How to Recycle Sawdust in a Compost Pile
When you have a surplus of sawdust, it probably seems like a waste to dispose of this natural organic material. You can choose to compost your sawdust and place it in specific areas of your yard. However, you have to perform certain steps in order to make sawdust safe to use as compost.
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Instructions
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Use a compost recipe to create your pile with the use of sawdust. For example, you can use 5 parts sawdust, 4 parts grass and leave clippings and 2 parts manure. If you have a compost tumbler, mix the ingredients together inside. You can find other recipes on gardening sites, like the City Farmer (see Resources below).
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Add nitrogen to your plants or compost pile. Sawdust draws out the nitrogen and can cause your plant life to yellow and die. Adding in an excess of nitrogen can prevent this from occurring.
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Place on a sloped area. You want to be able to water it well and have the runoff leach away. This will remove the phenol found inside of it prior to placing it in your garden. You should water it daily for a month before use.
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Use the compost in your yard. If you notice any adverse effects, you may have to adjust the nitrogen levels.
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Tips & Warnings
You should use a hardwood dust in your compost. This will stay in your yard longer and provide more nutrients due to its slow ability to decompose.
You can use the sawdust compost pile you have created as a potting mix as well.
