? For turners who are gardeners

[Jim Stoppleworth]

So far I've been composting all my shavings and sawdust from woodworking and turning with no problems. However, I've started to turn a number of peppermills from walnut. Are walnut shavings and dust toxic to other plants like the leaves are?

Stoppy

[Ernie Nyvall]

Yes, but if truely composted where the heat gets up there real high and then left to sit for I think a year, it will be okay.

Ernie

[Pat Salter]

I use my chips for mulch around my plants. Are there other types of wood chips that are bad for plants/compost?

[Ernie Nyvall]

I use my chips for mulch around my plants. Are there other types of wood chips that are bad for plants/compost?

Pat, actually any kind of wood chip needs to be composted first. Not that they are all toxic to plans, but that they pull the nitrogen out of the soil. I don't know about other toxic woods though.

Ernie

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Pat,

I agree with Ernie it is best to fully compost the chips first with a lot of greens (grass clipping) to supply the nitrogen needed to break down the wood or it will pull it from the soil. If you are just using it as a decorative mulch just clean up before and after the Walnut to keep it seperate from you other shavings.

[Bill Stevener]

The Walnut tree is one that sucrets a toxin from the leaves to protect its growing area. This is to prevent other plants from taking over. Rather a stingy tree.
If composted as others have noted, it should do fine.

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>:)

[Jim Stoppleworth]

and found that all parts of the walnut tree exude the compound jugalone. When exposed to air jugalone becomes toxic to certain plants. Fully composted this toxicity is substanially mitigated, especially in soils high in organic matter where the microbes actually feed on the jugalone. I've been sheet composting for over 20 years on my garden areas along with pile composting so I'm not going to be concerned as the effects will be minimal.
That said, based on what I found at the following University sites (Cornell, Illinois, and Virginia) do not use Black walnut leaves, sawdust or chips as a direct mulch on most plants, it's toxicity is enough to cause problems even death. Heavy soils, soils low in organic matter, or poorly aerated soils should aviod using walnut parts in all cases, even composted.

Jim

[Michael Stafford]

I have been using all my sawdust and wood chips in my garden for many years, just not the walnut chips. I usually put everything but the walnut in the compost bins and let them cook for a while but sometimes I put them on the paths between the rows and then turn them into the earth in the Fall when I put the rest of the compost on the garden. So it is true when I say I eat all the sawdust I make....:D The walnut chips I spread out in the woods.

[John Hart]

Also...for what it's worth...Shavings are great for horse stalls (good absorbtion). Not walnut though. It'll make them sick. Not that I care about horses or anything. ;) :D :p

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm thinking my subliminal messages are starting to work! Hang on Hart Kids......Trigger's on his way!

Daddy I want a Palomino horsey!

[John Shuk]

Walnut is definate a no no as far as compost for gardening.

[John Shuk]

Also...for what it's worth...Shavings are great for horse stalls (good absorbtion). Not walnut though. It'll make them sick. Not that I care about horses or anything. ;) :D :p
Careful around here John. You don't want to wind up with fedex leading a horse to your door!

[Jim Stoppleworth]

Thanks for the inputs, to be super safe I'll just segregate the walnut mixes to a separate compost pile and then when they're composted I'll put them in a specific area to test to see if I have any problems. I can do that with a fairly small risk on 3 acres.

Jim

[John Hart]

Careful around here John. You don't want to wind up with fedex leading a horse to your door!

Not to worry John....I have plenty of walnut to feed him when he arrives!:D :p

[John Shuk]

I try to put all my walnut shavings in an area where I get alot of poison ivy and weeds. I don't know how much it works but I do it.

[Jim Stoppleworth]

I try to put all my walnut shavings in an area where I get alot of poison ivy and weeds. I don't know how much it works but I do it.

Good idea, not too much poison ivy here, but tons of weeds. Weeds probably will be in the tolerant plant group.