Wood chips

[raykos]

Hello all,

Don't really know if this is the correct forum to post this question, so please forgive me if it isn't. My question is about wood chips. Over the years I've cut down some trees for firewood and other reasons. The smaller branches I would clean up & throw into a pile until I could "get to them later". Well, it's later and I finally got me a chipper/shredder to take care of that pile, thinking that I could use the wood chips as either mulch or compost. However, a neighbor mentioned that may not be a good idea because the wood chips may attract nasty insects like termites? So, now I'm wondering, is there any kind of oil or something else I can treat the wood chips with to prevent this from happening?

Thanks,
Ray

[egon]

If you get a proper mulch pile going the heat should take care of insects.

[Bird]

I agree with Egon; don't even worry about it. Personally, I didn't even compost; I just tilled in every bit of wood chips I could get into my vegetable garden.

[Pat]

Be advised that decomposing wood chips use up a lot of available nitrogen so you will most likely want to add nitrogen fertilizer to offset this reduction. Not required if composting. I used a lot of wood chips (let the right of way crews chipping trees cleared on the roadside to dump at my moms house.) Now the Bermuda grass grows all too well and I thought I didn't add enough nitrogen.

Pat