It seems that wood chips are everywhere around us at this time of year. Well, the winter is coming and everyone wants to finish their chores.
It’s actually a great time to get wood chips for your yard because they have multiple benefits. In this article, I’ll show you why this material makes a perfect mulch and which plants benefit from it.
Let’s get started!
They Make An Excellent Walkway
Once wood chips decompose, they’ll turn into a porous compost full of beneficial creatures, such as worms and mycelium. (1)
This feature makes them a perfect base for walkways and that’s why you should add them between your garden beds.
If you have grass or clover planted in your garden, you know how hard it may be to walk on them when they’re wet. Wood chips will make this easier!
Well, they aren’t as comfy as grass during dry weather but they’re definitely a better choice than rocks or gravel.
You can also use it in landscaping to get a color contrast; they look amazing next to grass or concrete!
Since this material decomposes over time, it’s a good idea to top it off.
Perfect For Topping Your Garden Beds
You should know that wood chips need nitrogen to break down. If you put them in the soil, they’ll steal nitrogen from your plants, which is definitely something no one wants.
But this happens only if they’re in the soil; if they’re on top, there’s no need to worry about nitrogen. This makes them a perfect material for mulching.
Hot summer temperatures cause the water to evaporate faster, so you need to protect plant roots from dehydration. Wood chips come to the rescue!
Simply add a few inches of wood chips to the top of your garden beds, making sure they’re not close to the stems of your plants.
Wood chips will improve your garden soil as they break down and turn into compost.
And For Your Flowers, Shrubs, And Trees
No matter if your trees and shrubs are already established, they’ll still benefit from some protection related to watering and roots.
Deep mulching will protect your flowers, shrubs, and trees from too low or too high temperatures.
All you need to do is create a few layers of wood chip mulch to get the depth. Be careful not to put it near the trunks and stems of your plants.
Why Add It In The Fall?
Well, the majority of people cut down their trees in spring or fall. This means that you can get a supply now and apply it before the winter arrives.
Even if you leave some wood chips on a pile and don’t spread them anywhere, don’t worry, they’ll decompose and be ready for use in spring.
Although you can find wood chips in garden centers, I highly recommend consulting with local services because some give them away for free!
References
1. Fontana, M., Johannes, A., Zaccone, C., Weisskopf, P., Guillaume, T., Bragazza, L., Elfouki, S., Charles, R., & Sinaj, S. (2023). Improving crop nutrition, soil carbon storage and soil physical fertility using ramial wood chips. Environmental Technology & Innovation.