Expert: Jim Hyland - 6/26/2006

Question
Dear Jim Hyland
I'm in the UK near Salisbury Wiltshire on well-cultivated sandy alkaline soil. Six months ago I had some leylandii cut down and fed into a shredder.  Can I use this material now to mulch under newly planted shrubs? Your advice welcomed!  Many thanks  Jim

Answer
Yes you should have no problems with using the leyland material. Sometimes if you use fresh chips they tend to use the available nitrogen robing the plant of their use. But with chips this old you should have no problems.
 Wood chip mulch should not be deeper than 2 inches after settling, and it should be kept away from the proximate area of the stems. Excessively deep mulch can create a perched table of water above the soil suffocating the roots. Mulch piled around the stems of plants can promote stem cankers or crown rot on many ornamentals.