 | Why is the County Council providing a Home Wood Chipping Service?
Warwickshire County Council recognise that green garden waste is a useful resource for gardeners and have sought Government funding for a wood chipping service.
There are sound environmental reasons for keeping your chipped, green waste and using it in the garden. Landfilling garden waste contributes to the creation of methane gas which is a potent greenhouse gas thought to contribute to climate change. Also by using your very own chippings as a mulch you will reduce the need to buy chemical weed controls for the garden.
What can I do with my wood chippings?
The chippings can be used as a mulch. Mulches are an excellent way of:
4 Controlling weeds and clearing ground. They work by depriving weeds of light , which they need to grow.
4 Mulches are placed on the surface of the soil and can vary from light excluding membranes to loose shredded prunings. To ensure success it is important to use the appropriate mulch for your particular needs. Below are some suggestions for making and using mulch:
4 Woody prunings and other woody material produced in the garden (excluding manufactured wood products), can be chipped for use as mulch. These are best heaped up to compost for a few months before use on planted areas. Composting will darken the colour of mulch, giving it a more attractive appearance. The addition of nitrogen rich material such as grass mowings, nettle liquid and nitrogen rich manures to the heap of shredded material will help speed up the process. Why not consider buying a discounted composter through our county wide scheme. See leaflets at your local library for details or contact 01926 412458 or follow the link on the left.
4 Mulch should be applied after any compost and organic fertilisers have been added to the soil. It should always be applied to warm, moist and weed-free soil.
4 When using loose mulch such as your chippings, top up as required (usually every year or two) to maintain a minimum 100mm weed-suppressing layer.
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