Wood chips as fertilizer. Effective use of sawdust as fertilizer

Sawdust as fertilizer is widely used in agriculture. Attracted by the low cost, availability, lightness, at the same time with the increased volume of raw materials.

Characteristics of fertilizer from wood waste

It is not recommended to fertilize the garden with sawdust in its pure form:

• raw materials are completely overheated for about 10 years;
• special nutritional value sawdust does not possess;
• the use of raw materials extracts nitrogen from the soil;
• soil acidity increases;
• released during processing heat.

By fertilizing the soil with sawdust, the following effect is achieved:

• looseness of the soil, in which the roots of plants are better supplied with oxygen;
• moisture is perfectly retained in the surface layer;
• a thick layer of sawdust prevents the growth of weeds;
• the earth warms up better in the spring;
• the use of sawdust helps plants survive winter frosts.

To balance beneficial and harmful qualities sawdust fertilizers, the raw materials are treated with manure, urea or other organic fertilizer before being applied to the soil.

Wood waste should first be moistened with plenty of water or organic matter should be used in liquid form.

When is the best time to use sawdust?

• For nightshade vegetables, fresh sawdust treated with fresh manure should be used in the fall. Carrots also do not like fertilization in the spring, responding with the formation of ugly root crops;
• melons are preferred spring feeding. However wood fertilizers It is recommended to use it in the form of prepared compost. You can dig up spilled sawdust treated with organic or chemically, to a depth of 10-15 cm.

How to improve productivity?

We are constantly receiving letters in which amateur gardeners are worried that due to the cold summer this year there will be a poor harvest of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. Last year we published TIPS on this matter. But unfortunately, many did not listen, but some still applied. Here is a report from our reader, we would like to recommend plant growth biostimulants that will help increase the yield by up to 50-70%.

Read...

Features of the use of coniferous waste

It is recommended to use fresh pine waste when planting potatoes: a handful of sawdust soaked in water and manure, the same amount of wood ash and a couple of bean grains are recommended to be thrown into each hole during early spring planting. The effect achieved:

• warming the soil layer, protecting vegetables from spring frosts;
• rapid germination of tubers due to soil moisture;
• preventing an increase in soil acidity;
• supplying potato roots with nitrogen, which is released during bean growth;
• double harvest, which is collected from a minimal plot of the garden;
• repelling pests that do not like the pine smell.

Waste or income?

How to prepare compost correctly

Most often, sawdust is used as a fertilizer in compost, which is formed much faster due to good heating, providing processing of sawdust raw materials.

Compost should be prepared using hot or cold methods, depending on the rate of processing of the starting material. General rule: It is advisable to lay sawdust in layers of quickly rotting mixtures: green grass, hay, household waste, use manure, feces, chicken droppings. The thickness of the layers can be made approximately the same. Overall height compost heap should not exceed 70-90 cm. During the summer, it is advisable to mix the composition several times, accelerating the ripening of the fertilizer. It is recommended to maintain the moisture of the mixture by regularly watering the pile with water or slop, preventing drying out by covering the substrate with an opaque film.

How to make fertilizer using microorganisms

Quickly done quality fertilizer from the sawdust composition it is possible to use microorganisms “Baikal EM-1”:

• moisten finely or medium-fractionated raw materials with a solution of the drug, according to the instructions;
• fill an opaque plastic bag with wet sawdust;
• tie the neck tightly to prevent air from entering;
• Place the bag in a sunny place, turning it regularly for better heating.

Ready humus can be used after 2-3 weeks. The fertilizer is crumbly, suitable for improving the composition of any type of soil, but especially dense in consistency.

How to fertilize berry gardens with sawdust

High-quality fertilizer is quickly obtained from sawdust using a kind of press, under which the raw material must be kept for a couple of months:

• scatter 3 buckets of small sawdust over the film;
• thoroughly moisten them with water with the addition of 200 grams of urea so that the liquid is absorbed but does not leak out. If there is no urea, manure of any origin is used;
• cover with opaque film and press down with a weight.

Ripe fertilizer can be used to mulch fruit and berry plantings, starting in mid-July, when the heat is especially intense. Mulch prepared in this way perfectly protects root system berry bushes from drying out, and at the same time supplies the ripening crop with nutrients.

• moisture is retained in the root system;
• prevents rotting of berries and damage by pests;
• light color of raw materials, reflecting Sun rays, reduces heating of berry roots.

After harvesting, you can apply mineral fertilizers and manure directly over the mulch, feeding the plants and ensuring rapid rotting wood waste.

Use of wood waste (tyrs) in the garden

Growing seedlings

Sawdust treated with manure is an ideal substrate for growing seedlings with a strong root system. A special feature is the easy separation of each plant from soil mixture without damaging the thin roots. The crumbly composition contributes to the formation of a strong plant.

Sawdust moistened with slurry is successfully used for germinating potatoes, providing early harvest. Boxes with root vegetables should be filled with moist substrate 2 weeks before planting. During this time, strong shoots are formed with a root system beginning to form.

The use of wood waste in greenhouses and greenhouses is difficult to underestimate:

• sawdust moistened with manure is laid in a layer on the film;
• a layer of grass hay is poured on top;
• The structure is completed by 10-15 cm of humus, into which the seeds are sown.

With this method, the seedlings grow stronger and more resilient, further ensuring a high yield of tasty and healthy fruits.

The use of wood waste as fertilizer for agricultural crops is a profitable business, which is characterized by a small contribution of financial costs, while obtaining significant savings and yield addition.

And a little about the author’s secrets

Have you ever experienced unbearable joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:

• inability to move easily and comfortably;
• discomfort when going up and down stairs;
• unpleasant crunching, clicking not of your own accord;

How to keep soil moist in hot weather long time? How to protect plants from freezing in winter? How to curb the growth of weeds in garden beds? Such questions are often asked by inexperienced gardeners.Mulching with sawdustsoil is one of agrotechnical techniques solving these problems.

Advantages and disadvantages of mulching with sawdust

Mulch the soil with sawdust, that is, covering the surface of the earth with them must be done competently. This procedure is not always beneficial. Advantages:

• cheapness;
• retain moisture in the soil well;
• promote greater soil permeability;
• protect roots from temperature changes;
• when they decompose they form organic matter, feeding the earth with vital elements;
• retain heat in the soil and prevent it from freezing in severe winters;
• allow air to pass through;
• prevent the spread of weeds;
• prevent the berries from coming into contact with the soil, which means they reduce their spoilage;
• mulch is a home for beneficial microflora;
• pine mulching sawdust prevents the development of fungal diseases and repels some pests;
• pine sawdust, especially pine , drive away some pests and pathogens.

Despite the impressive list of advantages, mulching has its disadvantages:

• fresh sawdust affects the acidity of the soil, increasing it;
• sawdust large size they rot for a long time, and for the decomposition process they need nitrogen, which they take from the soil;
• also, the decomposition period depends on the type of tree - sawdust from soft deciduous trees rots in 10–15 months, from pine and other representatives of conifers - 2–3 years;
• pine sawdust prevents the development of not only pathogenic microflora, but also beneficial ones.

What sawdust can be used

Crops react differently to the application of sawdust mulch.

• plants love chopped wood from deciduous trees, except oak, poplar and walnut. It is better not to use oak, as well as waste from poplar and walnut. They secrete substances that inhibit the growth of many crops;
• sawdust from coniferous trees acidifies the soil , therefore it is applied to plants that prefer an acidic environment - potatoes, greens, carrots, tomatoes and representatives of the pumpkin family;
• It is prohibited to use waste from chipboards, as they contain hazardous substances.

For mulchingThey use different sizes of material.

1. Very fine fractions are not used. It cakes into lumps and forms a hard crust on the surface.
2. Large sawdust forms a loose and deep layer that is difficult to compact.
3. Large chips insulate plants winter

Sawdust in its pure form is sprinkled on paths in plots and flower beds, and on passages between beds. You should not cover the ground with fresh sawdust in the fall. This wood material has low thermal conductivity. If you cover cold ground with it, it will not thaw for a long time in the spring and will not warm up well. For mulch It is better to use rotted or semi-rotted material that is painted light or dark brown.

For a healthy harvest potatoes After hilling it, sprinkle the grooves with sawdust. They will help retain moisture and prevent weeds from germinating. Mulching bushes raspberries helps its root system to overwinter without negative consequences. Bushes of tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and many flowers - hydrangeas, roses , lupins also respond well to this procedure.

Mulching must be combined with the addition of nitrogen. fertilizers

For cucumbers they practice mulching with wood chips small fraction. Each bush is sprinkled in a circle, this protects the plant from sucking pests. Coniferous sawdust is used as biofuels. They are poured into the base of the cucumber beds , water it well with slurry and increase it in height with soil.

Wood waste under the influence manure will hum and generate heat all season. Large wood shavings are placed in planting holes for grapes and flower vines. They act as a heat insulator, protecting plant roots from deep cold. Coniferous It is better to use sawdust for mulching carrots , they will drive away the carrot fly. To insulate mulch, the “dry” method is most often used, which is suitable for most crops - clematis, grapes, rose bushes.

The advantage of this method lies in the fact that plants overwinter in a dry, warm place where excess moisture does not penetrate. They are covered with sawdust, covered with polyethylene on top and covered with earth. Events are held in late autumn.

Winter garlic needs mulching not to protect it from freezing, but to preserve soil moisture and prevent cracking of the ground. Therefore, a “wet” method of covering is suitable for garlic: mulch from shavings sprinkle the soil near the plants, without adding soil and without covering the beds with polyethylene. Mulching pine sawdust protects garlic from diseases and pests.

You should not sprinkle such mulch on plants that like an alkaline environment - cabbage, beets. This will adversely affect their growth.

Timing of work

For sawdust to start “working”, it must rot. This requires high temperatures, which is why optimal timing Their uses are spring, summer - warm seasons. During this same period, it is necessary to protect the roots of plants from the scorching sun and prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. Wood mulch can be handle strawberry plantations, raspberry bushes, tree trunks of fruit trees. Winter mulching is carried out with a mixture consisting of:

• from sawdust;
• plant residues;
• rotted manure.

Technology

Before what to processsoil with mulch, you need to find out its acidity and, if necessary, adjust this parameter by introducing additional components.

Preparation of material

The sawdust itself are not a fertilizer. On the contrary, they, like a sponge, suck elements from the soil, depleting it. Therefore it is necessary from them make mulch. It is easy to prepare with your own hands. Preparation starts with acquisition wood material. It must be of high quality, without pathogenic microorganisms and pests.

1. On plastic film pour out several buckets of sawdust and calcium nitrate on top (70–80 g per 1 bucket of material). Then water it with water, cover it with film and leave it for a week.
2. Urea is most often used for saturation of the material with nitrogen. Fold it in a heap, water each layer with a urea solution (200 g per 10 liters of water), then cover with film. Every 14 days, the sawdust is shoveled so that it is saturated with oxygen. They are used when they turn black.

Technology preparation is to settle on the material sufficient quantity microorganisms that will begin to process wood into organic matter. To do this it is necessary to support high humidity, and the temperature is above +15°C. To prepare mulch takes time, so it is better to do it in spring or autumn, making compost pits. Sawdust, manure and plant waste - tops, mown grass, leaves - are placed in them in layers. If there is no time, then compost prepared from fresh sawdust. For 1 bucket of sawdust take:

• superphosphate in granules - 30 g;
• ammonium nitrate - 40 g;
• calcium chloride - 10 g;
• slaked lime- 120 g.

The mixture is infused for 2 weeks.

Adding dolomite flour or ash to rotted sawdust neutralizes components that change soil acidity.

Features of spring and summer mulching in open ground and greenhouses

In spring, annual crops are mulched immediately after planting. For this purpose, only sawdust from deciduous trees is used. oak cannot be used. Root vegetables - carrots, turnips, garlic - are sprinkled with mulch after thinning, when the tops of the plant have reached a height of 5–7 cm. The mulch layer is made 3–4 cm thick.

It is added to perennials after warming up. soil , after removing the old mulch layer or digging it up with soil. They are not mulched in the summer, as they do not have time to prepare for winter. Raspberries, currants, apple trees, bushes strawberries mulched in spring before flowering. Sawdust should be added before the second decade of June, then by mid-summer there will be no trace left of the layer.

It is better to use mulch in the greenhouse apply in spring, mixed with others nutritional components- manure, urea. Plants are mulched when they begin to actively develop. This allows you to reduce the watering rate and protects the roots from overheating. Use of pine sawdust in a greenhouse for growing tomatoes and cucumbers helps reduce the development of diseases and numbers harmful insects. The mulch layer should be 5–7 cm.

Preparing beds and plantings for winter

In the garden do raised beds, on which vegetable and flower crops grow well.

1. Remove the top fertile layer and set it aside.
2. A layer of mown grass, tops, and straw is laid on the resulting base.
3. Sawdust, well moistened with a urea solution, is placed on it.
4. Again, plant remains, which are covered with deposited soil.

To prevent the bed from crumbling around the perimeter, make sides from mown grass. Plants in such a bed need more water.

Gardener mistakes

Novice gardeners sometimes complain that mulching does not bring the results they expected. This occurs due to a violation of the process technology. Let's look at the main mistakes:

• using sawdust without pre-treating the soil with nitrogen fertilizer is one of the fatal mistakes;
• it is forbidden use freshsawdust - this entails an increase in soil acidity;
• incorrectly selected size of wood waste for plants - large shavings, used only in the garden for mulching around the trunks of trees and shrubs or as insulation for the winter;
• adding sawdust to unheated soil.

Sawdust mulch- This good material And fertilizer , which is suitable for many types of soil. The result of mulching will be noticeable after 3–4 years, since the formation of a fertile layer is a very slow process. But the quality of the strawberry or raspberry harvest can be assessed in the same season. But be sure to take into account peculiarities using mulch so as not to harm the crops.

Fertilizer is not only specially synthesized chemicals. To replenish the soil when growing crops, you can use waste from various industries.

It can also be sawdust - as a fertilizer, it can be used both in the greenhouse and in the fields. This option is a simple and cheap soil recharge.

1 How do wood shavings affect the soil?

D Wood chips are a natural organic material in which, even in the form of sawdust, useful elements still remain. When they rot, they release carbon, which has a beneficial effect on microflora.

Mixed with the soil, sawdust makes it looser and lighter, improves air permeability, and at the same time does not retain moisture. As a result, the soil becomes more like. It will be easier for the root system of crops to develop in it.

This is primarily useful for the following areas:

“tired” lands that were actively used for growing any crops (even if the cultivation was carried out according to all the rules);

soils with poor fertility.

After adding shavings, the soil is less susceptible to drying out, and in dry weather a crust does not form on its surface.

1.1 Pros and cons of application

This fertilizer material has the following advantages:

cheap and easy to obtain (sawdust can beliterally for pennies you can buy it in any woodworking shop,or even pick it up for free if you don't need it a large number of );

P ease of use;

improving the condition of poor soil, simplifying the development of the root system;

loosening the soil.

There are also disadvantages:

“fresh” sawdust oxidizing t soil, so apply their necessary in moderation, only after preliminary preparation(about preparation - below);

shavings are not the “main” fertilizer - they are just auxiliary material for soil.

1.2 Using sawdust in the garden (video)

1.3 For what crops can it be used?

The sawdust composition can be used for any type of planting:

“garden” crops, from potatoes to strawberries;

trees (fruit, berry);

• agricultural crops grown in fields.

Use this fertilizer as much as possible outdoors(in the garden, on the field, in the garden), and in greenhouses and hotbeds.

This method of fertilization is practically not used in the fields, and if it is used, it is infrequently, rather as an exception. Crops grown in large volumes are usually fertilized with specialized preparations. And sawdust is rather one of folk remedies, from the “arsenal” of amateur gardeners.

2 What sawdust is suitable for fertilizer?

Before using sawdust fertilizer, it is worth remembering the basic rules:

Pine shavings are not suitable. Pine (and others coniferous trees) contains resin, which slows down the process of wood decomposition. This means that all the benefits of the application will come to naught.

“Fresh” sawdust should be used with extreme caution (so as not to overdo it with the quantity), and it is better not to use it separately at all. The reason is that fresh wood will oxidize the soil.

The decomposition of wood in the ground helps reduce the amount of nitrogen in it. Therefore, crops that will grow on it may experience a deficiency of this element.

If the shavings were stored near/under thickets of weeds, they can be used as fertilizer only after treatment by hot composting. To do this you need to water the sawdust hot water(hot 60 degrees), quickly cover with plastic and leave for several days.

The following conclusion can be drawn - for safe use will fit:

Sawdust from non-coniferous trees.

Rotted shavings (which were lying on fresh air as long as possible, ideally not less than a year). Its color will be darker than fresh ones. The darker the better (that is, the longer they last, the better).

Mixing with other types of fertilizers.

2.1 What can you mix with?

It was mentioned above that sawdust is best used by applying it together with something else, making a mixture. "Recipes" can be like this:

1. 2.2 Use as mulching material

   P use sawdust Can be used as mulch- this is true for any plants in the garden.

   This is done in early summer (no later than June). All land plot(on which crops will grow) is covered with a layer of sawdust, 2-3 cm thick. Such preparation will prevent the appearance of weeds, make the soil looser, and help retain moisture in the soil.

   

   After harvesting, the soil needs to be dug up. At the same time, the sawdust will be mixed with the soil, and next year it will turn into fertilizer for the next plantings.To neutralize soil oxidation (from “clean” wood chips in it), it is recommended to sprinkle it with lime flour.

   WITH You should not use too much sawdust for mulching. At the end of the season, after digging up the area, they should not remain on the surface. Otherwise, next spring they will only be a hindrance: they will prevent the soil from freezing.

   WITH The preparation process looks like this:

   A plastic film is spread on the ground.

   3 buckets of sawdust are poured out.

   200 grams of urea are mixed with the shavings.

   The mixture is moistened with 10 liters of water.

   The process is repeated until it succeeds required quantity fertilizers

   The mixture is covered with a film, the more airtight the better.

   The fertilizer will be ready in 10-14 days.

   2.3 Application in greenhouses/greenhouses

   P When preparing soil for greenhouses/greenhouses, it is important to use shavings so that the soil maintains its temperature more stable.

   It should be mixed with finely crushed leaves and grass. Moreover, if the manure is taken fresh, then the sawdust must be fresh. And vice versa: if the manure is rotted, sawdust should also be taken that is already rotted.

   2.4 About the benefits and rules of use (video)

   
   

   2.5 Application on beds

   AND using sawdust as fertilizer, maximum efficiency can be achieved when growing strawberries (strawberries)and potatoes. They will also be useful in gardens located in lowlands.

   To protect the planting from drought and weeds, shavings can be used not directly under the plant, but nearby. To do this, furrows (25 cm deep) are dug along the bed, into which sawdust is poured. They will play the role of a kind of barrier that will not allow weeds to enter the plant and will not release water. Having rotted, wood shavings will release useful elements into the soil, turning into fertilizer a year or two after digging.

   The most effective way to use sawdust in garden beds is as follows:

   The top layer of soil is removed.

   A mixture of urea and shavings is placed in the hole (as mentioned above: 200 grams of urea per 3 buckets of shavings).

   Cut grass/hay is placed on top.

   The furrow is buried.

   >

   Should you use sawdust in your dacha? Many people ask this question, let's find out the opinion of those who have used sawdust in practice.

   Question: How useful or not is sawdust useful on the site? Where and how can they be used? Or maybe it’s better not to use it at all?

   We ended up with several bags of sawdust. A neighbor asked us for it and scattered it around her property. My mother-in-law wants to put them under the raspberries - I don’t know if this is right or not?

   ABOUT.: I have a bad review for them. They acidify the soil terribly. And I spilled urea, it’s still bad.
   The raspberries didn’t even get leaves, and the lawn didn’t grow at all, or rather, it was in terrible shreds. And she added it, and did everything she could. That whole season, where there was sawdust, went down the drain.

   ABOUT.: The paths between the beds are filled with sawdust, they are watered all summer so that they rot, and in the spring they are embedded in the beds, something like that.

   ABOUT.: Sawdust perfectly decompacts the soil and serves as an excellent mulch. But! If you do not have blueberries, rhododendron or pine needles, which require acidic soils, then add along with sawdust dolomite flour for alkalization of soil.

   ABOUT.: Sawdust can be obtained free of charge from wood cutting companies. In Berdsk I know what they are handing out, my brother went there and collected sawdust to fill the roof of the bathhouse.
   Sawdust must be used carefully, because, on the one hand, sawdust loosens the soil, and on the other hand, it very strongly acidifies it.
   Therefore, our parents and grandmothers advised us to sprinkle sawdust on the paths so that there would be less dirt, and in the fall add slaked lime to the soil, simply scattering it around the garden, in the spring the whole thing is dug up.
   Sawdust is also used when processing onions, kerosene is diluted in water and sawdust is added, let it sit a little and then spread over the onion bed - not too tightly, of course.

   ABOUT.: Sawdust actually greatly increases acidity. I pour them into the beds along with the ashes and dig them up, they neutralize each other, otherwise my garden is full of clay.

   ABOUT.: Girls, I don’t recommend using sawdust anywhere in the garden; because of it, a wireworm appears, which begins to devour everything, and it’s very difficult to get it out. I didn’t listen to the advice of my friends, now I’m looking on the internet for how to get rid of it, it appeared right there , where I sprinkled sawdust.

   ABOUT.: One year I poured sawdust into the rows of strawberries... Then I had to cut them down, they had become so compacted over the winter that they had crusted over. And weeds grow very well on them.

   ABOUT.: And we have been using sawdust for 3 years in a row. My husband has his own sawmill. I sprinkle all the paths between the beds, the grass grows much less, and sometimes I also sprinkle it under the bushes, it’s better, of course, not to sprinkle it fresh. No worms or living creatures. Everything looks great and beautiful, like snow on the ground. And in the spring we dig it all up with a motorized cultivator.

   ABOUT.: We also love sawdust, only we have it with chicken droppings. Sawdust very good loosen the soil, and to prevent it from acidifying, you first need to fill the bucket with sawdust with water. And I do warm bed under the cucumbers - in the center of the bed I bury sawdust with chicken droppings, and the cucumbers at the edges, and they always grow very well. Fine.

   ABOUT.: Girls, you know everything yourself. Cons: sawdust acidifies the soil, sawdust removes nitrogen from the soil. Now let's change the minuses to the pluses.
   It acidifies, which means you need to alkalize it, mix it with ash, and where they were used, in the fall we add fluff lime (now in garden stores a special deoxidizing lime is sold; by the way, it is great to use when growing clematis).
   It takes nitrogen, which means we don’t pour it dry, but soak it in a bucket with urea, or even better with calcium nitrate - this is nitrogen + calcium, which also alkalizes (deoxidizes the soil).
   I take a bucket, dry mix sawdust with ash and pour 2-3 tablespoons of calcium nitrate into a bucket of water. I use it as mulch for both raspberries and strawberries.
   Thus, any minus can be changed to a plus.

   

   You can see that the strawberries are mulched with sawdust, they are gray with ash, in the fall of 2012 they were fresh, straight from the sawmill. Then I can show what berries will grow with these “sour” sawdust.
   Yes, conifers, hydrangeas, rhododendron, blueberries generally say “thank you” for the mulch with sawdust.

   ABOUT.: For the 101st time I sing a hymn to sawdust, and all other organic matter in addition. This time I photographed the obligatory companions of sawdust when mulching.
   I remind you:

   • ash and lime for alkalization, so that the soil does not become acidic when using sawdust,
   • urea (calcium nitrate), so that sawdust decomposes faster and does not take nitrogen from the soil,
   • water to dissolve the urea so that it is evenly saturated with fertilizer,
   • Sawdust to make the soil lighter, plumper, looser.

   
   

   

   As a result, we come to the following conclusion: sawdust can be used, but correctly. To benefit from them, you must follow the application rules described above.

   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 does not subside: 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 scare off the main enemy of all gardeners without exception - 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 of sawdust:

   • When entered into fresh draw nitrogen from the soil, thereby significantly depleting 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 material, 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 necessary for plants microelements, 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 sprinkle the beds on top fresh sawdust not forbidden. 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 are not suitable for everyone. cultivated plants to your liking.

   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, in which the temperature inside is deliberately increased 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 fertilized:

   • Nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants) prefer the autumn application of fresh sawdust mixed with manure.
   • They love umbrellas too autumn feeding 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:

   • Filming upper layer 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 will be ready in the trench organic fertilizer. 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 the potatoes are shipped to open ground 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 insulation has been tested for years. There is no doubt about its reliability. It is also used to cover clematis and roses.

   Grapes are insulated differently. Take a strong one wooden frame, cover the plant with it, completely fill it with fresh sawdust, and wrap it in polyethylene.

   Organic raw materials should not get wet in the rain. Otherwise, the very first frost will turn a box of sawdust into a block of ice.

   Mulching with sawdust

   Some gardeners limit themselves to complex compost. Others use sawdust to protect crops from freezing in winter or being damaged by dangerous pests.

   It is customary to mulch plants with half-rotted, completely rotted, or even pre-prepared fresh raw materials. A layer of 5 centimeters is enough. This mulch is ideal under berry bushes, in beds, and in raspberry thickets.

   Mulch is needed in early summer when plants are actively growing. It helps retain moisture in the soil. At the end of the season, the mulch mixes with the soil and becomes less noticeable.

   Conclusion

   Application sawdust in the garden makes life much easier for gardeners. They receive not only excellent fertilizer and useful mulch, but also effective covering material. All this, along with an affordable cost, makes them a very popular raw material for garden plots.