As a tree care company, we end up with a lot of wood chips, and all too often they go to waste. So, we’re offering our wood chips to people in the community free of charge to use as they will.
Wood Chips are a valuable resource for gardening and landscapes as they help to retain water by keeping temperatures cool from the sun, and acting as a weed guard.
These aren’t the processed, dried, and dyed chips that you can pick up at the home improvement store. In many cases, the chips you receive will be freshly trimmed and chipped. This means they’ll still have the color of fresh wood and have a substantial amount of moisture, but they’ll work just as effectively in your yard and garden.
Wood Chips FAQ
Your wood chip delivery will depend on the amount of wood byproduct from our recent jobs.
If you’re on the list and no longer want to receive your wood chip delivery, please call us at (720) 352-6774 to cancel.
Make sure there are no fragile plants within a few feet, as the chips will spill out in all directions, and can harm plants both in the ground and potted.
Mark the space with cones or a tarp so we’ll know where you want your chips dumped.
Some examples of locations that are ideal:
- Your Driveway, as long as it is not thin enough to potentially be damaged by a heavy truck.
- The street in front or on the side of your house, as long as it is commonly clear in the middle of the day
We will not drop chips under these circumstances:
- Drop location blocks a neighboring driveway, alley, or street
- Drop location is on a tight or busy street
- If we need to call to get access to drop location
Wood chip dumps are nearly 100% chipped wood and other greenery from recently trimmed or removed trees. They may accrue a small amount of rocks and trash, but it should constitute less than a couple handfuls of material.
As mulch, wood chips are great at providing temperature control for the soil, which helps to retain moisture. That means your plants will need less water! You can even mulch peppers and tomatoes in the garden!
For composting, wood chips are a great way to supply ample carbon – they typically have a Carbon:Nitrogen ratio of 400:1!
How to Mulch:
Landscaping – Start with a pile of wood chips in one corner of your landscaping. Using a rake, slowly spread them out so they make an even covering of the ground. For most landscaping, you should aim for layers that are 4-6″ thick. Leave the wood chips relatively loose, as gravity, rain, wind, and other forces will compress them over time.
Around Plants – You want to provide plants with a strong barrier of protection, so you’ll want to pack in chips a little thicker around plants. Grab handfuls of chips and spread them out evenly around the base of plants, until you’ve formed a mound of mulch.
Our wood chips will have a substantial amount of moisture and greenery included, so they’ll compress more than store-bought mulch. When mulching gets thin, simply re-apply a fresh layer on top.
Don’t worry! This powder is not dangerous. Most likely it is mycellium, a harmless fungus that assists in the breakdown of organic material. This fungus won’t damage your plants or soil. In fact, it will help to provide more nutrients for them as it continues to break down the wood chips and greenery.
There is very little evidence that funguses or diseases can be transmitted from wood chips. As long as your soil and plants are healthy, and you aren’t mixing your wood chips into the soil, there should be no risk of pathogenic funguses affecting the soil or roots or any plant.
However, it is recommended to keep mulch away from direct contact with the trunks of trees and shrubs, as the moisture contained there can allow for opportunistic pathogenic infections.