I have read lots about people using wood chips and how they break down pretty quickly or over time to become great soil. This seems to be very true for people in wetter climates. It's a little different here in high, hot desert country.
I got 3 truckloads of chips 2 years ago. And here, for the most part, they have stayed extremely dry and haven't broken down much at all. Not turning into great dirt for me. However, they have been very useful for me for several different reasons. Here are some of my experiments and the results I got.
1. I tried adding a thin 1" layer to two of my beds, one with strawberries and one with a polyculture of vegies to keep the soil and roots cooler and to retain more moisture. Because I watered them daily these chips did start to break down quickly. And as they broke down they seemed to suck up most of the nitrogen from the top layer of soil and my plants were not happy! And it also brought an army of pill bugs. This experiment was a total failure no matter how much I sprayed the bugs and fertilized. However, I did pull them out and spread out a 1" layer of bagged 'soil amendment' that I bought. It is just like the wood chips only much smaller in size and almost completely decomposed. This amendment seemed to do the job I was hoping for and were breaking down quickly into great soil. And the tiny chips were too small to be a good hiding place for the pill bugs so I was able to control them with traps.
2. I tried the same experiment with three of my young fruit trees and a few shrubs. I guess because their roots are so much deeper they weren't bothered by the slight lack of nitrogen at the surface. The pill bugs don't care for these plants. So this experiment was a success. Kept moisture in and cooled the roots.
3. I spent months cleaning up the mess in my front yard. Then I was left with bare dirt and lots of rocks. Very quickly it was covered with the same big, ugly weeds that cover my neighbors' property. They require no water to thrive. Yuck. I covered ½ of it with a 6" layer of wood chips. Very few weeds grow there now and it looks so much better! Because it's so dry it hasn't broken down at all. Still, a Great outcome!
4. I have several main paths through my yard that I walk constantly, often dragging a hose with me. That was causing serious erosion of the dirt and constantly loosens hundreds of small rocks that rolled down the slope into the next bed. Picture # 1 shows one of the paths. I covered it in 5-6" of chips. It worked perfectly. No more erosion, feels like walking on a soft carpet, stays very dry so the pill bugs aren't interested and.... No Weeds! I also do the same thing on paths with small rocks but it is nice to have something different for a change.
5. My yard is mostly hills and slopes. Only one section of my yard is about 25' x 30' of flat land. Nothing was growing there so I had hoped to make this my largest bed. I managed to dig out small beds on 2 sides of this spot but soon realized that this whole area is solid rock with only 1-2" of dirt covering it. No wonder nothing was growing there! And when the sun beats down in the summer this area gets hot! I call it my 'Screaming Hot Spot'. When I walk through the arch into the area it's like walking into an oven. (Picture # 2) It is easily 10* hotter than the rest of my yard which is often 105* all summer. Stuff doesn't want to grow in or near 115*! So I covered it in 6-8" of wood chips. Putting this layer over the rock brought the temperature down dramatically and keeps everything around it much cooler. (Picture # 3) I've planted trees on either side to hopefully get some more shade and bring the temperature down even more. A very successful experiment.
So... Wood chips can be very useful for many different purposes, even in my climate!
But... A word of Caution!
I've contacted many landscapers in my area and asked them if they would bring me chips and leaves for my garden. All but one have refused. They made it clear that they could not guarantee that the trees they came from were not diseased or infested with bugs. And since so many diseases are spread through spores that cling to many things they did not want the liability. I am now looking for a cheap chipper to make my own.
Have you tried this in your arid areas? I'd love to know what worked for you. I'm always looking for new ideas! Please share your stories.
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