"Sawdust"

[Dick Sylvan]

I am about to joint/plane (power, not hand) a fair bit of Spanish Cedar for some exterior doors. Is there anything useful to do with the planer shavings. Thanks

[Rob Russell]

If the shavings are coarse, it makes good tinder in the woodstove - although that may not be particularly useful in Houston. :rolleyes:

Mulch around some plants? Hamster/gerbil cage fill?

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Might be good for flavoring in a bbq?

[Prashun Patel]

It'll make a good insect-resistant mulch for house or yard plants. Just don't mix it into the soil; as it decomposes, it cld rob the soil of nitrogen.

[Mike Henderson]

It'll make a good insect-resistant mulch for house or yard plants. Just don't mix it into the soil; as it decomposes, it cld rob the soil of nitrogen.
I use shaving as mulch, also. Whether I mix it with the soil or not, I throw a couple of handfuls of fertilizer in with it to make up for the lack of nitrogen. Seems to work pretty well.

Mike

[Vince Shriver]

I was involved in retrofiting old antique boxes as cigar humidors some years ago, lining them with Spanish Cedar. I can say I have NEVER learned to hate the smell of anything more than Spanish Cedar - it seemed to get in ones clothes, hair, and pores. Never so glad to be done with that little project. Of course I should add, there was no dust control either, and that could have made a world of difference.

[Roger Morris]

I don't know about the cedar, but in general, you don't want to use sawdust as a mulch near your house or other wood structure. It may attract termites. Does Cedar repel termites? I know it does fleas...
Roger

[Jim King]

We live in the middle of Spanish Cedar country and have a lot of experience with it. It has a very high acid content and insects will not touch it. As for using it for animal bedding it is not a good idea as it will burn the hair or feathers off your pet and kill it, especially babies. It does make good chicken litter as they will not eat it like other sawdusts, they dont sit in it and it keeps lice, fleas etc. undercontrol.

[Ben Cadotte]

Can it be composted?

[Jim King]

Here in the Amazon we have some of the most worthless soil in the world and it will only grow locally adapted natural to the area plants. We do have a man out side of town that mixes 1/3 shavings or sawdust, 1/3 chickin manure and 1/3 sand and lets it just set for a couple of years and then mixes it into the soil and raises tomatoes and about anything else.

[Jim Becker]

I compost it or put it directly on the pathways of the garden to keep down weeds.