Wood chips are a by-product of using a wood chipper (check out my review of the best wood chippers for home use). Some people think that wood chips are a really useless material which should be dumped in the green waste or garbage but this isn’t so. In fact, there are a variety of ways in which you can put wood chips into practical use.
Here are some practical uses for your wood chips:
- Mulch for your garden
- Composting material
- Walkways and paths
- Surface for play area
- Erosion control
- Bio-fuel
- Make pressed wood
- Smoke tasty meat
- Decor: make interesting decorations
Read on to know more.
Mulch
Garden mulch is probably the most common use for wood chips. Wood chips can help to retain moisture in the soil in which your plants grow which is very beneficial for their proper growth and development. Wood chips can also prevent weeds from growing, which means that you can save time weeding and save money on traditional pesticides or other toxic chemicals to kill weeds.
Woodchips also help to keep the soil warmer, slow down the evaporation process and absorb water more intensively. It means that your plants will receive more water and grow more healthily. It also means that they will need less water as they will get what they need in a completely natural way.
Composting material
The second way in which you can make use of the wood chips is using them as compost. With the help of a wood chipper or a shredder, you can create usable compost much more easily and quickly. You can make compost by shredding the wood and other compostable materials and mixing them together and leaving them in a warm moist place. By breaking down the wood chips and other organic waste you can speed up their decomposition process and use this mixture for compost in your garden in as little as 14 days. This method is great for recycling your wood chips that is great for your garden.
Walkways and paths
Another popular use of wood chips: a walkway substrate. They can make the ground smoother and suppress weeds on the walkways and paths. Before laying the wood chips on the walkway, you should consider putting down a weed barrier in order to increase its lifetime. Some weed barriers can include plastic sheet, old newspaper or old cardboard. The walkway should also be carefully graded; otherwise, people with mobility impairments might have trouble navigating it due to the large debris which can trip them.
Surface for play area
Wood chips can be used also as a covering surface of playgrounds, cushioning the falls and providing a safe and no slippery surface for kids and other individuals. Nevertheless, if you want to design a play area in your yard with wood chips you should check it on a regular basis in order to be able to reduce the risk of injuries and other traumas.
Erosion control
Wood chips are ideal as a temporary solution to the problem of erosion in your garden. They can serve as a barrier which can prevent the loss of soil, especially during heavy rains. Of course, if you want a long-term solution, you should consider talking to a landscaper about better drainage options to keep your yard in a good condition.
Bio-fuel
Did you know that woodchips can be turned into environmentally friendly biofuel using some enzymes? If you own a car that runs on bio-fuel you might be able to produce ethanol which can be used as an environmentally friendly fuel in your car. Depending on the number of wood chips available you may be able to make ethanol and save a reasonable amount of money for purchasing a traditional fuel. However, you should consider that this is not an easy process and it requires specific equipment, time and efforts so it is probably best done at scale as a business. That is why you may think of selling the wood chips instead and get the money into your pocket. It all depends on your personal choice and how much effort are you willing to spend in order to turn the woodchips into usable fuel for your car.
Make pressed wood
Pressed wood is a versatile product which can be used for producing a variety of different things. One of them is wood pallets. If you often use them you may be willing to learn how to make these all by yourself using the chips from the wood chipper for producing pressed wood. Pressed wood is also a product that can be used in the creating process of some less expensive piece of furniture.
If you are not interested in producing things from pressed wood, then you should consider selling the wood chips, which can be a wonderful benefit if you want to get rid of a fallen tree in your backyard that can cause you a lot of trouble.
Smoke tasty meat
Do you have a meat smoker? If yes, then you should know how tasty hickory smoked ribs and maple smoked ham is. There are several types of wood which wood chips are particularly suitable for smoking-hickory, maple, mesquite, apple, and oak. The whole process is not complicated at all. You should strip the wood from its bark, and then send it to your wood chipper. Finally, when the wood chips are ready, let them dry in the sun. In this way, you will have wood chips which will give a great taste to your smoked meat.
Decor
Wood chips are also perfect for stabilizing the dried and artificial flowers in the vase. They can ensure more stability of the flowers by keeping them upright all of the time. They also can be used in the construction of various types of furniture and works of art due to their variable color, shape, and pattern.
Wrap up
Overall there are a variety of things you can do with the wood chips produced by your wood chipper that can save you money or even help you earn some money. Your wood chips from cleaning up a fallen tree (see how to cut a tree in the direction that you want here), when you are chopping firewood (check out this article about the best chainsaw for chopping firewood) or just pruning trees and plants in your garden are a valuable resource.
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Comments 2
I’m using wood chips for composting and they are great for gardening, its an amazing money saver as well. It takes a lot less other compost materials to get an amount you need when you add wood chips to it.
I’m using it for compost and generally in the garden and it makes so much difference. My garden looks so much healthier now. I just recover it once in a while and it works great.