Woodchip / Barkchip / Mulch

[swinny]

Woodchip, barkchip and mulch......

 

Surely these are all the same...maybe not mulch but to me wood chip and bark chip is the same.

 

I've had a few people say they want bark chip... i say "Ooo you mean wood chip, i can supply this" and they say they want bark chip

 

Also do you ever get peple who say "can i have some good stuff"

 

Its all the same!!

 

What do you all do with your chip? Do you class some to be good stuff and some rubbish? Do you mix it all in together? Conifer etc?

 

Cheers all, put me out of my misery lol

[likeitorlumpit]

woodchip is all the arisings stuffed through the chipper

barkchip is stripped bark only though you get percentages of wood in it depending on quality- it lasts much longer

mulch is potentially all three and could be wool/sand/shingle/compost in fact anything that acts as a weed supressant or moisture retainer

[skyhuck]

If I get asked for bark I say sorry but I don't have that, but I have wood chip if thats any good.

 

If you think about it how can wood chip be bark?, bark is only a tiny % of whats in wood chip, why would anyone call it bark???

 

"Good stuff" is generally hard wood chip without leaves.

 

"Mulch" is any thing used on top of the soil around plants to suppress weeds and keep in moisture.

[swinny]

If I get asked for bark I say sorry but I don't have that, but I have wood chip if thats any good.

 

If you think about it how can wood chip be bark?, bark is only a tiny % of whats in wood chip, why would anyone call it bark???

 

"Good stuff" is generally hard wood chip without leaves.

 

"Mulch" is any thing used on top of the soil around plants to suppress weeds and keep in moisture.

 

True

 

Just thinking of how i can justify what mine is, think i'll say wood chip / mulch

 

I've only just started to keep it as a friend lets me put it on some land

 

There is some good in my pile.... just a lot of conifer and other stuff

[NoRush]

If you dont sell it let it compost. Turn it over every month or so an it makes lovely compost in about 9 months no matter what it is and fully organic. The word ORGANIC sells it self. Been growing pumpkins on mine for the last 3 years just planted them and let them grow. 1st year biggest was 65kg, 2nd 75kg not weighed this years yet so the must be some goodness in it

[Goaty]

Bark chippings I believe are the bark peelings from commercial forestry timber then shredded to make a consistent uniform product. Sold in fancy packaging by diy stores and garden centers and promoted with compost ranges through the horticultural media. Which means if it doesn't have bark in the name its not "right"

Personally I think it tends to blow around a lot as its lighter and it tends not to keep moisture in as well as or deprive weed seeds of essential light as well as woodchip.

[geoff]

Huck is about right in my book,I do tend to keep my hardwood chippings from the winter seperate from the 'leafy' summer pruning stuff,& the acidic evergreen has its own heap too.

Got a good suply of well rotted cow manure,that mixes in well with the leafy stuff.

[Gnarlyoak]

Woodchip, barkchip and mulch......

 

Surely these are all the same...maybe not mulch but to me wood chip and bark chip is the same.

 

Also do you ever get peple who say "can i have some good stuff"

 

Its all the same!!

 

Not the same at all I'm afraid, in fact all very different indeed.

 

Woodchip: Arboricultural arisings that have been passed through a chipper!

 

Barkchip: Bark stripped from softwoods (usually) which have been harvested during forestry operations and subsequently chipped.

 

Mulch: Almost anything that covers the soil will control weeds to some extent, and in the world of horticulture, mulch can be almost anything, from plastic sheeting to a “living mulch” such as clover. In a garden context, mulch is usually a layer of some kind of organic material used to retain moisture and surpress weeds. Such as woodchip; barkchip; straw; manure; grass clippings; compost etc.

 

The Best Stuff: Hardwood, either deadwood or wood cut in the winter, so it has no green material and less moisture, especially if its for immediate use.

 

Next best: Would be hardwood cut and chipped when it was in leaf. But if used as a mulch this should be spread thinly (0-2 inches) or ideally stored and if possible turned for 6 months or more as fresh chippings will extract large amounts of nitorgen from the soil to kick start its decomposition processes.

 

The Worst: Conifer! Needs to be well rotted before it fit for owt!

Edited September 22, 2011 by Gnarlyoak

[treequip]

Not the same at all I'm afraid, in fact all very different indeed.

 

Woodchip: Arboricultural arisings that have been passed through a chipper!

 

Barkchip: Bark stripped from softwoods (usually) which have been harvested during forestry operations and subsequently chipped.

 

Mulch: Almost anything that covers the soil will control weeds to some extent, and in the world of horticulture, mulch can be almost anything, from plastic sheeting to a “living mulch” such as clover. In a garden context, mulch is usually a layer of some kind of organic material used to retain moisture and surpress weeds.

 

The Best Stuff: Hardwood, either deadwood or wood cut in the winter, so it has no green material and less moisture, if its for immediate use.

 

Next best: Would be hardwood cut and chipped when it was in leaf. But if used as a mulch this should be spread thinly (0-2 inches) or ideally stored and if possible turned for 6 months or more as fresh chippings will extract large amounts of nitorgen from the soil to kick start its decomposition processes.

 

The Worst: Conifer! Needs to be well rotted before it fit for owt!

 

AFAIK thats an urban myth unless it's still green and you dig it in in, which pretty much negates it as mulch

[geoff]

If used as a top dressing,from my understanding,fresh chip is fine,& wont deplete soil bound nitrogen significantly.