“Are there types of sawdust I should not add to my garden, e.g., red cedar, black walnut?”
twinkelydots said... “I believe black walnut inhibits the growth of some plants. You may want to google & see what you find.”
Gaston Studio said... “I thought sawdust was good for the soil, but what do I know! I'd agree with twinkelydots and google anything and everything.”
So, I googled ‘black walnut sawdust’ and discovered it is a hot topic.
Link to woodweb.com for a lively discussion about sawdust, gardens and mulch, mulch more.
Conclusion: I live and learn. I’ll use black walnut sawdust as mulch but not on my garden. Red cedar will go into the garden in small amounts.
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4 comments:
GH, I thought of something else you may consider making with that wonderful wood. Clocks! You can purchse really nice mechanisms from hobby type stores or order them online. You could cut the wood into a variety of shapes, sand, varnish and have a beautiful background for a clock. Functional, pretty and one of a kind.
Jane
My husband was once privy to the unfortunate death of his boss's daughter's rabbit - when asked to make some shavings for its bed, he planed three pine planks (perfectly safe for rabbits) and one mahogany plank (extremely toxic to rabbits). I don't think I need to say more on this subject ......
He says the dust from western red cedar is toxic to humans! So be careful Mr H.
jane, clocks are a brilliant idea.
cedar would be quite easy to work into rectangles, circles, oblong shapes etc. excellent ideas you have.
jessica, i noticed different uses for cedar on the east and west coast. i think i'll feed my sawdust to the fire or use as mulch.
too bad about the rabbit, but there are many recipes for... too soon, perhaps?
cheers,
GAH
Dad,
Western red cedar is definitely carcinogenic at the particulate level (what size of microns is still in debate). Shavings can be used for garden mulch of some annuals and perennials, however, is not to be used for herb/veggie gardens, as it is toxic to humans (as Jessica aforementioned). When working with western red or ontario white cedar you should be wearing a NIOSH/CSA approved respirator. I may have an extra one you can have for those long hours in The Shed.
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