Hello World! Welcome Friends! Wood chippers are essential power tools in farms and yards with a lot of trees. Generally, they’re used to turn large tree branches into tinier chips that are easy to keep or dispose of. Conventionally, farmers use wood chippers in post-typhoon or post-disaster operations to clear roads and spaces.
Over time, this equipment has been used for other tasks as well. If you have a wood chipper on your property, you may want to know what other uses it has. For that purpose, here’s an article to help you maximize the use of this power tool.
Mulching
Wood chippers break down large portions of trees into smaller ones used as mulching materials. Thus, all the chips kept could help in conserving the moisture of garden soil. In addition, it could suppress weed growth. Because wood chips are made of organic matter, they decay after weeks or months and add nutrients to the soil.
In many cases, using a wood chipper safely should be your first consideration in operating the machine. For this purpose, you may need to wear safety goggles and thick or tight clothing to protect you from sharp ejected chips that could hurt you. In using the chipper for producing wood chips ideal for mulching, you should start feeding the blunt or thick parts first. This way, you’ll be able to feed an entire branch completely.
Protecting Against Soil Erosion
Wood chippers could break down the branches to produce chips ideal for keeping the soil intact. The chips could absorb much of the flowing water that could wash away the soil. For better prevention against erosion, you may need to secure two to three layers of wood chips to hold the soil more and absorb more moisture.
Suppose you decide to install a concrete barrier for a permanent solution, thus you could easily remove the chips through raking and transfer them to other uses. You may also use them for mulching and composting. You may also move them into lower areas that need temporary anti-erosion solutions.
Composting
Since wood chips decay over time, they’re perfect as a component for composting. You may choose the smaller chips in this garden task as they’re quicker to decompose, especially when placed in a compost pile. In addition, they could easily be mixed with other compost materials. Collectively, they contribute to producing humus and improving soil structure.
You could spread a layer with two to three inches of wood chips in an area for better results. You may also need to pull out all the growing weeds in the area. This will ensure the chips and other compost materials will be mixed thoroughly.
Constructing a Pathway
Wood chippers could generate chunks and chips repurposed as filling material in muddy paths. When properly and evenly spread, the wood chips could cover the puddles of mud in the spaces. This way, you could construct a pathway. Generally, farmers place the chips in raised plant beds for this purpose.
In building a pathway, you may place flat and hard stones at the bottom of the path. You may even need to remove some soil to provide space for the rocks. After burying the stones, you may place large wooden chunks. In between, you could fill it with a measure of soil and chips. Then, spread more chips in the pathway. However, you may need to place a layer of the chips from time to time because they tend to wash out or decay.
Livestock Bedding
Like partway construction, wood chipper could help supply shavings and chips to fill the muddy parts of the livestock areas. Hence, the puddled spaces are covered with layers of chips that prevent the slippage of farmers when working. In addition, the chips are ideal as bedding material, especially if you’re planning to build a shelter for your livestock.
In choosing the chips for bedding, you may need to pick the types that have flat and even surfaces. You may also need to double-check the chips as some of them may have splinters that could wound you and the animals.
Apart from these, you may also delve into the following considerations to come up with reliable and durable livestock bedding:
- Manure Management: If you’re using wood chips for bedding, you may need to design a specific space where you’ll keep manure after cleaning. You may also need to ensure that the bedding is intact, so frequent topping up may be necessary.
- Type Of Use: You may need to think of the purpose of the livestock bedding. If you’re applying wood chips for pregnant or nursing animals, you may need to combine more soil to cushion and hide protruding and sharp chips. Otherwise, everything is just fine.
- Moisture Content: Wood chips are ideal when it comes to absorbing moisture. For better results, you may install excellent ventilation to dry the chips quickly.
- Expense: With efficient wood chippers, the wood chips may only need a few to no expenses as there are generally by-products of wood chipping.
Storing Wood Chips
Wood chippers could keep the chips before farmers use or dispose of them. Because of this, they could maximize the space used by the chippers. Yet, you may also consider the size of the chipper as bigger sizes could store more chips. On the other hand, bigger chippers are more expensive and may need more operational expenses.
In a Nutshell
Wood chippers are the go-to option whenever farmers’ chips have fallen or extracted trees. This way, they’re able to transport the branches and other tree parts easily. They may be placed in piling bags for easy disposal. However, many farmers also prefer keeping them inside the machine.
If you’re a farmer with a fallen tree inside your yard, you may use the insights in this article after chipping the branches and trunk off the tree. The vast array of ideas could help you identify what other yard and garden tasks could be beneficial for the wood chipper.
You may consider its size in choosing a wood chipper since it dictates the capacity to chip and shred branches. You may also think about its cost-effectiveness, maintenance, fuel consumption, and mobility. With the new chippers today, you may also consider their type whether it’s gas-powered or electric.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
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