Spreading my composted wood chips

[Doc_Bob]

A few months ago, Pineridge suggested I compost my wood chips. Well, I resisted but eventually did what he suggested. Today, I had a friend come over and move the chips into my filed using his dozer. Yes, I could have done it with my tractor, but it would have taken 40 hours. It took the dozer 2 hours. The wood chips had been collected all summer and mixed with horse manure and urea pellets (thanks Pineridge!). I am not running the dozer (I wish I had been). The heat from the compost produced lots of water vapor. The chips now cover about 220X200 sq. ft of clay like soil in an 8 inch layer of rotted chips.

Enjoy the power of composted wood chips!!!
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o293/montgom/Dozer NOV 2006/DSC01289.jpg








http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o293/montgom/Dozer NOV 2006/DSC01281.jpg

 

[escavader]

HI DOC
Iwas just gonna post and ask about this.I have been chipping all wekend and have some massive piles of chips.Can i mix them in with my regular compost,that i put on my veggie garden.Will it hurt the soils ph balance?Will i need to add lime too?Nice photos.You make alot .Do you got a sawmill or something?
ALAN

 

[Doc_Bob]

HI DOC
Iwas just gonna post and ask about this.I have been chipping all wekend and have some massive piles of chips.Can i mix them in with my regular compost,that i put on my veggie garden.Will it hurt the soils ph balance?Will i need to add lime too?Nice photos.You make alot .Do you got a sawmill or something?
ALAN

I have been told and I believe that these chips will suck all the nitrogen out of the soil! I have composted them with a lot of horse manure and urea (46%) and watched them shrink in volume by about 50% over the summer. I will add more urea to the soil and chips as time passes. They are only partially composted in these pics. I had them spread over the field since I need more room for the next 100 truckloads of chips that will be delivered over the winter and spring.

I have not done any soil testing, so all your good questions will have to wait for someone who knows more about it than I do. I just know that wood chips can take years to decompose. I will be feeding this area of clay soil for a number of years. By then, I will be a chip expert! And the soil will finally be "softer".

I get my chips delivered by a local tree service that needs a place to dump them. They get rid of them and I need them. Works well for both of us. The chips are a waste product for them. I have 15 acres of land. I will need chips for years !
Bob

 

[Kubotasrking]

Great pictures Bob. I'd love to own a dozer.

 

[Highbeam]

That operator sure puts a load of ballast on the tracks.

 

[randy41]

rotting organic mateial does use a lot of nitrogen. but this should be a great soil amendment in the long run.

 

[Glenn9643]

HI DOC
Iwas just gonna post and ask about this.I have been chipping all wekend and have some massive piles of chips.Can i mix them in with my regular compost,that i put on my veggie garden.Will it hurt the soils ph balance?Will i need to add lime too?Nice photos.You make alot .Do you got a sawmill or something?
ALAN

You can get a lot of info at the GardenWeb soil/compost forum:
Soil, Compost and Mulch Forum - GardenWeb
You'll need to add "greens" along with the chips for nitrogen to speed up the process.

 

[turbo36]

That operator sure puts a load of ballast on the tracks.

Thanks exactly what I was thinking, I just couldn't think of such eloquent words.

 

[PineRidge]

Glad things are working out nicely for you Bob. Keep in mind that anytime you move a pile of composting material and you see smoke, or steam, the pile is still hot and not fully broken down. No need to rush mother nature.

BTW: I noticed a different snow-blower in the background. Did you sell the one you purchased from me and go wider for the TN?

 

[Doc_Bob]

Glad things are working out nicely for you Bob. Keep in mind that anytime you move a pile of composting material and you see smoke, or steam, the pile is still hot and not fully broken down. No need to rush mother nature.

The chips were still composting, but I had to make room for the next batch of chips that come during winter and spring. The chip area is only 200 x 200, which does not leave me a lot of room. The piles were getting close to 12 feet high. It looked like a mountain range from the road.
Bob

 

[Doc_Bob]

BTW: I noticed a different snow-blower in the background. Did you sell the one you purchased from me and go wider for the TN?

Sharp eyes! Fellow bought your blower and I found this "monster" for sale at a great price locally. The TN70A can destroy a smaller blower so it was easier to sell the smaller one and upgrade. The "new" one is double augur, 2 stage with hydraulic chute control and 84 inches wide. Just like your old one, just twice as big .
Bob

PS The fellow who bought your old one was very happy with it.