How to Compost Chips

Wood chips take from six months to a year to compost.

Composting is the process of placing organic material in a compost pile and allowing it to decompose to create soil for growing plants. A very small amount of wood chips may be added to the mixture, but large amounts should be processed in a separate compost pile. Wood requires nitrogen as it decomposes. It will use up the nitrogen in the regular compost pile, making it unusable for planting. Make a separate compost pile for wood chips at least 4 feet away from yard plants and a regular compost pile.

Things You'll Need

• Wood chips
• Grass clippings
• Compost container
• Blood meal (pure nitrogen)
• Long-handled shovel

Instructions

1. Place a layer of wood chips in the compost container. Add a layer of green grass clippings. Alternate with another layer of wood chips and green grass clippings until the wood chips are used up or the container is full.

2. Add green grass clippings to the compost pile every time the yard is mowed. Cover the wood chips until there is a 50/50 ratio of wood chips to green grass clippings.

3. Sprinkle blood meal on the wood chip compost pile as directed on the package. Add blood meal in between adding grass clippings or in lieu of the grass clippings. Both grass clippings and blood meal add the necessary nitrogen for the wood chips to decompose.

4. Mix the wood chip compost every one to two months. Use a long-handled shovel and flip the compost so the wood chips on top will move to the bottom of the pile.

5. Repeat the process of adding the green grass clippings and blood meal for six months to a year.

Tips & Warnings

• Mix a 50/50 ratio of brown to green when composting wood chips. The brown indicates carbon-based items that need nitrogen. The green represents nitrogen.

References

• HGTV.com: How to Compost Fresh Wood Chips
• YouTube: Compost Trees