Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: davepitch on August 18, 2007, 21:41

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: davepitch on August 18, 2007, 21:41

I am about to clear an area at the back of my house to use as a lottie that is currently occupied by about 12 30ft Llelandi.

Want to get the most out of these trees and intend to chip all the branches I can and use them accross the rest of my garden as mulch.

Will I need to let these rot down a little before applying them?  When buying chippings from the council this year, the guy said to take the darker stuff as the new chippings will draw nutrients out of the soil.  Is this the case?

Cheers

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: WG. on August 18, 2007, 21:53

Woody material of any age will rob nitrogen from the soil IF it is dug in.  Used purely as a surface mulch it shouldn't do so.

That said, I'd be very careful about using fresh leylandii mulch - I think it might be a bit acidic for most plants.

Personally, I'd get rid of it unless you want to use it on paths.

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: muntjac on August 18, 2007, 22:01

bin it here as well, i ahve 6 to knock over this winter n am gonna lurveeeee binning em

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: WG. on August 19, 2007, 10:48

Something else was troubling me about using coniferous material as a mulch but I couldn't remember the name.

Definitely bin or burn it since it will contain turpentine - not as much as pines contain but not something I'd want on my garden.

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: davepitch on June 19, 2008, 22:31

bumping this old post right back to the top.

What about using the trunks for construction around the plot eg. is a slopping plot and could use a few piled up st the bottom, against heavy stakes to level it.

They would obviously rot in time as not treated but they would be okay as a put over.

Title: Re: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: lincspoacher on June 19, 2008, 23:12

Quote from: "davepitch"

I am about to clear an area at the back of my house to use as a lottie that is currently occupied by about 12 30ft Llelandi.

Want to get the most out of these trees and intend to chip all the branches I can and use them accross the rest of my garden as mulch.

Will I need to let these rot down a little before applying them?  When buying chippings from the council this year, the guy said to take the darker stuff as the new chippings will draw nutrients out of the soil.  Is this the case?

Cheers

OHHH ABSOLUTELY!!!

DO NOT put fresh  softwood chippings on new plants, as they compost they composting process sucks all the nutrients out the soil (So established plants are starved)  and the concentration of nutrients at the top can frazzle young plants!!!! Compost them in a compost bin and dont take them anywhere near a plant till there done!!!!!

Title: Chopping down Leylandii and chipping for mulch
Post by: Bodger on June 20, 2008, 13:49

We chopped our up into logs, kept them to eason  for 12 months and then they burnt really well on the fire.