# Bark -compost or mulch?



## Skylakes (Dec 5, 2007)

While on a mission to retrieve a bag of sawdust I left in the woods last fall, I realized I have one heck of a lot of downed tree bark in the woods. Various trees: ash, shagbark hickory, elm, oak, unknown. My mission tomorrow is to build an 'official' compost bin and I thought this bark would be great in my layers. On the other hand, it would be good mulch in the garden. Some pieces are quite large (12"x12" or 12"x18" or more); most are smaller. I have 2 questions.

1. Which is better, mulch or compost? Some of the bark is quite thick, while other pieces are very thin. I could use in layering in the compost bin, or lay on top of garden.

2. Probably half the bark pieces have (old) vines stuck on them. Not sure what it is, but you see it stuck on many of the trees, some vines getting almost 2" thick. If I use the bark as mulch, will this viney stuff come to life and reek havoc in my garden? Is it still alive? Some of this bark has been down for quite some time, while other pieces are newer. 

While I await your Wonderful Words of Wisdom (WWW) :help:, I still need to go get my sawdust, and fill the wagon again with another load of bark. I have a short window of opportunity before the thick underbrush of may-apples & invasive garlic mustard starts filling it, and along with the mosquitoes, making it impossible to even BE in the woods!:grit:

Appreciate all your expertise.. . .


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Dead bark has about as much nutritional value as dead wood. Both run about 2.2 pounds per ton and most of that is potassium. Thus it's about worthless in compost. Best use is as mulch around perennials where it doesn't matter how much nitrogen it needs to break down.

Martin


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## Marabunta (Feb 24, 2011)

I'm no composting expert, but it's gotta be worth something, even if it's just for the carbon. If you have a way to grind it down into a sawdust-like texture, I'd throw it in the heap and let the microbes sort it out. And even if they don't fancy it for dinner, it ought to improve soil tilth and help retain moisture when applied to the garden.


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

It takes a long time for bark to break down into a usuable nutrient for vegetable gardens but it is great for using as a mulch around fruit trees and shrubs. After a long winter of burning wood, I always have what seems like a ton of tree bark where I keep my wood stacked up. So come spring cleaning I rake it all up and place it around my apple trees, or cherry bushes. I first put a layer of cardboard down around the base of the trees or bushes to smother any grass out, and then I place the bark on top of the cardboard. It takes about 2 years before I have to add more bark. So one year I place it around my apple trees and the next year I place it around my cherry bushes.


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## Skylakes (Dec 5, 2007)

Darn, Martin, I was hoping it had more nutrients! I can't believe dead wood has little value. As it rots it just seems so. . . valuable; nature-made compost. Feels so nice in your hands, all crumbly & magical. I may throw a little of the smaller pieces in the compost pile, just to add bulk.

OCB - Yup, that's exactly what we do with the wood that MAKES it to the woodshed - rake it all up & mulch all around what we can. This was the bark that never made it out of the woods. Thought I found a hidden, free deal. Well, I did wagon out 4 loads. I'll save it for mulch - always have trees to transplant (we plant 75-150 1-3 yr olds each year in a tree bed).

Thanks all!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

A tree falls in the forest. It lays there for years slowly breaking down. Eventually fungi are able to live off it for a few years. Then it continues to disintegrate until it looks like soil. So many times there have been gardeners who are certain that they have found the mother lode of pure dirt where a huge log had been many years ago. They fail to put two and two together and realize why nothing has been growing in it all this while. It's nothing but carbon humus with zero nutrients. Fungi had removed everything good years before.

Martin


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Uh, might want to be careful with the vine....... If it had three leaves on it last fall it's poison ivy, and if it had five leaves it's Virginia Creeper. Neither will give you much problem in the compost, but if you've handled the poison ivy...........

geo


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

A fallen tree is broken down by decomposers. The larger ones such as most insects and worms will leave their waste behind. The critter waste is what adds nutrients to the soil around the tree. Tree dust does make a good soil amendment because of the added organic matter but it doesn't add much in the way of nutrients. Most of a trees nutrients are contained in the green leaves.

ETA, the tiny decomposers also leave waste behind and sometimes become nutrients themselves when they die in the rotting wood. But by volume decomposers leave very little plant friendly nutrients behind.


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## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

I used fallen trees to build my compost bin. So its about 15' across the back & 10' on each side. Neihbbor brings over his horse manure now & then & can get his frontloader right up in it.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Think of broken down wood like peat moss- definitely has value in gardening, just not from a nutritional standpoint. It's great for "lightening up" hard clay, etc.


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## silverbackMP (Dec 4, 2005)

laughaha said:


> Think of broken down wood like peat moss- definitely has value in gardening, just not from a nutritional standpoint. It's great for "lightening up" hard clay, etc.


Yep, the cellulose in wood eventually breaks down to lignin. Very beneficial for moisture retention and organic matter in the soil. Just takes alot of nitrogen and microbial action to get it there. 

Bark is also is great mulch around trees and woody shrubs as most of the decomposition will be from fungi instead of bacteria. Trees and shrubs appreciate the benefits of fungi based decomposition more so than bacterial decomposition (although can use both). There is lots of symbotic relationships occuring with this.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We save all our old bark for kindling. Just stack it up, let it dry out and it is good to start the fire with in winter. 

Be careful about those old vines. They might be poison ivy! OUCH!


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## Skylakes (Dec 5, 2007)

I don't believe any of the vines are P.Ivy - haven't had a problem & have ripped down lots of long, thin vines out of the trees. Used some for decoration, entwining around an old ladder.

We do use lots of broken bits & pieces of bark for fire-starters and for mulch. Was just hoping it was like a wonder-drug, with yet another beneficial use. More mulch it will be!!


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## cnsranch (Sep 29, 2010)

Ok I too have a question.....the electric company came by a few weeks ago and cut and trimmed trees on our road we took two loads of the shreded trees does anyone no if that would be ok to put between the rows in my garden, would it be safe for plants because the trees were green and not dead?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

cnsranch said:


> Ok I too have a question.....the electric company came by a few weeks ago and cut and trimmed trees on our road we took two loads of the shreded trees does anyone no if that would be ok to put between the rows in my garden, would it be safe for plants because the trees were green and not dead?


It's still wood no matter if the trees were alive or dead. The only difference is that there is some nitrogen in the fresh growth. Wood or bark mulch is sold with the intention of lasting for a long time. Most is from live trees. Doesn't matter if it's used around perennial plants and shrubs or in a vegetable garden. The time it takes to break down is the same.

Martin


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## cnsranch (Sep 29, 2010)

Thank you!


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