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Why old gardeners don't burn branches after pruning the garden
01.05.2023 06:50
The garden needs annual pruning. But where to put the branches? Many are sure that they can only be burned so that they do not lie around the site and spoil the view.
But old summer residents who have gotten over the burning of branches and leaves use them in a completely different way.
Option one: firewood
The thick ends of the branches can be cut into firewood for the stove or fireplace. The thinner ones are great for the barbecue. Experts say that shashlik or barbecue fried on the coals of fruit trees is much tastier and more aromatic. Branches of garden trees can also be used for smoking.
Option two: wood chips
Small branches are most conveniently chopped into chips. If you have a large number of trees and bushes, it will be more profitable to buy a shredder, since you will need to use it constantly. You can borrow a shredder from a friend or neighbor. You can also rent it from a company that rents out special equipment.
Wood chips are useful for mulching flower beds, shrubs, and tree trunks. Shredded branches look very harmonious under roses, rhododendrons, and conifer compositions. They prevent moisture from evaporating from the soil, prevent weed growth, and gradually decompose, turning into natural organic fertilizer.
Option three: pegs
Pegs are always useful in a summer cottage. You just need to choose a more or less even section of the branch, clear it of small branches and sharpen the end so that it is easy to stick into the ground. This is how you can prepare pegs for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. From large branched branches you can make a "tree" for climbing beans, digging the "trunk" into the ground. From high smooth shoots (for example, hazelnuts) it is convenient to make posts for trellises, on which climbing plants are directed.
Option four: compost
Shredded branches can be composted, combined with mown grass, fallen leaves, weeds from the garden. Yes, wood takes longer to process, but as a result you will have high-quality fertilizer. It can be applied to crops that can grow in soil with pieces of wood. For example, under shrubs, trees, perennial flowers.
Option five: organic beds
An excellent way to use branches is to make an organic bed. There are many options for creating it, but the general principle is the same. The first layer of an organic bed is wood. These can be old boards, rotten tree trunks, cut thick branches, and thin branches on top. Then, coarse stems of herbaceous plants are laid - sunflowers, Jerusalem artichokes, corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, squash. All this is covered with a layer of soil. More "delicate" organic matter is laid on top - grass, straw, tree leaves, rotten apples, kitchen waste, etc. Soil is poured on top, vegetables are planted. In the first year, these should be pumpkins, which grow well in such a bed. Then you can plant tomatoes and peppers, and then cabbage and other crops.
The branches will decompose for several years, providing nutrition to the plants.
As you can see, there are many ways to make the most of your garden branches.
