Tree chippings

The guys who lopped the trees in a public area adjacent to my house, very kindly gave me 4 bags of "chipped" branches and trees. Is it OK to use this straight away as a mulch or should I let it stand for a while?

 

I'd take them out of the bag and leave them in a pile for a while if I was you, to let the rain get at them. Leave for a couple of months and then use them as a mulch. If you don't want to wait that long you can use them now but don't put them up close to any stems of plants as they will likely to be a bit "hot".

 

Thanks, that sounds sensible. Do you think a thin layer in my compost bin now would be helpful?

 

I innoculate them first, I have some soaking in the leftover 210L bucket of water that washed seaweed was in, though I haven't applied it round the garden yet, it has worked in my rhody heathers bed. You could bung manure in it or decant erm, self-made nitrogen then cover it and leave it which will slow initial nitogen robbing. Only use around the drip line of plants to begin with then if fine nearer to but not up to the stems and never dig it in. If it's a bed you have plants in and out of inevitably it is going go get under the soil and the microbiota will sequester nirogen form the soil. I think it'smore bother than it's worth except on permanent evergreen shrub beds.

 

Will also depend on what type of trees they were. Do you know?

 

Mostly a type of ash, I can't remember what name the men put in front of ash. It has roundish deciduous leaves. also a bit of stick willow and field maple.

 

Would definitely not use them yet, all of those have the potential to take root.

 

Thank you for the advice everyone! After months of nagging the council about the trees overhanging my garden, I most certainly do not want a forest in my garden, particularly not the stick willow, which I hate. It is no good even to burn. Musn't complain though: trees are the lungs of a city, and we bought this little house because the beech tree, also next door, is so beautiful.