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Wood Chip: Cheap, Versatile & Sustainable

by fse-admin - / 02.02.2016


Great uses for wood chip

The beauty of our work at Elite Trees is being able to recycle the debris from our work. Wood chips are a form of organic gold with all kinds of uses, some beyond the obvious. So how and where can you make use this useful resource, and why we at Elite Trees vociferously choose to recycle debris of this kind for other uses.

A classic example for wood chip is its ability to accomplish two goals for your plants and shrubs, with its ability to hold warmth and moisture for local planting.

They also suppress the growth of weeds in beds, and who likes to spend the day weeding? So a carefully distributed layer of wood chip not only stops those weeds from infiltrating the aesthetics of your garden, it provides a clean and sharp look – it is a beautiful backdrop to the magnificent colours in a well planted garden.

The high level of carbon in wood chip is great for building up the qualities of the soil. Using wood chip as mulch will improve the soil condition immensely.

You can even use wood chip as a brown layer to your compost. It breaks down and enriches the dirt, making it more nutritious for the plants you spread it on.

All wood makes great fuel, as many of us who own a wood burner would vouch for, but wood chip can be used as a simple addition for starting a garden or open fire. Wood chip or pellets are used in biomass technology, which can in turn power engines and indeed buildings if necessary. Farmers are regularly using these now for a form of clean and sustainable energy.

Shingle is commonly used for walkways, but wood chip has been around for centuries when it comes to dressing and providing a comfortable and attractive walkway around your garden or an entrance to a garden building. As a substrate it finds a natural level and again performs a barrier against the growth of weeds.

Wood chips decorative qualities have already been mentioned in this article, but it also finds use in dried or artificial flower arrangements, giving a natural backdrop or surround to a beautiful arrangement.

Furniture makers have used wood chip in the past for constructing furniture, and artists use this superb resource for creating natural works of art. The variable colours and shape can provide an interesting look in both areas.

Cushioning falls in children’s play areas is a very common use for wood chip, and many a theme park playground is dressed with wood chip to cushion those falls. Of course perfect for the garden play areas as well.

Back to the garden again, and wood chip can prevent soil erosion in those neglected areas, or areas of your garden you just haven’t had time to prepare as yet. Wood chip provides excellent drainage while maintaining the qualities of the soil underneath.

Wood chip can sometimes be a forgotten resource or something we take for granted. It in fact has numerous superb uses and benefits to gardens, play areas, carpentry, art and probably more than we have listed here.

So, if you are looking for a cheap and multiple usage sustainable material, wood chip is a superb choice!



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