# a practical use for the saw dust



## wooleywoodsmith (Mar 14, 2009)

hi there fellow wood workers I am trying to figure out what it is that I can do with all of my saw dust. Generally most of the saw dust and shavings that I produce is western red cedar. There is a fair amount of doug fir and some mahogany dust in there as well. I am wondering if anyone has used thier droppings as mulch in the garden and what has happened. How do your plants react? Thank you, wooley


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## woodsmith (Jan 7, 2008)

I put sawdust in my garden but it is mostly pine. Just add lime and you might want it to age in a compost pile for a littlewhile.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I roll mine up in little papers and smoke it. (not) 

Seriously, though, before you put it in the garden, do a little checking…I've heard that some species (walnut, I think is one) are toxic to other plants.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

I generally put mine on as a mulch around the landscaping. We have to replace some of the mulch every year anyway so this helps with the cost of maintaining the plants.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Most of it I put on the burn pile but, during the winter months when I use the fireplace, I mix sawdust with candle wax, wrap it in waxed paper and use it as starting logs.


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

Putting any species of uncomposted sawdust on a garden will (temporarily) deplete the soil of nitrogen. Adding extra nitrogen to the soil will solve any nitrogen depletion problems. Composting for 2+ months will also solve any nitrogen or toxicity problems.

Here is a list of some garden plants that DO NOT grow (or grow very poorly) with uncomposted walnut leaves, bark or sawdust in the soil. There may be others.

Cabbage
Peppers
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Potatoes
Asparagus
Rhubarb
double-flowered cole vegetables 
Blackberries
Blueberries
Lilies
Peonies
Petunias
Rhododendrons
Azaleas
Lilacs
Chrysanthemums
Hydrangeas


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## vegeta (Mar 10, 2009)

i have been using my sawdust for mulch for my roses and they love it


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

i knew of a fellow who put raw wood shaving in his garden. He couldn't grow anything for a couple of years.


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## freedhardwoods (May 11, 2008)

"i knew of a fellow who put raw wood shaving in his garden. He couldn't grow anything for a couple of years."

Shavings would take quite a while to decompose and require a lot of nitrogen added in spring and fall to counteract the decomposing process.

Many people don't realize how much nitrogen is used in the decomposing process. I had a 30'x30' area that I wanted to make into another garden spot that was covered with hard, compacted subsoil from our house basement. Only a few weeds and some scraggly grass would grow in that area. I started by putting sawdust *10" deep* over the entire area in the fall. I made several passes with my Troybilt tiller to mix it in with the soil. I added 100 lbs. of urea to the 900 sq ft area before the last pass with the tiller. Urea is 46% actual N, so I was fertilizing at a rate of *2200 lbs of actual N per acre*. To many people that would seem like an absurd amount of fertilizer. The next spring, I fertilized again with 25 lbs of my own mix of 50% urea and 50% 6-24-24. That is equivilent to a rate of 312 lbs N, 144 lbs P, and 144Lbs K per acre. We planted flowers that spring. It was not a great "crop" that year, but they did grow. The following year did very well. In 1 1/2 years I was able to turn useless subsoil into rich, loose, productive topsoil.


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

I doing something similar to David. I've got soil excavated from my house foundation and I've been tilling it together, with nitrogen mixed in to help in compost. Hopefully one day I'll have a nice pile of garden soil.


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## Brian024 (Feb 2, 2009)

I store it in container's and give it to my mom to use in her garden.


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

I don't have a garden, but have saw dust. I contacted our yardwaste recyclers and was informed that they do not take saw dust. They recommend bagging the saw dust up and put it in the regular garbage. I would have thought that clean saw dust from real trees would be great yardwaste recyling. I guess I was wrong.

Dalec


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Cessnapilotbarry, You can use short candles for fire starters without bothering to sawdust. Maybe your 10 groups of Scouts were lazy Scouts 

My Uncle used to use shavings for beding on the dairy farm. I suppose it was insignificant when spread on the fields with the manure.

David, thanks for the info. My friend told me he thought it was the turpentine in the wood. Sounds like it was the lack of N. I built up my garden spot with the help of a neighbor's horse )


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## RAH (Oct 14, 2007)

I use it to soak up any oil spills and after changing the oil in a vehicle I put in the drain pan let it sit and clean it out without a big mess after it has soaked up all the oil dry.


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## mski (Jul 3, 2007)

As a gardener for 25+ years D Freed is right with "BLACK "Walnut.
And also I am organic so any ply (especially import) or MFD and the like be careful if using alot !!!!
As far as other things besides nitrogen, PH can be changed, BUT you should only be concerned if you are using massive amounts. unless it is BLACK Walnut, because that can be used as a herbicide.
But in reality, the stuff you buy at the HD or the like is


> ?


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> ?


?


> ?


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> ?


?
Read the bag of Steer manure blend at HD
contains sewage (ie processed human waste!!)
It is probably safe biolgically BUT what chemicals, drugs, antibiotics did the human ingest?
Hey don't be to agressive and don't worry, be happy.
I gotta got shower YUK !!!


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## tooldad (Mar 24, 2008)

One of our maintenance workers at school comes and gets a bag or two here and there for his horse stalls. I did some calling when we got a new DC at school, no recycling services for sawdust. too bad.


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## LocalMac (Jan 28, 2009)

I agree with the fire starter logs. This is a great way to use the dust. You can make some for friends and family. Maybe you can get a fun project out of this making logs and small bins or something to store them in. You might even be able to sell them to people with fireplaces. I love to go camping and I never thought about using sawdust to make logs. I think I'll try it this year. Great ideas, guys.


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## rtb (Mar 26, 2008)

I use shavings for the horse stall and can't begin to produce enough. In fact we have to buy baled shavings as do must horse owners in this part of the country. I haven't found much use for the saw dust and since the horse manure is already mixed with the shavings I don't try to mix in saw dust.


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## scrappy (Jan 3, 2009)

My brother-in-law has me collecting saw dust for him. he has the idea to use plaster molds and cast the saw dust in the molds. He said he is not sure wwhat kind of glue/epoxy he will need, but will experiment. I have seen things done like this but think it takes a LOT of pressure to hold the shape. Anyway….I have been saving my saw dust for him. Next time I get to Kingman,AZ will be delivering it. Thought some one else might give this a try.


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## Pete_Jud (Feb 15, 2008)

I compost most of it, I dump it in a low spot that needs filling, but I am out in the county and need the fill.


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## jack1 (May 17, 2007)

Those of you that use sawdust for horse stalls beware. Be absolutely sure you do not have any walnut especially black walnut shavings as they are extremely toxic to horses. Yeah, that's right, right up through the hooves, bad news.

Use around tree bases etc. as weed control.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

i use it with odorless mineral spirits to start fires in my wood stove ,
1 sealed coffee can full of sawdust (tablesaw dust best)
maybe 1 to 1 1/2 cups min.spirits
let sit sealed 4 or 5 teaspoons placed strategicaly , light !

this works well , but be carefull about putting it over hot coals as it gases and ignites with a whosh.
also ashes cold works just as well .
people that raise birds are allways looking for it for the bottom of their mews .


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

How did it turn out Wooley? I've just put some fine western red cedar saw dust from my table saw and drum sander on my garden to keep the weeds down a bit. So far after a week of rain, no adverse affects. I wrote the owner of Hobbithouse Wood to get his take because most of the info on the subject deals with eastern aromatic cedar.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I had a bunch of red cedar planer shavings and used them around the bushes in front and they didn't do squat at keeping weeds, or grass at least, at bay.

FYI, Wooley hasn't posted here in 4 years.


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## murch (Mar 20, 2011)

I mix it 50 / 50 with newspapers. Mix it into a paste and press all the water out.
It dries into briquettes for burning. See youtube.


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