I'm clearing out a bunch of stuff in my yard. vine/trees/weed trees/poison trees/ things I have no idea what they are.

options are rent a truck and do many many drives back and forth to the free mulch dump or rent a wood chipper

assuming I rent the chipper, is it ok to just put the chips around my existing trees and bushes. I have burning bushes and huge maples including Japanese maples and magnolia. I am not a gardener at all but if I could use chips around bushes and trees to lessen the amount of grass I cut, id love that.

I also do have an area that is probably about 10 feet by 20 feet that is on a slight slope. nothing of value is there and I did clear out all those vines and stuff years ago so there just poison and weeds pretty much growing there. its under a tree and gets tons of leaves of course. I guess I could just put all the wood chips there and make a 'chip garden' of sorts? it is in my hot tub area and would look better than the ick there now lol

also I have a 120 ft stone retaining wall in front of my house. mowing near the edge always worried me. . if I just toss the chips on the top of the yard about 1 foot back from the wall. that would keep anything from growing there wouldn't it?

and now that i'm typing this, I have a 5 ft by 24 foot long area between my garage and my hot tub that years ago I put the black screen and stones on and tons of stuff still comes through the screen. I could also put the chips there couldn't I? basically i'm asking if anything will come up through the chips or do I have to take measures like round up or salt or something before tossing them down.

 

Except for the poison ivy/oak I don't see anything wrong with using the chips as mulch.

 

Yeah, I don't think there's any real problem except with the poison ivy/oak and vines. You could start a real problem if you spread those around as they can grow back from very small pieces. Actual wood chips, use 'em.

 

We usually chip enough to get 5-10 yards a year, branches, twigs, etc., including poison ivy vines, use it around burning bushes, etc., and have not noticed any increase in new poison ivy in those areas. I do watch the wind though, particularly when I know there are vines in the mix, because it can be a dusty job, and I sure don't want to be inhaling that stuff. Otherwise, my opinion is that it's not a problem as far as mulch, but you do have to be careful handling it.

 

good point about handing the stuff. oh and for the record tons of poison under my row of burning bushes but I have to admit around my regular trees I think i'm lucky and I have none there. so id have to introduce it. I guess if I could segregate the poison it would be good.

or how long until poison dies? it will be at least one more week , if not longer, before I decide what to do here. and I still have poison trees to hack down so ill def keep them separate from now on. if I got paid for poison leaves id be bill gates.

 

I can't say, but do know, depending on the size of the vine, it can drip for weeks after cutting it. so I always handle it as alive. Small stuff, like around plants, we pull or spray as soon as we spot it, but the big stuff, like you would run through the chipper, I generally try to clean it up during the winter, when it's comfortable to wear a coat and gloves, and cut as much as I can with long handle loppers to keep my distance.

 

Wood chips, like mulch, will keep down weeds for a while if you pile it several inches thick, but eventually things will grow in it and through it. Don't put it against building foundations as it tends to attract all manner of insects, and encourages termites if you're in a termite area. I'd certainly do what I could to keep poison ivy/oak out of the mix.

 

That is great advice!! I'm not sure how long poison ivy stays toxic after it dies but not having skin contact assures you won't get the rash. If you do get contact, scrubbing with soap and water within 20 minutes helps.

 

Well, as to the toxicity time I don't know exactly, but my Dad burned a pile of leaves and brush that had dead poison ivy/oak in it and my sister wound up in the hospital that night because she had inhaled some of the smoke that blew across the pool area. My Dad and I were apparently immune as we could just tear it out barehanded and then wash up with no ill effects.

 

my DR told me once it lasts 3 years on something it touches. i had put up a fence post that was apparently at some point laying in poison but i said nothing was on it then. but admitted it could have been in poison at some point but i assume in winter it killed it

 

I used to think poison ivy wasn't toxic in the winter when the leaves where gone but one winter while cutting firewood I got into some right were my glove ended and my jacket road up my arm

 

well I have my answer to chip or rent dumpster. no way could I use a dumpster. u cannot see it on this pic but the pile on the right is about 15 to 20 feet long, 5 ft high and 4 feet deep. we spent the day cutting up the big branches into chipper size ( or in theory dumpster). and its obvious that i'd go broke having this hauled away. this isn't even a third of what I have to do in the yard and would easily fill the big dumpster for 275 I got 5 years ago. so definitely will be chipping. ufortunately the guy I want to use only has a 4 and 12 inch chippers now and the 12 wont fit up my steep driveway. sigh. 115 a day plus 50 delivery. isn't too bad. just gotta do the rest of the yard and haul over to driveway to do then.

far left rear of pic shows tree that fell down and no way can chip that or even use the gator for it once you get away from the top of it.

 

Anything too big for the chipper can be used for firewood. I'm sure someone would want if you don't.