Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings

"RB" wrote in message
...
Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings

Hello RB,

We just had 22 poplar trees fell and stumps gound up. The stump
grindings are fantastic to keep weeds down when spread around your perenials
and also hold moisture after a rainstorm. Stump grinding are great also for
winertizing a strawberry patch or saving any other short perenial from
frost. I wouldn't just fill them in the craters...in fact I dug my stump
grindings out as best as I could and replaced it with garden soil as I
damned near broke an ankle when I stepped in one... hope that was of some
help....Jim

"RB" wrote in message
...
Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings



Let's see...storm damage....pine trees....Florida???
If so, I would think anything you spread around to cover the sand would be
good......Ross

On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 12:14:47 -0600, "RB"
wrote:

Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings


Pile them up into a heap. In six months or so, they will become
compost. If you can mix grass clipping to the heap, it will
considerably speed up the process. If you do not compost the chips
first, they will tend to draw nitrogen out of the soil.

pine is high in acid, spread it around as mulch, left in clumps only acidic
type plantings will thrive. pine is also rot resistant, will make lousy
compost and takes years to break down.
poplar will decompose in months, has no rot resistance which is why its
never used in exposed construction outside of the sahara.
"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 12:14:47 -0600, "RB"
wrote:

Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas,
instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed
by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings


Pile them up into a heap. In six months or so, they will become
compost. If you can mix grass clipping to the heap, it will
considerably speed up the process. If you do not compost the chips
first, they will tend to draw nitrogen out of the soil.

"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 12:14:47 -0600, "RB"
wrote:

Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings


Pile them up into a heap. In six months or so, they will become
compost. If you can mix grass clipping to the heap, it will
considerably speed up the process. If you do not compost the chips
first, they will tend to draw nitrogen out of the soil.


Right. working wood chips into the soil is a bad idea. Like he said it
sucks nitrogen out of the soil as it decomposes

"RB" wrote in message
...
Just finished having a bunch of stumps ground off. They were associated
with big pine trees, and were storm damage aftermath.

The grinding process has left fairly large piles of shavings/chips. My
inclination is simply to spread those out around the crater areas, instead
of removing and disposing of.

Is this a good solution? I've got a drag harrow type thing that, towed by
my tractor, will make quick work of spreading and levelling, if that's an
acceptable thing to do with this kind of leavings



They're most likely terribly acidic, and as someone else has already noted,
they will consume lots of nitrogen during the time they are
decomposing--high nitrogen fertilizer in moderate amounts or even grass
clippings will speed the process if you want them to break down quickly....


And don't expect them to permanently fill any low spots in the landscape, in
reality there's not a whole lot of mineral substance in them.

--

SVL

I have never heard of wood consuming nitrogen during decomposition,
wood mulch is a soil amendment, fortifier. I know of a nursery that
specialises in 800 different types of just Hostas , a plant breader with
one of the midwests best selections. He plants Hostas a nitrogen loving
plant in beds of 8"+ wood mulch, he does not fertilise and adds more
wood continously. Yes wood can be acidic but beneficial to certain
plants and soils.

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
I have never heard of wood consuming nitrogen during decomposition,
wood mulch is a soil amendment, fortifier. I know of a nursery that
specialises in 800 different types of just Hostas , a plant breader with
one of the midwests best selections. He plants Hostas a nitrogen loving
plant in beds of 8"+ wood mulch, he does not fertilise and adds more
wood continously. Yes wood can be acidic but beneficial to certain
plants and soils.


http://www.klickitatcounty.org/Solid...cted=965105457

[

Wood Chip Carbon and Nitrogen
The micro-organisms that decompose wood chips require nitrogen in amounts
greater than are available in the wood chips alone. If additional nitrogen
is not mixed with the wood chips, the micro-organisms will get the nitrogen
they need from the soil, competing with plant roots for the nitrogen
available in the soil. This is why bark mulch works to keep weeds down.

]

--

SVL