From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Rives jct. Mi.

I have a half acre of heaping wood chips. They have been sitting for 2 years. Is this something that would benefit my sandy soil?

4/7/2015 7:53:56 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

If they aren't fully broken down they will tie up the nitrogen in the soil. If you can get them mixed with a nitrogen source like fresh manure and green grass, pile them up so they heat up, turn them when they cool down you can get them to break down faster. It is very hard to keep the organic matter in sandy soil. The particle size lets more oxygen into the soil, so the bacteria converts organic matter to carbon dioxide. Your organic matter simply is lost to the air. You might help it out if you can find some silty soil to mix into your sandy soil to fill up some of the voids in the soil.

4/7/2015 10:20:23 PM

Rives jct. Mi.

Thanks for the info. Its nice to have people like you with great ideas and information to use.

4/8/2015 12:09:40 PM