Is sawdust good for grass, is a worrying notion, even though its benefits are not restricted to grass only.
It has wide usage in adding visual interest to your garden, controlling weeds, repelling the never-ending slugs, soaking the spills, looking after your rose and tomato plants, and whatnot.
Stick around as we discuss sawdust’s various benefits and uses in detail, and remove any queries you might have regarding sawdust.
Contents
Is Sawdust Good for Grass Development?
Yes, sawdust is good for grass development, but only when used on its own and in small quantities. It would only impact negatively on the grass once it is from herbicide-treated wood or has other chemicals, it is also harmful to the grass when applied in larger quantities.
– Drawbacks
Spreading sawdust around your garden discourages weed growth. Many gardeners do not know this, but sawdust, especially when obtained from walnut trees, is a weed killer. You can fill the cracks and crevices on the concrete pavements and in the space between the stepping stones to prevent the weeds from popping up, thereby enhancing your lawn care routine.
To elaborate further, anything undercover with a heavy amount of it has fewer chances of surviving. Similarly, when sawdust covers the grass in large quantities, it deprives it of its survival needs, like sunlight.
On the same note, consider the fact that if you aim to create a flower bed, laying sawdust on top of the grass will save you tons of work and the need for cutting sod. The grass eventually dies within a few weeks, and you can grow new plants on top of the sawdust with a little digging.
Moreover, think about how this dust is not good for flowers, to be more precise, to roses. The latter is because these blooms would benefit the most from sawdust obtained from spruce wood. The main purpose, in this case, is to allow the mulch to have contact with the stem, so make sure you pile it on the plant’s root system and away from it, or else if you don’t pay attention to this little detail, then the blooms may degenerate due to the lack of nutrients.
You can let it stay on the roots if you have yet to mulch deeply; otherwise, but if you don’t remove it in spring, the plant would still be protected from the growing conditions. Which means that although this is great for protecting the plant in winter and from droughts in summer, if the layer is thick, water finds it hard to make its way to the root system, hence your plant degenerates and dies, because it is not receiving enough of its needs.
– Benefits
Sawdust is good for many things, from keeping the weeds away to repelling slugs, creating pathways, soaking up spills, and lighting up a bonfire. It also helps to retain moisture and keep the roots cool.
On the same note, you should also know how it is a natural slug repellent, and the coarser your sawdust is, the better. To control slugs, surround your plant’s base with a three-inch deep layer of sawdust. Ensure that you don’t bury the plant’s bottom leaves. This quantity is enough to fulfill all the nitrogen needs of your plants.
If you take the instance of growing some vegetables and place some of this dust around them, it may benefit a certain quantity of crops, but not every kind. When you grow tomatoes in sawdust, you do not have to fight with weeds and seeds already growing in your garden, and this is such a great advantage for the vegetation’s growth.
Sawdust is lightweight and water-absorbent, which is exactly what tomatoes need. Planting tomatoes in sawdust also lessens the plant’s chances of getting infected by diseases like tomato blight.
Is Sawdust Good for Composting Reasons?
Yes, sawdust is perfect to be used as compost. It breaks down slowly and has a low nitrogen content. When you apply some for your lawn and its development as compost, it would feed on nitrogen more than plants, so pairing it with a liquid fertilizer is more appropriate.
However, it doesn’t have soil amendment background. If you are looking for something to help with aeration, sawdust has a fine particle size which can lead to more saturation because it lacks structure. In most cases, sawdust has a neutral pH. There are many other better options available for amending your lawn’s soil.
– Good Quality Dust
Before adding the greens, it is important to find good-quality sawdust. Since sawdust is carbon-rich, it makes a ‘brown’ compost material, whereas grass clippings are nitrogen-rich, giving them their name ‘greens.’ Mix these compost materials in the compost pile to have the perfect nitrogen-carbon ratio.
There are consequences if you add too much or too little compost materials. For instance, too much carbon in the compost ties up all the nitrogen. Similarly, too little carbon causes the pile to decompose slowly if decomposition is to occur at any point at all.
Other commonly used nitrogen-rich ‘green materials’ that you may add to your compost pile include green leaves, weeds (make sure you de-seed them first by burning them), coffee grounds, tea bags, fruit or vegetable scraps, seaweed, manure, etc.
Always remember the sawdust itself is very dry, meaning it can absorb all the water from your pile. This is particularly helpful if it rains or when you mistakenly add too much water to your compost.
Furthermore, the carbon content in sawdust is very rich, so make sure that you mix it with your greens so that the total percentage of sawdust in your compost is fifty percent. This percentage is sufficient for the bacteria to decompose even when you add the green compost material.
– Decomposing Period
Three factors determine the rate at which sawdust decomposes. The first factor is moisture. More moisture helps sawdust decompose quickly and gives your lawn a small percentage of nitrogen. Heat is the second determining factor that speeds up the decomposition process along with moisture.
The final factor is particle size, which means that the smaller the sawdust particle, the faster it breaks down. The size would also be a dependent factor that it can take as early as up to two months for sawdust to decompose and as late as several years, but again, it is a matter of all three of these determiners.
– Places To Find Good Quality Sawdust
Only some people would readily have access to sawdust, and if you are one of those people, there are many places you can go in search of the wood dust, including your local sawmill, requesting your local woodworkers, fellow homesteads who might have extra sawdust, tree cutters/trimmers, etc. The best sawdust for a garden often has a coarse and rough texture.
Some would also obtain it from sanding furniture or cabinets is not that appropriate as it gets compact with time. Knowing what type of wood is used to create the dust is also important. For example, you should never use a walnut, cedar, or any chemically treated wood for your plants, due to different issues that they would cause.
These woods are more appropriate for soaking up spills or making garden paths, and not for composting reasons. You can also check in with your local lumberyards or tree removal companies, but do note that most take up the offer without any fuss.
If you see someone already cutting trees or trimming them, you can always ask them if they can give you some extra sawdust. Offer them your place to dump the sawdust, wood chips or mulch, and many would be willing happily if you live nearby.
How To Remove Sawdust From Grass?
To remove the sawdust from the grass you can do it with your hand, or by using a broom, or the third way is using a vacuum.
When you remove them, with these methods, you would aim to clarify the soil as much as possible.
– By Hand
Whether sawdust is wet or dry, there are three main ways to remove it from grass. The first option is to remove it by hand.
It becomes more convenient when the sawdust is damp, what you must do is to handpick them and place them in a plastic bag to remove all the amount and not to see them on your lawn again.
This would take more time, but make sure that you would aim to see more of the soil than of the dust particles.
– With Broom
Secondly, you can remove it with the help of a broom or a rake. Simply you would scatter the broom around the area where this dust has been placed, and slow, but surely it would be taken off.
Make sure you would dump it off elsewhere and not anywhere near your garden.
– Vacuum
The last and easiest option is to use a regular vacuum or any vacuum to collect the sawdust.
None of these methods are harmful to your lawn, and even if a little bit of sawdust does remain behind, you do not need to worry as it decomposes over time.
Conclusion
Whether it is tending to your garden, finding a suitable mulch for your plants, making customized compost, or adding to the beauty of the lawn, sawdust has got you covered.
Through our article, you have learned how sawdust is good for the grass, plants, etc., so let’s sum up the reasons:
- Sawdust is a rich carbon source, meaning it helps the compost decompose at a considerably good rate.
- The grass benefits from sawdust when you add a thin layer of it, when you are protecting them from the winter frost.
- It is a great and natural way of repelling slugs as far as possible from your lawn.
- It is easily available everywhere. You might also have some in your home; if you still need to, you can always ask the friendly lumberyards to lend you some.
- Add sawdust to your grass without worrying about how you will remove it. It can be easily removed through hands, vacuums, and rakes.
We hope that we have cleared up your confusion regarding sawdust. You can now use sawdust anywhere on your lawn by keeping our article in mind, and we promise you will not regret listening to our advice! Good luck!
References
https://www.cell.com/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(21)00065-7.pdf
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13399-021-01385-1
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