any form: with plant residues, with any type of manure, in the form of compost.

To prevent sawdust from drawing nitrogenous compounds from the soil, they are first prepared - allowed to rot.

The beauty of such organic raw materials is that, together with manure and other organic matter, it warms the soil better. Plants begin to consume nutrients faster and more efficiently.

Greenhouse sawdust for the growth of cucumbers

Most gardeners strive for early sowing of cucumbers in greenhouses in order to quickly harvest the first harvest. However, in early spring the weather is changeable and frosts may occur. Not everyone has the opportunity to install even the simplest heater in a greenhouse to save seedlings from death. A proven method of insulating beds with sawdust will come to the rescue. They do it like this:

• Remove the top layer of soil, lay rotted sawdust, and spill slurry.
• Sprinkle with the same soil and form beds.

In such an environment, cucumbers are not afraid of minor temperature changes, because the crop will have enough heat until the end of the season.

Sawdust works great against cucumber pests. It is enough to simply sprinkle the trunk with a small layer of such organic matter, and insects will rush to leave the plant.

Sawdust for beds

Sawdust serves as the main material for forming beds and ridding the area of ​​excess moisture. When the garden is flooded with rain or flooding during the snow melting period, proceed as follows:

• a trench is dug around the perimeter (35 cm wide, 25 cm deep),
• they cover it with sawdust, and send the soil to the beds themselves - the excess water will go away.

After a couple of years, the most valuable organic fertilizer will be ready in the trench. All that remains is to extract it and use it.

Sawdust-based fertilizer is used for:

• vegetables and berries (from potatoes to strawberries);
• garden trees;
• colors;

Sprouting potatoes

Many gardeners want to enjoy young potatoes already in June. In preparing this crop for planting, sawdust has no equal.

About a couple of weeks before sending the potatoes to open ground, the sprouted tubers are placed in boxes with sawdust. They are sprinkled with a damp substrate on top. Leave indoors at +20 degrees.

As soon as the sprouts reach 7 cm, they are fed with complex fertilizer and planted in the ground.

The soil must be warm enough, otherwise you will have to cover the plantings with film.

Such potatoes begin to bear fruit 3-4 weeks earlier than usual.

Mushroom cultivation

In this case, fresh sawdust that has undergone comprehensive preparation will be useful. It is recommended to use birch, oak, willow, poplar, maple, and aspen sawdust for the substrate. They are the ones that are suitable for creating the ideal mycelium, which will hasten to please the owners with a rich harvest.

Insulation of garden trees

Fruit trees and berry fields require insulation for the winter. Sawdust comes in handy here. They are laid out in bags and tightly tied to prevent the ingress of water, insects, and rodents. Then they cover young trees. This type of insulation has been tested for years. There is no doubt about its reliability. It is also used to cover clematis and roses.

From ancient times to the present day, sawdust has been very popular among gardeners and gardeners. Low price, availability, lightness with large volumes, various uses (as fertilizer, for mulching, for loosening the soil, as an insulating material), make it an indispensable and useful substrate.

Small waste from sawing (sawdust) is environmentally friendly and is divided into:

• Birch.
• Aspen.
• Linden.
• Oak.
• Chestnut.
• Pine.
• Conifers.

The composition of fresh shavings is unsuitable for use as fertilizer. The point is that when such a substrate decomposes, a large number of different microorganisms appear - fungi, bacteria. To live, they take nutrients from the soil, such as nitrogen. In the future, this must be replenished by applying fertilizers.

Composition of wood remains:

• lignin - 27% - intended for lignification;
• hydrocarbons - cellulose - 70%;
• carbon - 50%;
• oxygen - 44%;
• nitrogen - 0.1%.

Wood waste contains a large amount of resinous and waxy substances that are harmful to plant growth. For this reason, fresh sawdust is processed and used as the basis for future compost.

The scope of application of chips is extensive. Let's look at examples of work in horticultural farming:

• At .
• During land reclamation.
• To obtain fertile compost.
• As a fertilizer.
• For covering plants in the cold season.
• For filling paths between beds.
• When growing mushrooms.
• To dehydrate an area when flooded with melt water (dig a trench and cover it with sawdust and earth on top).

Properties of sawdust

When mulching plants in greenhouses and on open surfaces:

• They retain moisture for plants when a layer of substrate is laid.
• They are a good protector of the root system from frost.
• Do not allow weeds to grow.
• Prevents the formation of crust on top of the soil.
• Reduces wind and water erosion.
• They prevent the earth from bulging out in winter.

Are common :

• They improve the quality of the soil structure (during reclamation, mixing with sapropel, the fertile layer is restored).
• Used as fertilizer (composted sawdust).
• They have a positive effect on the soil when growing seedlings.
• They have excellent heat dissipation.
• They are an excellent medium for mycelium (when mixed with peat, they retain moisture and protect from temperature changes).

Sawdust as fertilizer

Fresh wood residues from sawing cannot be used as fertilizer, since they do not contain useful substances for plant nutrition. To obtain humus, it takes from 3 to 10 years.

In order for sawdust to be used as fertilizer, it is necessary to compost. There are several ways. Here are some of them:

Composting using EM1 (Baikal or Tamir)

• sawdust - 100 l;
• earth - 10l;
• ash - 4 cups;
• nitrogen salt (carbide, saltpeter) - 1 glass;
• preparation EM1, at the rate of 2% of the total mass;
• Sugar (for pine sawdust) - 50g.

Earth, ash, nitrogen salt, sugar are mixed with sawdust. The drug EM1 is diluted in water at a rate of 1:100. The mixed substrate is poured with the prepared solution. It is hermetically sealed with a lid and plastic wrap and aged for 2-3 months. It is introduced under digging and used in the form of mulch.

It is a composition containing live bacteria. There are 1 billion microorganisms per 1 liter of volume.

Prevail:

• lactic acid bacteria;
• aerobic layers (yeast);
• nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

They create the microenvironment in the substrates necessary for compost.

Creating a layer of compost between the beds

• The space between the beds is filled with fresh sawdust to a depth of 10 cm.
• It is poured from a watering can with the prepared solution, at the rate of 100 ml of solution per 10 liters of water (the solution is prepared in advance from the ECONOMIC Bioconstructor preparation).
• After a year, the top layer can be removed and used for mulching.

The drug "ECONOMIC Bioconstructor" has three bottles:

• concentrate “Economy Harvest;
• nutrient medium;
• dietary supplements.

Compost with slurry

• Sawdust is loaded into boxes, pits, used bathtubs, and any other large containers.
• A solution of medium consistency slurry is prepared.
• The drug “Economic Dachny” is added to the solution at the rate of 5 liters per 1 sq. meter with a 20 centimeter layer of sawdust.
• Everything is thoroughly mixed.
• Covered with plastic film.

When producing compost, the following are important: moisture, heat, oxygen.

After 10-30 days, compost can be added to the beds and used for mulch.

The drug "Economic Dachny" is produced by the company "Biotechsoyuz", specializing in the production of biological products. This concentrate has many useful properties:

• speeds up the process of compost readiness;
• suppresses the growth of pathogenic microbes;
• non-toxic for plants, people, animals;
• eliminates odors;
• does not cause metal corrosion.

An easy way to make compost

You can get compost in your garden plot in 2 weeks, for this:

• Take 3 buckets of sawdust (fresh, not pine), 200 g of urea (urea).
• The entire substrate is laid in several layers, each layer is sprinkled with urea.
• It is well watered (humidity should be 50-55%).
• It is hermetically sealed with film and kept in the sun for two weeks.
• The resulting mixture can be used for mulching in greenhouses and open ground.

Important:

• Mulching tomatoes with sawdust compost increases the yield by 20-30%. Leads to growth of maturation, counteracts late blight disease.
• Mulching strawberries and wild strawberries prevents the berries from rotting.

Classic compost (sawdust-mineral)

To prepare the required composition you need:

• Fresh sawdust - 1 cubic meter.
• Double superphosphate - 0.75kg.
• Potassium sulfate - 1.5kg.
• Urea - 2.5 kg.

These inorganic salts are soluble in water. Sawdust is watered with this solution. The entire mass under the film is aged for 2 to 6 months, at a temperature inside the heap of + 40-50 degrees. When the temperature in the compost is 25 degrees, it can be used for digging.The composition of the composted mixture can be improved by adding manure (a month after the initial addition of the sawdust-mineral mass). increases the temperature inside the mixture and reduces the cooking time of the product.

Important!

In order for the process of organic mass formation to proceed efficiently, certain conditions must be met:

• Presence of sunlight;
• Wind protection (to keep the pile warm);
• When laying, make a layer-by-layer layout (sawdust, weeds, manure, etc.) from 150 to 200 mm;
• The layer below is drainage (small branches, dry grass, leaves).
• The next layer is wood waste from sawing (watered with urea or slurry).
• Next, layers of manure, soil (preferably forest), hay, and straw alternate.

When is the best time to use sawdust?

Many gardeners add sawdust to the soil in the fall to improve structure, water and air conditions (preferably for heavy soils). To do this, after harvesting, tops, grass, leaves, and straw are laid out on the ridges. By spring there will be an increase in soil inhabitants (worms, microorganisms).

In spring, fresh manure is added. All this and a layer of sawdust. The height of the layer should be no more than 3-5 cm. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Then leaves, straw, a layer of soil are placed on top, and mineral fertilizers are applied. For stronger heating, boiling water is poured onto the soil.

It is necessary to observe the terms of mulching of fruit trees and berry bushes. This must be done before mid-July, then by the beginning of September there will be nothing left of the sawdust substrates, since worms and loosening of the earth will contribute to mixing. Using mulch from July will have a bad effect on the ripening of annual shoots, since during intense rains the mulch layer will interfere with the evaporation of moisture from the ground.

Basic rules for using sawdust

When using sawdust, there are two main problems that need to be addressed before use.

Rapid soil acidification

The problem is solved by applying:

• ash;
• lime;
• fertilizers (superphosphate, sodium nitrate, potassium chloride, etc.);

When adding alkalis, the permissible doses must be observed. Acidity testing is determined by tests using litmus papers.

Extraction of nitrogen from the soil by sawdust

To prevent nitrogen deficiency and prevent poor plant development, it is necessary to use urea (). In this case, be sure to dissolve the fertilizer in water and saturate the substrate well.

Pros and cons of using sawdust

When using sawdust in horticultural farming, both positive and negative effects are observed.

Positive sides:

• accessibility and use during work at any time;
• using sawdust as fertilizer (producing humus by composting);
• enhancing the effect of organic soil components;
• are a barrier for weeds;
• when mulching, they retain moisture in the ground until spring;
• promote soil aeration;
• capable of killing pests and disinfecting soil (conifers);
• help soil oxidation for some plants (ficus, begonia, cyclamen, citrus, ivy, pelargonium);
• are environmentally friendly;
• protect the soil from the formation of a crust on the surface;
• are good protection of berries from rotting and slugs;
• increase productivity after application;
• has good heat dissipation.

Negative sides:

• Wood sawdust is not a pure fertilizer. When applied to the soil, it makes it poorer. Actively removes minerals and trace elements (nitrogen);
• when added to the soil, it increases acidity (the presence of organic waxy and resinous substances);
• overheats for a long time (8-10 years);
• the presence of substances that inhibit plant growth (allelopathic oak and walnut);
• prolonged exposure to manure leads to the formation of fungus.

Sawdust is an inexpensive and accessible raw material, in fact it is wood waste, and is an invaluable, environmentally friendly material for gardeners and gardeners. A good help when the market is cluttered with chemicals that are harmful to people.

With desire and a skillful approach to use, waste is the key to rich harvests of vegetables, berries and fruits.

Advantages:

• the weed disappears;
• soil moisture is maintained;
• protection from insects;
• the soil remains loose;

Mulching

High warm beds

Mulch for strawberries

Sawdust in a greenhouse and greenhouse

• sufficient hydration.

Sawdust and plant insulation

DIY fertilizer

1. What sawdust should I use?
2. Several fertilizer recipes
3. Recipe 1: Wood and Ash
4. Fresh sawdust fertilizer
5. Strawberries and wild strawberries
6. How to cover roses
7. Sawdust for seedlings

Advantages of sawdust:

Harm from wood waste:

• Fresh sawdust oxidizes the soil.

What sawdust should I use?

Several fertilizer recipes

Recipe 1: Wood and Ash

Stack:

• Wood sawdust – 200 kg;
• Water – 50 liters;

• Wood waste – 200 kg;
• Cow dung – 50 kg;

Fresh sawdust fertilizer

1. Ammonium nitrate – 40 g;
2. Calcium chloride – 10 g.

Strawberries and wild strawberries

How to cover roses

Sawdust for seedlings

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Sawdust for the garden: use, benefits and harm of sawdust. There is still no consensus on the use of sawdust in the garden. This technology arouses keen interest among beginning gardeners. Experienced gardeners refuse sawdust because of negative experience with use. In fact, wood chips have a number of positive properties that can provide a good result. However, it should be used with a certain amount of caution, following certain rules.

With the help of sawdust, the fertile layer of the earth becomes more loose and airy. Such soils do not form a crust that is harmful to plants, which makes it possible to reduce the amount of loosening. Sawdust can also be used as fertilizer. As a result of proper preparation of the material, high-quality humus is formed, which is similar to more expensive manure. In winter, mulch made from wood shavings protects plant roots from freezing, and in summer it helps retain moisture in the soil.

This is interesting! The beneficial properties of sawdust appear only in combination with fertilizers or after 10 years in a compost heap.

During this period, bacteria appear on the surface of the chips, which saturate the wood with minerals. In its pure form, sawdust is used to fill paths. This allows you to reduce the risk of weeds spreading and gives neatness to the entire area.

The negative consequences of using wood waste include:

• Increasing soil acidity;
• Decrease in yield due to nitrogen leaching.

You can find out the acidity of the soil on your site using tests with litmus papers, which are purchased in specialized garden stores.

To neutralize the effect of acid, sawdust is mixed with substances containing alkali:

• dolomite flour;
• crushed chalk;
• lime or lime-acidifier;
• wood or peat ash.

Fertilizers such as superphosphate, potassium chloride, sodium or calcium nitrate, and potassium sulfate are also used for these purposes.

When using alkalis, certain rules must be followed. For example, fertilizers are added to a mixture of lime and dolomite flour, which include boron and manganese. A solution of calcium nitrate (urea) helps prevent nitrogen deficiency.

Options for using sawdust in the garden

Mulching

Wood chips are often used as a base for mulching. This operation is carried out at the beginning of summer, when active evaporation of moisture occurs. The material chosen is rotted sawdust. If this is not observed, use fresh shavings. Before the procedure, it undergoes special treatment.

Method for preparing mulch from fresh sawdust

You will need 3 buckets of wood waste, 10 liters of water and 200 grams of urea. The shavings are laid out on plastic film, fertilizer is added and water is poured evenly. Then the procedure is repeated. The structure is covered with polyethylene and left for 14 days, pressed down with stones. Sawdust is usually placed in the passages between the beds, mixing with ash. At the end of the summer season, wood waste is dug up along with the ground.

Carrots, garlic, onions, beets, and turnips need a protective dusting of sawdust. The procedure is carried out after picking, when the plantings have reached a height of 5–7 cm. Mulch vegetable crops in a thin layer of several centimeters. It is better to sprinkle cucumber bushes with substrate around the stem.
Sawdust will look especially good in raspberry fields and under strawberry and strawberry bushes. As a result of mulching, the fruits will be clean and not rotten. In addition, such treatment will help perennials survive the winter. Bedding under the bushes is done when the seedlings have already taken root and have gained a height of more than 7 cm.

Video: sawdust for a large harvest

To achieve maximum effect, experts recommend combining chips from different tree species. Most crops are suitable for waste from deciduous trees, with the exception of oak trees. For lovers of “acidic environments” – tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and also strawberries – you should select softwood sawdust. These shavings are practically not tolerated by pathogenic microbes, which eliminates the risk of plant infection.

Pre-winter mulching will have a great effect on the condition of the soil. The use of sawdust in the fall is slightly different from the spring procedure. During this period, it is necessary to mix the shavings with compost and peat, and only then spread them on the beds. In the spring, all that remains is to carry out shallow digging or simply loosen the soil with harrows.

Fertilizer

Expensive manure will become more affordable if you mix it with sawdust. Per cubic meter of wood chips you will need 10 kg of bird droppings and 100 kg of cow manure. At the same time, it should be taken into account that rotted shavings are combined only with rotted manure, and fresh ones with fresh ones. This improves the quality of the compost. Instead of manure, you can use mullein, urea or a solution of bird droppings.

Fertilizer is prepared throughout the year from the beginning of summer. Before laying the compost heap, sawdust is moistened with water or slurry. Ordinary soil (at the rate of 2 - 3 buckets per cubic meter of sawdust) will not be superfluous here. As necessary, water the compost and add grass, hay, and kitchen waste to it. The top of the pile is covered with polyethylene, leaving small pores for heat exchange and ventilation.

Here are several recipes for such fertilizers.

Wood and ash:

• 200 kg sawdust;
• 50 liters of water;
• 10 kg of ash;
• urea, saturated with nitrogen (up to 47%) 2.5 kg per heap;
• up to 100 kg of food waste, grass.

Grass and shavings are laid in layers, ash is added and a pile of urea dissolved in water is poured over. Cover the compost with polyethylene and organic matter (on soils poor in microelements):

• 200 kg of shavings;
• 100 kg of freshly cut grass;
• 50 kg of cow dung;
• 30 kg of organic waste;
• Humates (1 drop per 100 liters of water).
• a bucket of wood chips;
• 40 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 30 grams of granulated superphosphate;
• a glass of slaked lime;
• 10 grams of calcium chloride.

The substrate is infused for two weeks. Then, when digging the beds, they add it to the soil. The soil should be fertilized in the amount of 2 – 3 buckets per 1 square meter of area. This procedure promotes natural loosening of the soil.

If sawdust was stored near abandoned forest areas, they should also be composted first. In order for the heap to warm up to at least 60 degrees, it is poured with hot water and covered with polyethylene. This temperature allows you to destroy weed seeds.

Treating seeds in wood shavings

Sawdust serves as a favorable environment for growing seedlings. This method is used only when nutrients are present in the seed. If the plant is not transplanted into the ground in time, it will die.

To treat seeds, use only rotted sawdust from deciduous trees. The moistened shavings are poured into a container in a thin layer, after which planting material is laid on them. Then add fertilizer to the container and sprinkle with another layer of wood chips. The container is placed in a slightly open plastic bag and hidden in a warm place. After the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are transferred to a cooler place, the film is removed and the sawdust is sprinkled with a layer of soil of about 0.5 cm. When the first leaf appears, the plants are planted in the ground in a separate pot. Any seeds can be treated in this way.

Early potatoes ahead of schedule

Wood chips are also used to prepare sowing potatoes. Two weeks before planting the tubers in the ground, the box is filled with a 10-centimeter layer of sawdust moistened with water. Place dried potato tubers (early varieties) on top of the sprouts.

After this, the seed material is sprinkled with another layer of sawdust (2–3 cm). During the entire period of preparing potatoes, it is very important to maintain the humidity of the sawdust and the temperature no higher than 20 degrees. When the height of the sprouts reaches 6–8 cm, the tubers are watered with a fertilizer solution, planted in holes and completely covered with soil. The top of the area is covered with straw or hay; in case of frost - polyethylene.

How to insulate plants with wood chips

The simplest method is considered to be when plastic bags are filled with sawdust, and then the root system of the plants is covered with them. Garlic tolerates cold well under damp pine sawdust - they provide warmth, but also protect the crop from diseases and pests.

As a more reliable option, experienced gardeners choose a wooden box without a bottom. It is placed above the plant, covered with sawdust and covered with film. The top of the box can be sprinkled with a layer of earth. Plants such as roses, clematis and grapes are left to overwinter in their place of growth. For protection, the shoots are bent to the ground and covered with a layer of sawdust. It is better to cover plants with shavings in late autumn, then the risk of rodents appearing in it will be much lower.

A thick layer of wood waste at the bottom of the planting pit will help provide the root system with thermal insulation.

Using sawdust in closed ground

In greenhouses and greenhouses, sawdust acts as biological fuel. They can be combined both with manure and with rotten plants. As a result of this combined effect, the soil warms up faster, and the plantings better absorb useful substances. In addition, the speed of their digestion increases, and the compost becomes more airy and nutritious. You can add wood shavings to the greenhouse soil in both autumn and spring. If fresh organic matter is available, fresh sawdust is used, otherwise only rotted waste.

In the fall, it makes sense to cover the ridges with a layer of straw or mown grass, and at the beginning of spring work, add fresh manure and fresh sawdust mixed with lime. Then vegetable waste is mixed into the resulting mass. The soil is covered with straw and a layer of soil, flavored with ash and mineral fertilizers. To warm the soil, the ridges are poured with boiling water or covered with an airtight film.

Formation of high beds

With the help of rotted sawdust, you can increase the height of the ridge. To do this, large trenches up to 25 cm deep are dug around the intended location. The bottom of the pit is covered with the remains of straw and covered with a mixture of sawdust, alkali and urea. A layer of leaves is placed on top, and then covered with the previously deposited soil.

To prevent the earth from crumbling around the edges, a barrier of mown grass, straw or layers of turf is placed around it (it must be placed with its roots facing out). The sides of the ridge are covered with film to reduce evaporation. The remaining shavings are distributed between the beds. In the future, it is used to fertilize plants. Cucumber, squash and pumpkin seedlings and young plants actively grow on the formed multi-layer ridges.

Other areas of use of sawdust

From juniper sawdust you can make a fragrance for your closet.

Small wood waste absorbs water well and is therefore suitable for storing vegetables in the cellar.

With the help of wood shavings it is easy to insulate the attic floor or the floors of the first floor. To do this, the material is mixed with lime and cement, and then water is added. Instead of cement, crushed clay is often used. Only before carrying out construction work should the stones be removed from it. Any operations with solutions containing small wood chips require prior installation of waterproofing. This is due to the fact that sawdust material absorbs moisture well.

Video: use of sawdust in other areas

High-quality fuel is obtained from shavings. To press briquettes at home, use a manual machine equipped with a form for filling in wood chips. The finished product is dried outside. Such briquettes are inferior to factory products in terms of heat transfer, since they have a low density due to low pressure during pressing. Nevertheless, this method of obtaining economical fuel has found wide application among owners who have large reserves of wood shavings.

Sawdust can also be used as bedding for pets. In this case, the shavings perform two functions:

1. insulation;
2. hygiene products (absorb liquid, waste).

Fruit tree waste contains less resin. It is advisable to dry the pine chips well first. But walnut sawdust can cause hoof inflammation in horses.

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

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

They contain a large amount 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 a 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

Sawdust is an excellent soil mulch. 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 high beds in a low-lying area? For such purposes it is convenient to use sawdust. The top layer of fertile soil is removed. 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 with plant residues and manure, which heat up in the spring and overheat 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 soil mixed with ash and mineral fertilizers is laid. 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. Tubers of early varieties are selected and germinated in the light. 10 cm of sawdust is poured into the bottom of the boxes, the 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. Sprinkle with a thin layer of 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.

1. Properties of wood chips and shavings
2. What are the benefits and possible harm?
3. What sawdust should I use?
4. Several fertilizer recipes
5. Recipe 1: Wood and Ash
6. Recipe 2: Organically Enriched
7. Fresh sawdust fertilizer
8. How to do mulching correctly
9. Strawberries and wild strawberries
10. How to cover roses
11. Sawdust for seedlings

Mulching is the surface covering of garden soil with mulch, which can be crushed bark, pine needles, sawdust and other natural materials. This agrotechnical technique allows you to avoid many problems with the health of cultivated plants on the ground and in the greenhouse. Using sawdust as mulch allows you to achieve amazing results in the growth and development of a plant, but only if you follow certain rules.

Properties of wood chips and shavings

Sawdust mulch is suitable for use on all types of soil. What's good about this material:

• Does not release moisture from the ground, thereby helping to maintain the balance of water during dry periods and in hot areas;
• Prevents weeds from germinating. This is one of the main reasons for using wood waste as a mulch;
• Fresh sawdust is used as bedding for berries - the smell of the tree repels some pests from the fruit, and clean, small chips keep strawberries and wild strawberries clean;
• Mulching the soil allows the roots of some plants to survive the winter;
• Wood chips serve as fertilizer. True, for this you need to fulfill some conditions.

It is worth noting that mulching with sawdust cannot be done in the form in which it is. The fact is that wood does not saturate the soil with useful substances, but, on the contrary, draws them out like a sponge. Sawdust material becomes useful if it is added to basic fertilizer mixtures or kept for a year or two in a compost heap. At this time, bacteria settle on the surface of the chips, which saturate the wood with useful microelements released during rotting and proliferation of microflora.

What are the benefits and possible harm?

Sawdust is often used by gardeners to improve the quality of life of plants, but people do not always know about the true benefits of the intake and are not able to accurately assess its harm. However, in most cases, there is still a positive effect from their use. Sawdust in the garden - good or bad?

Advantages of sawdust:

• With proper preparation, you get excellent humus, similar in properties to traditional manure, which, as you know, costs a lot.
• Sawdust scattered on paths in the garden prevents the spread of weeds.
• Retain moisture in the soil, especially in spring. To do this, it is necessary to mulch the soil in the fall.
• Promote natural soil aeration several years after use.
• Coniferous shavings and wood chips practically do not tolerate pathogenic microbes, which eliminates the risk of plant infection.

Harm from wood waste:

• Sawdust in its pure form is not a fertilizer. According to some reports, they absorb minerals from the soil and the soil becomes depleted. To be more precise, nitrogen, necessary for the life of microorganisms, is drawn from the fertile layer.
• Fresh sawdust oxidizes the soil.
• When using sawdust of unknown origin, it is possible to infect plants with certain diseases. To eliminate this drawback, you should not take material from unknown sources.

What sawdust should I use?

Wood shavings from different trees are not suitable for all plants:

• Waste from deciduous trees is suitable for all crops, except oak.
• Coniferous species saturate the soil with acid, therefore they are suitable only for those who love such an environment - tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and others.

Several fertilizer recipes

Sawdust in its pure form is only suitable for filling paths in order to retain moisture and stop the development of weeds. In other cases, preparation of raw materials is required.

For sawdust in the garden to become useful, it needs to rot.. To achieve the desired condition, they will have to lie in a pile for at least 10 years while bacteria convert the wood into a useful substrate. To speed up the process, you should make compost from sawdust. In combination with manure and additional additives, the fertilizer matures faster due to thermoregulation in the desired range and maintaining a sufficient level of moisture.

Recipe 1: Wood and Ash

Stack:

• Wood sawdust – 200 kg;
• Urea, rich in nitrogen (up to 47%) – 2.5 kg per heap;
• Ash required to alkalize the soil – 10 kg;
• Water – 50 liters;
• Grass, food waste and sewage – up to 100 kg.

The shavings and grass are laid in layers, ash is added and the “pie” is filled with urea dissolved in water. You can cover the pile with a polyethylene film, but small pores should remain in the surface: this way the temperature and humidity level will be optimal, and oxygen access will remain.

Recipe 2: Organically Enriched

For poor soil that requires a significant dose of fertilizer, prepare the following compost from sawdust:

• Wood waste – 200 kg;
• Cow dung – 50 kg;
• Fresh cut grass – 100 kg;
• Organic waste (food, feces) – 30 kg;
• Humates – 1 drop per 100 liters of water (no more).

When this fertilizer ripens, a significant amount of nitrogen is released.

Fresh sawdust fertilizer

As already mentioned, fresh sawdust does not benefit the soil as a fertilizer for the garden. If you have not done composting in advance, but it is necessary to saturate the soil, use a sawdust mixture with the following additives on a bucket of wood chips:

1. Ammonium nitrate – 40 g;
2. Granulated superphosphate – 30 g;
3. Slaked lime – 120 g (glass);
4. Calcium chloride – 10 g.

The mixture needs to be infused for 2 weeks. To do this, spread plastic outside and scatter the ingredients on it.

Mix and leave to release the necessary elements and carry out chemical reactions. After this, add the resulting mixture to the soil when digging the beds. The soil will receive a sufficient dose of ammonia, the acid-base balance of the soil will be leveled, and the release of useful substances will occur immediately after the first watering. The soil should be fertilized in the amount of 2-3 buckets per 1 square meter of land. This procedure promotes natural loosening of the soil.

How to do mulching correctly

Sawdust at the dacha is useful not only for speeding up the composting process, but also for winter shelter for plants, fertilizing them and protecting them from pests.

It is good to use prepared sawdust as mulch in the first half of summer, when seedlings and plants are just gaining strength and need protection from weeds, loss of soil moisture and disease attacks. By mid-summer, there will be no obvious trace left of the powder - it will be mixed with the soil by rain and worms.

Basically, sawdust saturated with fertilizers is lined in the passages. This must be done between beds with tomatoes, potato rows and other plants.

Other vegetables grown in the garden - onions, carrots, beets, garlic, turnips - also need protective powder. It needs to be done after picking, when the plantings are thinned out and have reached a height of 5-7 cm, they are covered with a 3-4 cm layer of sawdust.

Raspberries are one of the main favorites of mulching in the garden. It is necessary to preserve the soil moisture necessary for setting berries. Prepared sawdust is generously poured under the bushes.

Strawberries and wild strawberries

Is it possible to mulch strawberries with sawdust? The answer is clear - you can and should, just like strawberries. This procedure is useful for berries:

• Sawdust maintains the moisture balance in the soil;
• Tender fruits remain clean without touching the ground;
• Slugs and snails do not crawl onto the berries.

For mulching, you need clean sawdust without impurities, but before the procedure it is important to saturate the soil with minerals and fertilize it well to prevent depletion of the fertile layer. The material used can be mixed with urea in the above proportions.

The sawdust is moistened and laid out under the bushes, under each branch and between the bushes. The layer thickness should be 5-7 cm. This work is presented in the video.

Backfilling is done when the seedlings have already taken root and gained a height of more than 7 cm. Mulching strawberries with sawdust for the winter will help the perennial plant to better survive the winter and maintain the integrity of the root system.

How to cover roses

Gardeners say: “A rose is a child of manure,” because sawdust is necessary for it as fertilizer, but it is not suitable as a covering for the winter; such mulch does not have sufficient heat-retaining properties.

Covering roses with sawdust can only be used for wintering in combination with other, more effective materials. The expert will talk about this in more detail in the video.

Sawdust for seedlings

Tomatoes and other seedlings do not come to the garden as seeds, but as ready-made seedlings. They can also be bred in small wood waste - such an environment is more favorable for the delicate seed than soil. How to organize the process correctly:

1. Moistened small shavings are poured into a flat container;
2. They plant seeds and generously sprinkle them with fertilizer, since there is nothing nutritious in sawdust;
3. Cover with film, make holes for air and expose to the sun;
4. When sprouts appear, soil is poured on top so that the plant gets used to it.

The advantage of germinating seeds in woody material is a loose environment, which allows the root system of seedlings to intensively develop, but only if there is a sufficient supply of nutrients.

Various industrial wastes are often used in the household.

Often they can successfully replace purchased products and turn out to be no worse in quality.

Waste generated during the sawing process of wood (sawdust) can be very helpful in the garden.

After all, with their help:

• fertilize the soil, making it more fertile;
• create favorable conditions for the germination of seedlings and seedlings;
• fight weeds;
• regulate soil acidity;
• protect plant roots from drying out and frost;
• make the paths cleaner and more convenient for movement.

Use before planting

Most types of seedlings must be planted at the very beginning of spring, when the air temperature at night often drops to negative values.

Because of this, the soil temperature does not exceed +5 degrees, so it the roots do not develop well and the plant becomes sick.

If it is not possible to install a greenhouse, then pouring fresh wood waste into the grooves or holes may be a good solution.

Sawdust needs to be poured 3–5 cm below the root level, so make the seats a little deeper.

Having dug a hole or groove and placed some sawdust on the bottom, water them with any fertilizer that contains nitrogen and phosphorus, you can also add a few grains of urea.

In this case, bacteria that ensure the decay of wood waste and raise its temperature will take these substances from the fertilizer that has soaked the soil and the top layer of soil will be provided with constant heating, and also will not lose the microelements necessary for plant growth.

Wood sawing waste is better suited for this type of bedding. deciduous fruit trees(pear, apple, apricot, etc.). If such sawdust is not available, then you can use any other deciduous waste, mixing it with a small amount of manure or droppings to speed up the decomposition processes of wood.

If only pine sawdust is available, then you need it mix in equal parts with manure, and also treated with aerobic bifidobacteria. Such preparations are sold in garden stores, they can also be bought on the Internet, for example, here. The cost of packaging sufficient to process 25 m2 is 4–4.5 thousand rubles.

Place on top of the sawdust a mixture of garden soil and humus, because in most cases, garden soil is severely depleted, so the plant will not be able to develop normally in it.

The mixture of soil and humus contains many useful substances and microelements, so the planted seedlings will not suffer from a lack of them.

Do not mix soil with unrotted sawdust, droppings or manure, because this mixture will burn the roots of the plants and you will not receive a harvest.

If you have completely rotted sawdust, then they can also be added to the mixture of soil and humus; they will improve the structure of the soil, so that the earth will be better filled with water, air and various nutrients.

In addition, rotted sawdust will provide the plant with additional nutrients, in particular calcium and phosphorus.

This planting method can be used for any garden plants, but for best results soil acidity must be taken into account.

It can be determined using tests or by looking at the plants on the site. If they grow there:

• sorrel;
• horsetail;
• buttercup;
• sorrel;
• blueberry,

That the earth is very acidic and holes or grooves for planting are needed pour slaked lime solution, and sprinkle the bottom layer of sawdust with wood ash.

If the following appeared on the site:

• heather;
• fern;
• cornflowers,

that's enough pour lime mortar into the holes or groove.

Most root vegetables, as well as cucumbers and tomatoes, love moderately acidic soil, so if the site does not have the above plants, then sawdust poured into the bottom of the hole, grooves or furrows will slightly acidify the soil, so that the seedlings will grow better.

Rotted sawdust does not change either the acidity or the amount of nitrogen in the soil, therefore, by mixing it with soil and humus, you only add additional fertilizers, so no acidity or nitrogen adjustment is required.

The same method of adding sawdust to the bottom of grooves or holes can also be used for planting seeds directly into the ground. However, for such planting a greenhouse is necessary, because the time for planting seeds is in February and March, so sawdust burning will not be able to warm the ground and air to the required level.

Planting seeds on sawdust allows you to meet deadlines and avoid transplanting from pots into soil that injures the roots of plants, because, unlike soil, sawdust has a very loose structure, so When transplanting, the roots are kept intact.

If you are going to grow seedlings in separate containers and then transplant them into open or closed ground, then you need completely rotted sawdust mix with soil and humus. This will provide the maximum amount of nutrients and elements necessary for seedling growth.

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Fertilizer

Sawdust is a good material for producing fertilizers, and depending on the method, its composition, characteristics and the time during which they are converted into fertilizer change.

Here main methods of obtaining fertilizers:

• natural decay;
• rotting with droppings or manure;
• rotting with the addition of bifidobacteria.

The natural decay process takes several years, and its speed depends on the type of wood, humidity and temperature.

Soft hardwoods rot most quickly. The process lasts somewhat longer in hardwood waste of medium hardness. Sawdust from coniferous and hardwood species takes the longest to rot.

Adding droppings or manure to wood waste accelerates their decay, as well as makes ready-made humus more useful.

In addition to glucose, calcium and phosphorus, it contains nitrogen and other useful substances. Adding bifidobacteria to the mixture of sawdust and litter or manure allows you to obtain ready-made humus within several months.

Such fertilizers can be apply from autumn to spring. In the summer, when the plants gain strength and bear fruit, it is not advisable to do this. After all, the soil must absorb the fertilizer and mix with it, otherwise in the area of ​​the roots there will be areas where the content of useful substances exceeds not only the norm, but also the safe value.

That's exactly how it turns out vegetables soaked in nitrates– the fertilizer was applied at the wrong time and it did not have time to dissolve in the ground. As a result, the roots of the plant ended up not in the soil, but in the fertilizer and absorbed too many nitrogen compounds.

Mulching

After watering, water not only saturates the soil and goes deep, but also evaporates from the surface.

The evaporation process directly depends on wind speed and air temperature, so on sunny or windy days the ground dries out quickly.

As water evaporates, soil moisture drops and plant roots lose their ability to absorb nutrients and microelements necessary for growth.

The roots can only absorb an aqueous solution of these substances.

A layer of sawdust laid on top of the soil (mulch) reduces the rate of moisture evaporation, due to which plants absorb water solution more efficiently and need watering less often.

Fresh sawdust negatively affects the acidity of the soil and also draws nitrogen out of it, so immediately after laying mulch from sawdust, the soil must be watered not only with water, but also solution of nitrogen-containing and alkaline fertilizers.

In addition, these fertilizers need to be applied 2 more times throughout the season - in mid-spring and mid-summer. For more information about this process, as well as about various combinations of fertilizers, read the article (Sawdust mulch).

Weed and pest control

Chemical control methods used in the fields not always applicable in the garden, because domestic animals often run along it, which can be poisoned. Therefore, gardeners are forced to look for other methods of control, one of which is to cover the soil with a thick (5–10 cm) layer of sawdust.

This is similar to mulching, but not only the area around the plant trunk is covered, but the entire bed.

Wood waste, laid in a thick layer, deprives weed seedlings of sunlight, due to which they cannot grow and soon die off.

Slugs are one of the most dangerous and tenacious pests living in vegetable gardens. Mulch made from fresh sawdust sticks to the body of slugs, causing them to lose their ability to crawl and soon die from dehydration.

This mulch should be added once a week in a thin layer, and pour over the coffee residue dissolved in water, which is harmful to slugs.

If you only have rotted sawdust, then due to the softening of the wood during the decay process, they can no longer stop slugs, so useless in the fight against these pests.

Backfilling of paths

During the rain the paths between the beds become muddy and turn into a difficult-to-pass porridge, so many gardeners fill them with various materials.

Wood waste is better suited for this task than crushed stone, broken slate or brick, because it not only remove dirt, but also improve soil structure. In addition, the bottom layer of fill gradually rots and after 1–4 years, depending on the humidity and type of wood, it turns into good fertilizer, which is received by nearby plants.

If over time you decide to change the shape or location of the beds/plantings and dig up the garden, then sawdust will be useful in this case too.

They will improve the structure of the soil, making it looser, and also fill the soil with nutrients.

To reduce the negative impact of wood on the soil, 3-4 times a year, water the sawdust-strewn paths with urea and slaked lime or ash solution.

These drugs compensate for the loss of nitrogen in the soil, and also adjust the acidity of the soil to an acceptable level.

Choosing between coniferous, including pine and hardwood sawdust, take into account their different rotting times. Deciduous wood turns into humus much faster, and the softer the wood, the less time is needed for this process.

Waste from sawing alder or poplar will rot in 1-2 seasons, and waste from oak or coniferous wood will rot in 3-5 seasons.

Can do not divide the garden into beds and paths, covering the entire area with sawdust. The optimal layer thickness is 10 cm. In this case, it is advisable to use rotted sawdust, because it is advisable to dig up the ground before winter and spring.

Fresh wood, once in the soil, will acidify it and reduce the level of nitrogen content. If there is no rotten wood waste, then immediately after backfilling and in the fall, after harvesting, pour the sawdust with a solution of droppings or manure, as well as a means that accelerates the proliferation of bifidobacteria.

From spring to autumn, these sawdust will play the role of mulch and filling, and bacteria will turn them into high-quality fertilizer by spring. Having plowed the entire garden, you will mix the soil with fertilizer, thanks to which all plants will receive more abundant and balanced nutrition.

Coniferous and deciduous – which is better for the garden?

On numerous forums, users often ask the question - which sawdust is best for the garden and is it possible to use coniferous or other wood waste?

When used correctly any sawdust brings many benefits, but improper use can be harmful and completely destroy the harvest making the land unsuitable for growing some plants.

Any waste from sawing wood make the soil more acidic and also draw nitrogen out of it, therefore it is necessary to add fertilizers along with them to compensate for these changes.

Sawdust, both completely or partially rotted and fresh, improves the structure of the soil, which is especially important on clay soils. On particularly heavy soils consisting of solid clay, it is necessary add sand along with sawdust.

Fresh wood waste becomes very hot during the process of decay, which leads to an increase in soil temperature and overheating of plant roots, so fresh sawdust cannot be laid close to the roots.

That's why there is not much difference between coniferous and deciduous sawdust - when used correctly, they bring many benefits, but mistakes can be harmful and lead to dire consequences. Most of the negative reviews about the use of sawdust in the garden are caused by their incorrect use, while those who used them correctly are satisfied with the results.

Conifers

However, it is important to understand the differences between hardwood and softwood sawdust, as well as how the latter affects the soil.

In most cases, pine sawdust means pine or spruce sawdust as the most accessible, as well as as cheap as possible. Pine and spruce are used for most carpentry and carpentry, so sawdust is everywhere.

Fresh pine and spruce sawdust due to the high resin content, it takes much longer to rot deciduous and also pull more nitrogen from the soil.

Improper use of pine and any coniferous sawdust causes much more damage to the garden than deciduous sawdust.

Due to the high content of resins, humus from pine sawdust contains more microelements necessary for plants, therefore better suited for balanced feeding.

If pine sawdust is placed in furrows, ditches or holes, then due to the greater need for nitrogen for complete decay, it is necessary to increase the amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

In addition, pine sawdust acidify the soil more strongly, so you need to increase the amount of slaked lime or ash.

Use pine and other pine sawdust in the garden not only possible, but also necessary, taking into account their characteristics and compensating for the negative impact on the earth. Only in this case will they bring much benefit.

Deciduous

Due to the lower resin content, humus from leaf waste is slightly less balanced, but they rot faster. In addition, deciduous sawdust is less accessible, so dried and crushed branches and branches of fruit trees are often used in the garden.

When using such material, be careful, because among the dried branches often come across sick or injured various pests.

Such sawdust cannot be used, because bacteria will not be able to process pests and pathogens, therefore fertilizer made from them can infect your plantings.

1. Forumhouse.
2. Forum dacha.
3. Miracle garden.
4. Mastergrad.

All this allows us to conclude that sawdust that It’s easier and cheaper to bring it to the garden. Whatever wood waste you use, you will still have to use other fertilizers along with it.

In this article Where to get sawdust, we talked about the places where you can buy sawdust waste, and also talked about various ways that allow you to save on their purchase.

Only an integrated approach, in which the negative impact of wood on the soil is compensated, will lead to improved plant development, as well as more abundant and high-quality fruiting.

Video on the topic

This video talks about using sawdust in the garden:

Summarize

Sawdust is very useful material, which will be useful to any gardener. After all, they are used for:

• mulching;
• filling paths;
• plant nutrition;
• improving soil structure;
• earlier planting of seedlings or seeds.

After reading the article, you learned how to use this material correctly and what mistakes garden owners most often make.

An inexpensive and accessible natural material is sawdust. They can be purchased at the nearest sawmill, or obtained on your own site during construction or sawing firewood. Farmers have found many ways to benefit from this waste. However, do not forget that they can also cause harm. Later in the article, let's take a closer look at such aspects as the benefits and harms of using sawdust in the garden. And also how you can fertilize or treat beds with them.

Areas of application of sawdust in the country house or garden

Sawdust and shavings are sometimes burned to produce mineral fertilizer - wood ash. But this is how valuable organic matter evaporates, the voluminous loose substance disappears. It's better to do it differently:

1. Mulching.
2. Compost.
3. Adding to soil and greenhouses.
4. Neutralizer of harmful substances.
5. Acidifier.
6. Dehumidifier.
7. Temperature insulator.
8. Pest repeller.
9. Additive to seedling soils.
10. Substrate for mycelium, germination of seeds and tubers, forcing flowers and herbs.
11. Medium for winter storage of rhizomes and tubers.
12. Covering garden paths.
13. Bedding in livestock and poultry farming, in a dog kennel.
14. Filler in a country toilet.
15. Material for stuffing garden scarecrows, garden furniture and pillows.
16. Construction raw materials (insulator, insulation, filler for sawdust concrete).
17. Fuel in heating boilers.
18. Source of smoke in the smokehouse.

Sawdust close up

Types of small wood waste

Small waste from cutting wood is divided into shavings, large and small fractions. There are also differences in the type of wood: from coniferous or from deciduous species. Sometimes the differences are important, for example: leaf waste rots faster; Coniferous trees are not suitable for smoking products, etc. But any organic matter is valuable. It is advisable to treat the sawdust before use.

Benefits and harms

1. The presence of impurities such as creolin, chemical oils, paint particles, glue, and gasoline is dangerous for humans and the environment. That's why you need to take pure wood products, and not chipboard or sleepers.
2. Resinous substances inhibit seed germination and plant development. This deficiency is neutralized by scalding the substrate with boiling water, as well as by composting.
3. Unripened organic matter (when introduced into the soil and onto its surface) begins to decompose by microorganisms that intensively consume soil nitrogen. Because of this, plants experience nitrogen starvation - they turn pale and develop worse. Therefore, it is recommended to put only rotten sawdust in the ground, and when mulching with fresh sawdust, flavor it with nitrogen fertilizers.
4. Sawdust compost acidifies the soil. Simultaneous alkalization is necessary (in the fall - with lime, in the spring - with dolomite flour, ash).
5. Seedling sawdust soils dry out too quickly. It is necessary to follow the recommended proportions of components and monitor regular watering.

Mulching

Sawdust mulch is a cheap and convenient option. They cover it at the dacha:

• surface of beds with vegetables and strawberries
• soil in raspberry gardens, flower beds
• tree trunk circles in a fruit and berry garden

Sawdust in bags, ready for soil mulching

The layer thickness can be from 4 to 20 cm.

Mulch is applied in the spring or early summer, and for fruit and berry and ornamental crops it can also be applied in the fall. At the beginning of the season, rotted sawdust compost from last year or the year before is used; at the end of the season, organic matter from spring composting is suitable.

It is also possible to mulch with fresh sawdust. They are pre-cooked: soaked in a strong solution of nitrogen fertilizers. To do this, 3 buckets of mulching material are filled with 10 liters of water, where a quarter kilogram of urea or saltpeter is dissolved. It is best if this mixture sits for a couple of weeks (covered with polyethylene) before mulching, after which you can sprinkle it on the beds. Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with fresh manure or droppings (2 liters), but such mulch is not suitable for strawberries and some vegetables (for hygienic reasons).

Advantages of sawdust mulch

1. the material is not contaminated with weed seeds
2. gradually rotting, the mulch enriches the soil with organic matter
3. moisture is saved
4. no soil crust and erosion
5. roots are insulated, temperature changes are smoothed out
6. comfortable for beneficial soil inhabitants (microorganisms, earthworms)
7. makes it difficult for some pests to escape
8. no dirty splashes from rain and watering – cleaner products and fewer diseases
9. inhibits weed growth
10. ridges, garden, flower beds look well-groomed and beautiful

Mulching a potato bed with sawdust

How to fertilize with compost

The best option for sawdust disposal is proper composting. Simply poured out in a large heap, they will rot for several years (especially from coniferous trees). Rotting is accelerated by layer-by-layer mixing with substances such as

• manure, droppings
• feces
• foliage
• herbal humus
• dolomite flour, ash.

The mass is regularly shoveled and spilled with water, as well as solutions of mineral fertilizers, herbal infusions, biological preparations (Baikal, Flumb Super, Shining). The process of compost maturation usually lasts from six months to two to three years. The minimum waiting period is 2 months.

Mixed compost is considered the best organo-mineral fertilizer for all crops.

Compost made from sawdust

Adding to soil and greenhouses

The fertilizer “works” in the soil for 3-5 years: it nourishes plants and loosens heavy loams.

Small wood waste is also used to add biofuel to greenhouses. They are mixed: fresh sawdust with fresh manure, rotted with rotted manure (in a 1:1 ratio).

Using sawdust in greenhouses

Neutralizer of harmful substances

A fresh mass of small wood waste serves as an “ambulance” in emergency situations. It is added to the soil if an excess of nitrogen and other fertilizers is noticed. This way the plants will avoid fattening, accumulation of nitrates and harmful salts.

Acidifier in garden beds

Rotted sawdust is useful when planting and mulching those plants that like high acidity of the soil (hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers, blueberries).

Pine sawdust as a desiccant

Sawdust compost

Fresh sawdust can absorb an amount of liquid that is 5 times its volume. They are good for filling drainage ditches and paths between high ridges in wetlands.

Temperature insulator

In regions where winter temperatures are low, dry sawdust is used to protect the root zone and branches of shrubs (grapes, hydrangea, roses, clematis), planting winter garlic and perennial flowers (lilies, irises, chrysanthemums) from freezing. To avoid overheating, the shelter is made when sub-zero temperatures occur, and the opening is made earlier in the spring. To protect against dampness, a waterproof material (polyethylene, roofing felt, etc.) is placed on top.

Some fruit and berry crops bloom very early, and the ovaries freeze. If the root zone is covered with a thick layer of sawdust, then the trees and shrubs will wake up later. Flowering will be postponed to a more comfortable time.

Rose bushes sprinkled with sawdust for the winter

Pest repeller for garden plots

Small wood waste is impregnated with tar or gasoline and laid out to repel rodents, onion and carrot flies.

Adding prickly sawdust makes it difficult for snails and slugs to move around. The resinous aroma partially protects plants from attack by beetles (Colorado beetle, raspberry beetle, flower beetle, weevil).

Additive to seedling soils

A soil substrate containing from 10 to 50% rotted sawdust compost is recommended for

• seedlings of vegetable and flower crops
• rooting cuttings and strawberry mustaches
• growing seedlings with a closed root system.

Other components of such soil are garden soil, peat, and a little sand. Loose soil requires frequent watering or special additives that retain moisture (hydrogel, vermiculite, coconut substrate).

Unrotted organic matter can cause starvation of young plants. If the foliage has turned pale, then you need to give nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizing.

Path covered with sawdust

Using substrate as fertilizer

Seeds of cucumbers (as well as zucchini, pumpkin, melons and watermelons) are germinated in fresh small sawdust and seedlings are kept. The substrate is poured with boiling water, then the water is immediately drained. The procedure is repeated twice to wash off the resinous substances. The warm, wet mass is laid out in a layer of 6 cm, and dry seeds are placed into it at a depth of 1.5 cm (with a distance of 3 cm from each other). The crops are covered with film and placed in a warm place. The seedlings “shoot” after 3-4 days. The seedlings are ready for planting in two weeks.

In sawdust you can force onions and tulip flowers. The substrate must first be spilled with boiling water and fertilized with a complex fertilizer with a predominance of nitrogen. Potato and dahlia tubers are sprouted in the same way before planting.

The middle fraction of crushed wood from deciduous trees is used for artificial cultivation of mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms.

Medium for winter storage of rhizomes and tubers

In autumn, gardeners dig up dahlia tubers, calla lilies and begonias, and canna rhizomes. They are stored in a cellar or refrigerator, sprinkled with dry, fresh sawdust. Resinous components inhibit rotting.

This method is not suitable for preserving lilies and onion sets (they will lose turgor).

Farmers are zealous and creative people. They have the ability to convert waste into income, especially when it comes to organics. As you can see, using pine or any other sawdust can be beneficial in the right hands.