Aren't you going to just get scorpions and termites and a lot of other nasty bugs?
Where do you get wood chips?
These are all really good questions. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, so I encourage you to do your own research.
I like wood chips. So here are a few answers.
Why chips?
- They decompose and approximate the fertile ground you will find under big trees in the forest. They generate a lot of great nutrients that your trees benefit from. When they are fully composed, the dark black soil that is generated can be put into your garden to great benefit.
- It is really hot here in Arizona during 4 months of the year. Your tree roots will love the cool micro-climate created by an over laying of chips. In my opinion, your trees will thrive a lot better with chips over putting gravel around them. (If you are planning to use chips and haven't planted your trees yet, I recommend you plant them a little bit on a mound so that when you do bring chips in your trees will not be in a hole).
- Chips keep the weeds down. Gravel does not.
- You will not have to water your trees nor the garden as much if they are surrounded by chips. I do not put the trees on a regular clock timing system. I water deeply when the trees need the water as I determine from a visual inspection of the trees and an inexpensive "water moisture meter" I bought at Urban Farms. The "when" trees need water is dependent on a lot of factors that do not render themselves very well to the rigors of a time clock.
What about scorpions and bugs?
- If you have scorpions now, you will have scorpions after you get chips.
- If you don't have scorpions now, the wood chips will not bring in scorpions or termites. Do a search on the internet to verify this on your own, but here is a link to an Urban Farm pod cast on the subject. The entire pod cast is about chips, but skip to minute 30 for a discussion about bugs.
Where do I get wood chips?
- Watch for tree trimmers and ask them to dump in front of your house.
- Sign up on getchipdrop.com You order the chips; wait; then you receive the dump (the whole thing!). Be cautious to specify "No Logs" and try to set it up so they have to call you before they dump a load or you might get 2 loads like I did! You might coordinate with other members of the community ahead of time to get a load and distribute to different houses quickly instead of try to take the whole thing. The following picture is a load I received in March 2019
I recommend you put a tarp to cover the gravel landscape. It makes the cleanup a lot easier.
This is about the 3rd load of chips I have had to my yard. I am pleased with the result.
