Woodchip Compost

[Gary.J.Kelsey]

Hello Charles and All

I have access to compost which has come from a forest play park. They have dug the area out to improve drainage, so there is a large spoil heap. It has been fed by leaves, pine needles and woodchip. It has been mixed a bit in the transition, but is mostly well rotted, 75 % soil: 25% wood chips (potentially sieve it?), so I am wondering whether this would appropriate for the usual application.

Thanks Gary

[charles]

Basically yes as long as there are not too many wooden pieces. A large mesh sieve sounds worthwhile. Back in the 1980s we had an old bed frame of metal mesh and propped it at 45 degrees, then threw shovelfuls of material at it and the fines went through, leaving stones, lumps etc to fall down in front.

[Don Foley]

Hi Charles,

Would this soil not be very acidic given what Gary says is in it?

Don.

[charles]

I don’t think so Don. A test of soil pH in the USA found the same pH under 50 year old pine trees, whose needles had been dropping and decomposing, as in nearby soil with no pine trees.
Pine needles are only slightly acidic and only when green.
Its hard to change soil pH, look at how rain is quite acid, 5.6 or so from absorbing CO2 as it falls (thus becoming carbonic acid). Fortunately that does not have major effect on soil.

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