Sawdust in some farms can accumulate in large quantities. They can be used in the garden and vegetable garden. Let's consider how to use sawdust for the garden, which is better to choose, their benefits and harms, different methods of spring and autumn use in the garden: for seedlings, for germination, mulching, insulating plants, fertilizing beds, storing crops.
Benefits and harms
Sawdust has many advantages, due to which their use in a summer cottage or garden is justified. They can make excellent mulch; this is one of the most common ways to use shavings on private estates. Added to the substrate, they make it loose, thereby creating conditions for rapid germination of seeds and growth of seedlings. If you cover the beds with sawdust, you can stop the growth of weeds, regulate acidity, protect plant roots from frost or drought, and prevent compaction and cracking of the soil surface. They can be sprinkled on garden paths to keep them clean and dry.
Sawdust absorbs moisture well and retains it, so it can be used in beds if the rows need to be moistened. They also work as insulation and protect against frost if used as insulation material before winter. Wood shavings, like wood waste, decompose well and become an excellent natural organic fertilizer.
Problems and solutions
Sawdust acidifies the soil, which can be a problem when used on neutral or acidic soils. Most plants do not like acidic soils, with the exception of conifers, rhododendrons, and blueberries, under which shavings can be safely applied. In other cases, when used, you need to add alkaline materials to it, which will neutralize them. These include ash, lime, chalk, dolomite flour, and fertilizers with an alkaline reaction.
The second problem is the absorption of nitrogen by the material. This important element must be compensated by applying nitrogen-containing fertilizers: saltpeter or urea. The sawdust is impregnated with a fertilizer solution immediately after laying it on the beds.
The shavings can harbor pests and rodents, so you should monitor them throughout the season and take action if necessary. Wood shavings can be a carrier of diseases and pests if they are obtained from wood affected by infections or harmful insects.
Types of sawdust and which ones are better to choose?
For use in the garden, you can take any wood shavings, from deciduous or coniferous trees. However, their properties are not the same, so they must be used differently.
The best material is rotted sawdust; it no longer absorbs nitrogen and can serve not only as mulch, but also as fertilizer. Fresh ones absorb nitrogen and heat up; an increase in temperature can lead to overheating of the roots.
Application in spring
Sawdust can be used throughout the season. In spring and summer they can be used for seedlings, for germinating seeds and tubers, for mulching, and covering beds.
For seedlings
Rotted sawdust can be used as a substrate for seedlings. They can be taken in their pure form, as the only material, or a soil mixture can be prepared based on them, mixed with soil and peat. With sawdust, the mixture will become loose and airy, which will be a clear plus for young plants.
Germination of seeds
A loose sawdust substrate can also be used to germinate seeds of any crop.Or simply sprinkle on top of the seeds, making the top layer light. Seedlings can easily break through it.
For sprouting potatoes
Sprouting tubers is another option for using sawdust. Potatoes quickly take root and sprout in them; they are not restrained by dense soil. Air and moisture easily penetrate to them. Tubers are easily removed from sawdust; fragile roots and sprouts do not break.
Creating beds
If the area in your dacha is located in a low area, you can raise the beds using this material. How to do this: in the garden you need to dig trenches no less than a spade bayonet deep, cover the bottom with straw, add a layer of sawdust on top, and soak in a solution of urea as a fertilizer. Place the excavated soil on them.
Mulching
You can mulch beds with any crops with rotted sawdust. In the spring, a layer of at least 5 cm is laid. In the summer, it is added as the material shrinks. Mulch is used to regulate humidity and air exchange in the soil, to control weeds and as an organic fertilizer.
Site layout
If there is a lot of sawdust, all the beds and tree trunk circles are mulched, and the question arises of where to put the rest, you can sprinkle the paths with them. It will become more comfortable to walk on them, the earth will not stick to your shoes.
Autumn application
Sawdust can also be used in the fall. This is a good material for insulating plants for the winter; you can store vegetables and root vegetables in them.
Warming plants
During autumn work in the garden and vegetable garden, after harvesting the remains, shavings are sprinkled around the trunks of shrubs and trees to protect them from freezing. Insulating material is placed on beds with strawberries and garlic for the same purpose. The layer should be thicker than in spring and summer, at least 10-15 cm.The colder the winters in the region, the more material needs to be poured. By spring, most of it will have time to rot and become fertilizer.
Harvest storage
Root vegetables, vegetables, and potatoes are well stored in dry, clean sawdust. They perfectly regulate humidity, protect against spoilage and rotting, while at the same time the root vegetables do not dry out and retain their juiciness and taste. It is enough to put vegetables in boxes in layers and sprinkle each layer with clean shavings. Of course, in this case, you need to use hardwood shavings, not coniferous ones, which are unsuitable for this purpose due to the resinous odor that stored root vegetables can absorb.
Fertilizing the site
Fertilize any crops with sawdust that has been rotted for 1-2 years. As a fertilizer, it is best to use not clean shavings, but compost to which they are added. Humus or compost contains more nutrients than pure material. Loose compost nourishes plants and improves soil structure, providing double benefits.
A mixture of fresh sawdust and fresh manure cannot be used due to the risk of root burns.
For sawdust, fresh or in varying degrees of overheating, there are many ways to use it in the garden and garden. This is an excellent mulch, baking powder, fertilizing agent, and soil improver. They benefit any type of crop, but harm is possible only if used incorrectly.
