hello lawrence
>
>Sawdust and shavings from most wood sources except the ones that decay
>very slowly like cedar or locust are easily and quickly composted when
>mixed with most any manure. I spent many years composting stable manure
>with fresh, green pine sawdust bedding. Piled and turned properly it works
>off in 4 to 8 months depending on moisture, ready for field application
>and shallow-tilling into the soil.
but what's it's value beside the usage for strewing in in the barn
for swine (we use it for our horses) ?
nutrients are VERY low in sawdust, it has a very high C:N relation
(this MIGHT be an advantage, if you mix it with manure and
compost it - provided you have access to manure, which is less a
problem for organic farmers, otherwise it's more a disadvantage).
for the rest of the farmers we do recommand it, if you do not
get paid for it (we see it as waste disposal from the side of the
offerer). additionally it binds a lot of soilwater, which
might come into a minimum. and lastly it's quality highly depends
on the kind of trees it's made from. leafy trees: OK; needle trees:
NO thanks !
and finally: hands off from treated wood. 4 years ago we tried to
compost roughly chipped furniture plates, which contained the usual
glue and some fire protectant. no composting at all, the chips
today almost look like 4 years ago..... this heap is no compost,
but just the waste we got from the sawmill.
klaus
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