How to Amend Soil With Wood Chips
Soil amendments greatly enhance a soil's physical properties. Good soil amendments provide for greater aeration, water retention, drainage and permeability. Soil amendments are grouped into two categories: organic materials from living creatures and inorganic materials that are normally man-made. Wood chips are organic and commonly used as mulch, which is placed on top of the soil, but they are also used as an amendment, which is mixed in with the soil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Till the soil or rake it to break up the earth at a depth of about three to four inches. You can water the area before tilling to soften it and ease the process.
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Sprinkle wood chips evenly around the soil area. Start off with small handfuls, and only use about four or five handfuls for an area of 10 square feet.
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Apply a nitrogen fertilizer after you've spread out the wood chips. Wood products used as amendments tend to displace nitrogen levels and can ruin the pH level of the soil.
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Rake the area once more and thoroughly mix in the wood chips with the soil. You can add more topsoil on top if you prefer to allow the wood chips to be buried deeper into the soil.
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Tips & Warnings
Use wood chips no smaller than the size of a half-dollar. Smaller wood chips and sawdust will cover a broader area and won't be as spaced out through the soil as much as larger wood chips. This could alter the pH level of the soil.
Wood chips are available at many home and garden supply stores.
