Using Wood Chip to make Compost

[JohnParticipant]

Hi Charles

I read with interest your June 1st update about compost, specifically the use of wood chip, “The new heap is 60% green (nettles and grass) and 40% brown (straw, fresh horse manure, small wood chip and pine needles).”

The photos in the update show a full wheelbarrow of wood chip and a heap about one metre cube. Is this what you would recommend or did you use several barrow loads? On our allotments we have free wood chip provided by tree surgeons. I also have some 2 year old wood chip, presumably partly broken down, on my paths between beds which I could easily dig up and use as a ‘brown’ ingredient and then fill the path with new wood chip.

I would be very interested to read your thoughts on the use of wood chip in making compost and any guidelines that you would suggest.

By the way I look forward to the bimonthly updates: it’s like Christmas but more often!

Best wishes
John

[charlesModerator]

John, wood chips take time to break down so they want to be small in order to compost. Say hazelnut rather than brazil nut.
We used 1.5 wheelbarrows of wood chip in that heap.
It was partly to have more brown to soak up the liquids from green. The heap is plenty moist enough now, even though the brown ingredients were on the dry side when added.
Glad you like the updates.

[JohnParticipant]

Hi Charles

I have been revisiting my wood chips and the first photo shows from top right anti-clockwise – fresh chips, six months old on the surface, six months old a few cm down on the path, and eighteen months old a few cm down on the path. The second photo shows detail from the old chips. I wonder if it would be ok to use these older chips, which are small and at least partly broken down, to form all the ‘browns’ in a heap to balance the greens from the spent crops and green manure, particularly comfrey.

I am not sure what is the maximum percentage of such older wood chips that could be used.

Thank you very much

John

[charlesModerator]

Yes I would. They look reasonably small and half decomposed so should go close to finishing their breakdown in a heap, and be a good balance for all the summer’s green ingredients. As for maximum percentage, I am unsure but Iain Tolhurst at Hardwick makes compost from only wood chip, turned monthly with his digger in the summer.

[JohnParticipant]

Thank you Charles. In that case I will put a digger on my Christmas wish list!

John

[MPGParticipant]

I have a further question regarding wood chip in compost: we are collecting some “well rotted” horse manure from a nearby field, but some of that manure, though in itself appearing well rotted, has less well rotted wood chip mixed in (see photos). Is this still ok to use or should it be rotted more?

[charlesModerator]

The answer is mostly in comments already here. Yes use some, not too much, it won’t all break down within a year but that is ok because we spread it on the surface.

[JohnParticipant]

I made a heap early last August using alternating layers of 1. old woodchip (see photo in earlier post); 2. greens from allotment waste, green veg waste from home and green manure – mainly comfrey and phacelia, collected in a heap between February and July; 3. FYM delivered in November and stacked until August.

Proportions were roughly 1/3 of each and it was the best compost, spread in November, that I have ever made – I now have 6 foot broad beans as evidence – plants rather than individual beans!

I have found that stacking FYM in a heap 1 metre cubed for a year or so makes a massive difference to its use as a mulch; turning it would make it even better and I guess the same applies to horse manure.

[MPGParticipant]

Thanks Charles & John for your replies. We are just starting out, and so were hoping to spread this manure straight away – but from your comments it looks like we will have to compost it for another year before using, and try and find another source for ‘ready composted’ manure.

[JohnParticipant]

Hi MPG

I didn’t mean to put you off using the manure straight away. In my first year I used the FYM as it was as I didn’t have anything else and I was aware that it was the best way to get the soil working as per Charles’ method. Not so good for carrots, but for planting larger crops – potatoes, brassicas, squash, courgettes, etc. – it worked well in spite of some slug damage. It is only in subsequent years that I have had the luxury of being able to store for a year.

Good luck with your new project.

[MPGParticipant]

yet another question: we have recently discovered that the manure we are composting has mainly PINE woodchip in it – we are worried that too much pine (as against hardwood) may be too acid. Could this be a problem?
Secondly, does pine woodchip take longer to compost than hardwood?

[charlesModerator]

Hi MPG:
I would not worry about pine causing acidity, unless your soil is already acid, even then I doubt the compost/manure is much below neutral.
Pine decomposes faster than hardwood so it’s good from that point of view.

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