Should I add sawdust under trees or under shrubs?

Usefulness of sawdust

Sawdust consists of fiber, various trace elements, resins, essential oils, therefore they become an excellent fertilizer for all plants. They enrich the soil with carbon, thereby increasing the beneficial microflora in it. They make the soil looser, lighter, more breathable, which simply saves heavy loamy soils.

The ability of sawdust to retain moisture can be very beneficially used in arid areas and in lowlands that suffer from floods or rainstorms. To remove excess water from the plants, make small trenches (30–40 cm wide, 20–25 cm deep) and fill them with sawdust. And to retain moisture in the soil, mulching is performed. Mulch made from fresh sawdust prevents moisture from evaporating, reflects sunlight due to its color, which means it prevents the earth from overheating in the hottest summer. Properly organized mulching saves summer residents from the need for frequent loosening of the soil, weeding the beds, because it does not allow a crust to form after rain. And if any weed germinates, it is very easy to remove it from the loose, airy soil.

The roots of many shrubs are located at a shallow depth; tyrsa scattered around the stems will help provide them with the right amount of moisture.

Which tree sawdust to choose

For fertilizers, you can use the crushed parts of all trees, as long as they are not treated with chemicals. But coniferous sawdust contains a lot of resin, which slows down decay, therefore they are not used for compost and as part of complex dressings. But they perfectly drive away the Colorado potato beetle, weevil and other pests - it is useful to sprinkle the aisles in the potato beds with them, to cover strawberries, roses or other plants for the winter. The Colorado potato beetle does not like pine sawdust on a potato bed, but it is advisable to change them at least three times over the summer - then there will really be a result. You can mulch the beds with eggplant and bell pepper, which are also often attacked by this pest.

Most often, people use the most varied tyrsa, not caring about tree varieties. Probably, trees in our country are used in the construction and furniture industry only those that will not harm the plants in the country. The main thing is to use sawdust correctly, knowing that their excess can acidify the soil very much, and burying with fresh ones can deprive the earth of nitrogen. Lime, wood ash, urea or manure will help enrich the soil with useful elements without disturbing the acid balance and without reducing the amount of nitrogen.

Video "All about soil mulching"

What is the best way to mulch the soil and why you need it.

How to use

Regular introduction of rotted sawdust with manure and ash (or lime) into sandy soil, of course, will not turn it into black soil, but will significantly increase fertile opportunities, and increase the yield of literally all crops. It must be remembered that fresh sawdust is mixed with fresh manure, and rotted ones - only with rotted ones.If the soil is not too alkaline, then you can always add lime flour or ash to prevent excessive acidification.

Vegetable beds can be mulched with a thin layer of sawdust (optionally mixed with manure) immediately after transplanting. This will help to retain moisture, make it less burdensome to care for the plants - less often you will have to loosen and weed. By the end of summer, tyrsa will mix with the top layer of the earth and make it looser and more airy. So you can organize an unobtrusive, but constant delivery of the necessary top dressing to the plant root system.

Useful for trees and shrubs

You can use wood waste for mulching not only on vegetable beds. It is very useful to sprinkle a thick layer of sawdust on the ground in the raspberry bush. They do it like this: sprinkle a thick layer of tyrsa (20 cm) with lime, sprinkle it with diluted urea on top. Thus, it turns out that the earth constantly receives organic fertilization, retains moisture, a constant temperature - even in the hottest dry summer, raspberries will have enough moisture, and a thick layer of mulch will protect the soil from overheating. The owner does not often have to loosen the soil, there will also be much less weeds. The result of such care will be an increase in yield, even an extension of the fruiting period.

Currant roots are located at a depth of 10 cm from the surface, very often the earth dries out in summer or freezes to such a depth in winter. Some summer residents use wood waste to create more comfortable conditions for this plant. Proven by experience: if you mulch the ground around the bush, the currant grows better, the fruits are larger, sweeter. In large beds, it is advised to cover the entire ground with sawdust, even between rows of bushes. The same applies to other shrub plants in the country.

The land under fruit trees is often mulched to retain moisture, remove weeds, or overheat. It is noticed that then more side shoots appear. In addition, young trees are covered with wood waste to protect the roots from freezing. But it is important to do this just before the frost so that the mice do not make themselves winter nests in warm organic mulch. It is better to cover the soil under a tree in spring with fresh sputum with manure - slow roasting will provide top dressing for the entire growing season. If there is a danger of excessive acidification, it is worth adding lime or ash.

Sawdust can be as beneficial for trees and shrubs as it is for vegetables in the garden. The main thing here is not to overdo it, otherwise you will have to remove the caked, but not rotted remains, so that they do not delay the freezing of the earth in the spring. Some summer residents, fearing spring frosts, in this way (building a thick layer of sawdust and snow around the trunk) are trying to delay flowering. But competent botanists do not approve of this - not all trees can benefit.

Video "How to mulch trees"

This video tells and shows about mulching trees with sawdust and wood chips.