Plant Tissue Culture PPT

When wood chips are sold or given away as mulch, a lot of people doubt its nutritious value for their precious plants. Maybe it's because it's quite cheap and readily available, especially if you know tree cutters or people from the recycling center. Is wood chip mulch really too good to be true?

The Good

Aside from being an inexpensive and available resource, wood shavings make for good mulch for a variety of other reasons. They look very natural especially in areas that are or were considered woodland. They won't decay very easily making them low-maintenance mulch. They also do not need to be shredded beforehand and help protect and enrich the soil the fresher they are placed. Wood chips are usually made from discarded wooden furniture, uprooted tree stumps, and wood cutting excesses. By using these unwanted pieces, we help recycle and save the planet.

The Bad

Decomposing wood shavings or chips absorb carbon and nitrogen and help make the soil more fertile. However, it is this very same characteristic that could snatch away nutrients from the plant it is supposed to mulch. This makes wood chips a bad match for shallow vegetation with short roots. Wood chips cannot be used on sloping ground as it will not cleave. It could have also originally belonged to diseased trees that contain pathogens and fungi that would not harm plants but would attack the walls and structures around the mulch creating unsightly black spots and mold.

The Ugly

These chipper byproducts get a lot of slack and are judged as good for nothing more than decorative pathways. Some claim that wood chips are a fire hazard, yet the decomposing mulch is usually moist and non-combustible. They also allegedly attract bad bugs like ants and aphids into the compost mix. Nevertheless, not all wood are created equal and cedar woods are well-known for being durable timbers that repel these unwanted insects. The nutrients wood chips absorb are also supposed to make the soil more acidic but this decrease in pH level is normal and occurs with other compost as well. Regardless, this acidity does not affect lower levels in the soil.

Each type of mulch has its own advantages and disadvantages, notwithstanding the idiosyncrasies of plant life which may make them unsuitable to certain types. This is why most gardeners mix up more than one kind. If you find wood chips a better buy for your budget, add other decomposers and fertilizers to compensate for its shortcomings.

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