wood chippings

[Heather]

I keep some bees on an' organic farmland'.
I obviously cannot chemically treat nettles and brambles which are such a nuisance when I am around the hives. I am frequently tripping over loops of bramble.
I did ask permission, which was granted, to use chippings under the hives to prevent growth, but now the farmer is saying chippings will damage the soil. Can anyone explain how this may occur. The hives are to one end of a field just left to grass, and no animals feed there. Will the chippings contravene the organic licence they hold? Do they contaminate the ground. They have come from a very ethical tree surgeon source.
I have tried strimming but brambles are tricky, and I don't get the loops which have re-embedded.

 

[MartinL]

Borrow a good strimmer in the spring or look on fleabay now?

A good pair of shears now should be good enough to tackle what's there but a strong strimmer line will be no match for Brambles.

 

[Finman]

.
Damaging soil....

Needle tree wood has resins which prevent many plants to grow. Lots of rotten twigs and orcanic material generate humus acids which stop the pH to 3.5.

Nettles love rottening wood in cutted forest. Wood chips do not stop nettles.

One hand scythe is usual tool to handle nettles.

Strawberry weed carpet would be suitable too onto ground.

( nature persons would make nettle soup from them or dry them)

 

[B+.]

I keep some bees on an' organic farmland'.
I obviously cannot chemically treat nettles and brambles which are such a nuisance when I am around the hives. I am frequently tripping over loops of bramble.

Light exclusion works quite well and does nothing to the soil. If you can get hold of old carpet, or something similar (I would suggest newspaper but this is probably unacceptable), it would give you a solid weed-free base to walk on (it may provide a refuse for slugs/snails though)

 

[Millet]

Brambles and nettles are two of the hardest things to keep on top of, personally if i had a issue like yours i would hire a decent brush cutter it is basically a strimmer with a metal blade, once you have flattened the area stick some weed membrane down and cover it with bark chippings, pine wood shaving have a habit of poisoning the ground, another alternative once you have flattened the weeds is to lay some 2ft x 2ft paving slabs around the are you work in and trim any offending weed back from the perimeter twice per year before they get to big.

 

[viridens]

Have you asked why he changed his mind? If it for cosmetic reasons the following ideas may not be acceptable either.

A thick layer of straw (organic of course) will shade out weeds and can be topped up as required as it rots in.

Make a rough 'lawn'. In spring, cut what's there short with shears or whatever, then scrape a rake over it, and scatter grass seed. Cut it back down every so often. The grass will thrive, but nettles and brambles won't.

Use some pallets to make a duck board working area.

 

[Finman]

.

Right term is strawberry mat. It is tidy and water permeable. -

(in Finnish matto, in Sweden matta = mat)

 

[Uncle Betty]

I did ask permission, which was granted, to use chippings under the hives to prevent growth, but now the farmer is saying chippings will damage the soil. Can anyone explain how this may occur.

There is a belief that decomposing woodchips rob the soil of nitrogen.


.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

There is a belief that decomposing woodchips rob the soil of nitrogen.
.

Yes, a lot of nitrogen is needed to break down wood chips and maybe the farmer is worried about a nitrogen deficiency when he gets the land back. So, no contamination, just a loss a fairly vital growth element.

CVB

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Yes, a lot of nitrogen is needed to break down wood chips and maybe the farmer is worried about a nitrogen deficiency when he gets the land back. So, no contamination, just a loss a fairly vital growth element.

CVB

I can provide horse manure if you want to collect it

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can provide horse manure if you want to collect it

Is it organic though?

 

[Millet]

Is it organic though?

Funny but Anal..

 

[TooBee...]

He surely can't object to a weed suppressing membrane?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yuzet-09-0...8746953&sr=8-9&keywords=Weed+Control+Membrane

not the prettiest, but functional.

 

[protheroe]

One of my sites is quite a large area of bramble and nettle.i strim it three times during spring and summer.i use a brushcutter blade or circular saw blade which makes short work of even the most overgrown areas.

 

[Heather]

I have a brushcutter but it is too heavy for me to manage. The strimmer hits the nettles but those blasted brambles are a death trap. Cut through my Muck boots. And when carrying heavy supers.....
It is the nitrogen problem, but on the edge of a field, so thought not intrusive.

Thanks for the horse manure offer but a long way to shovel sh ** from Yorkshire
Yes, he initially said ok, I had one load delivered , now have to shovel them back up and bring to my own home.

 

[Poly Hive]

Your brambles will fall foul of this.

Using a long-handled tool with tines, I use a three tine soil cultivator one it catches the loops neatly and raises them up. Then using a long-handled tree lopper it's easy to snip the bramble and bobs the proverbial.

PH

 

[Uncle Betty]

It is the nitrogen problem,

Perhaps you could make him aware of the opposing point of view ?

Lots of stuff written about this...

A common belief is that wood chips rob the soil of nitrogen, but this work clearly shows that over time they actually increase nitrogen levels, even above that of fertilizer. This is just one of many studies that have proven wood chips do not rob soil of nitrogen.

http://www.gardenmyths.com/mulch-how-does-it-affect-soil/

Even carbon-rich mulches such as wood chips contain small amounts of nutrients that gradually build up the fertility of your soil. You will often read that such mulches ‘rob’ your soil of nitrogen as they decay, but this is really only likely if you physically incorporate large amounts into the soil; apply mulch to the surface, let the worms do the rest, and there won’t be a problem.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/8390418/Mulch-the-great-cover-story.html

 

[user 6228]

I have a brushcutter but it is too heavy for me to manage. The strimmer hits the nettles but those blasted brambles are a death trap. Cut through my Muck boots. And when carrying heavy supers.....
It is the nitrogen problem, but on the edge of a field, so thought not intrusive.

Thanks for the horse manure offer but a long way to shovel sh ** from Yorkshire
Yes, he initially said ok, I had one load delivered , now have to shovel them back up and bring to my own home.

Borrow some one with their contractor level brush cutter and contractor 40" hedge trimmer. With the right kit they will take only minutes. Apply honey and beer to the some one.

The hedge trimmer zapps the long brambles so the brush cutter can get in.

Btw I'm too far away from east sussex for it to be my kit.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I have a brushcutter but it is too heavy for me to manage. The strimmer hits the nettles but those blasted brambles are a death trap. Cut through my Muck boots. And when carrying heavy supers.....
It is the nitrogen problem, but on the edge of a field, so thought not intrusive.

Thanks for the horse manure offer but a long way to shovel sh ** from Yorkshire
Yes, he initially said ok, I had one load delivered , now have to shovel them back up and bring to my own home.

Try a flamethrower https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-u-s-wwii-m2-2-flamethrower-dated-1945?variant=26171238789
Might not be cost effective though?

 

[MartinL]

. . . I use a brushcutter blade or circular saw blade which makes short work of even the most overgrown areas.

I expect the saw blade would make short work of anything that gets in its way!


Not sure what the safety Elf's risk assessment might say either, (PPE sure to come in at more than budgie smugglers & flip-flops).


I have a strimmer line that is @2-3mm & square in cross section, destroyed saplings on my allotment when I misjudged their proximity to the strimmer and have no issues with the brambles on the footpath leading out of the village!

Key thing to remember is that any membrane you put down will just encourage both Bramble and nettle roots to go into growing spurt until they get to the outside edge. Fresh bramble growth from spring cut backs will provide abundance of flowers e.t.c.