I’m not certain what kind of fungus it was. The tree was chopped down years ago and it has been lying in a pile chopped up in full sun. The apples had brown spots. Thank you!
by ilovemyhusbandjesse
I’m not certain what kind of fungus it was. The tree was chopped down years ago and it has been lying in a pile chopped up in full sun. The apples had brown spots. Thank you!
by ilovemyhusbandjesse
45 Comments
I personally would use twigs that will brake down in a year or 2. Those logs will take a real long time to compost
The cardboard has no business being in there, especially the printed one.
The logs will simply sit there and not break down for years.
The only reason the German hügelkultur style uses branches at the bottom is because it is meant to recycle the waste that accumulate on a farmstead and some areas in the flat parts of Germany traditionally have hedges around the farm house, hedge cuttings simply are something that accumulates and needs to recycled, anything bigger than just hedge cuttings went into the oven first.
This wood is going to take 10+ years to rot. In the meantime, it will be in the way of the plant’s roots and limit their growth. This would not be so bad if the containers were much bigger. Big enough to accommodate hugelkultur
You should at least cut the wood hand size, after that fill as much as you can.
Water a lot prior to transplant.
As others have pointed out, you need to remove the logs and cardboard from your beds.
If you know, the apple tree was diseased before it was cut down, I would burn it and not use it for compost or mulch. But if the apples simply had spots, you could probably chip it up and use it for mulch. But if you don’t have a chipper, that’s not an option so you will have to burn it.
The apple tree logs gonna outlast the fucking beds bro.
Not that close to the surface. Wouldn’t worry about the condition of the wood.
Sigh, no
Everyone is really freaking out at you over the wood.
The larger logs may be a bit much for this height of raised bed.
You can let them rot some more before putting them in a taller bed.
Also add nitrogen for all that carbon..
Carbon to Nitrogen ratio. As the wood breaks down the microorganisms feeding on the wood will pull nitrogen from the soil (and away from your crops) to feed themselves and continue breaking down the wood. There’s not enough nitrogen in the wood itself. Be careful with this method of composting. Be sure to have nitrogen fertilizer that you can amend into your soil as needed.
Apple fungus will only be an issue for apples, which I’m guessing you aren’t putting in these raised beds, so I think you are all good.
I say send it! Why not. It’s gardening. You do stuff, it doesn’t work, you do something different. Also there’s fungus everywhere, so it’s not like you could create some magic barrier. Probably there at this point just cause you put the logs in. Maybe split them or break them down a bit more because they’re big? But you can say whatever and you’ll probably be fine. Also nice looking beds!
Those logs are to big for how shallow your beds are.
Yes, fungus is what breaks down wood, and you’re talking about hugelkultur, which uses rotting logs buried deep below the bed with compost packed in around them.
The types of fungus that eat dead wood normally wont mess with any crops you grow. The way you have it looks good. Happy planting!
I’m not sure why people think it will take so long to break down. I threw split logs as big or bigger into a raised bed and they were gone in two years when I moved the whole thing. Those have been dropped for years already they will be gone in no time. Also, I don’t think the fungus is a problem. It should be fine if you don’t grow more apple trees in those raised beds.
Okay all you haters, I’m sure you’re great armchair experts, but OP is fine. I know because I do this with all of my raised beds and have had huge success.
OP, unless anything you’re planting is susceptible to apple tree diseases, you will be fine. You’d want to make sure none of the cardboard has any ink, adhesive residue, or plastic coating. Make sure you use a compost heavy raised bed mix and mix in some slow release fertilizer as you fill. Throw in some worms, use a fish immulsion once every couple of weeks, and you’re off to the races.
The roots will grow through and around the logs as they rot. The top compost layer and fertilizer will be enough to not worry about carbon capture. In fact, the nitrogen they do soak up will be released as the logs break down and continue to feed your soil and worms for years to come.
I grew 16 foot long tomato plants in a short season less than a month after constructing this bed:
https://preview.redd.it/9hhnsqwv1ezg1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcc80b7e133a736aebd6405fff810b1f66d6beac
It’s like a hugelkultur
Put those logs on the pile in the background and add some twigs. Or better yet run the logs through a chipper.
That looks like it’s going to be in the way, how you going to bury anything in future?
Were pesticides applied to the tree?
This thread is a perfect example of why people are put off from gardening by it seeming too complicated. Growing plants is meant to be fun and some logs under the ground are not going to impact very much at all – otherwise how does anything grow in the forest floor around massive tree roots?
Hugelkultur is a pretty unscientific method as it is and there is very little to be gained in arguing it’s specifics in this contex. Stop gatekeeping gardening and enjoy growing plants!
Aloha! We use this method all the time here in Hawaii as dirt is scarce. The rule of thumb though is to bury the wood lower than you will ever have call to till. Usually that’s 12 inches, 10 if you are feeling cheap. Pics look like many of the big pieces are closer to 4 inches? You will really wish you broke this down and buried it deeper out of your way. Cover with a ton of grass clippings and then the cardboard.
You can buy pruning blades for a sawsall, or similar, if you dont have as or chainsaw.
Fungus that killed tree is immaterial, as long as you know it wasn’t Poisoned wood from a former owner.
I used pieces of wood that big in my beds and regretted it for years and years and years
Yes
I recommend removing the weed barrier from under the beds. It will do nothing to stop the weeds, they will grow at the surface of the soil. It will block the interchange of nutrients between the beds and the underlying soil. And it will break down over time making it a pain to remove and will add plastics to your soil.
You might get some exciting fungal growths coming up through your soil! 🍄🍄🟫🧡
I would take out those large branches or break it down into smaller pieces. I did something similar with smaller branches in a 16” bed and had very very low yields.
Yes. Fungus is all around us and is a valuable part of the soil.
Looks like a hugelkultur!
Where did you get those planters OP?
Get rid of the boxes and the fabric and plant directly in ground. You get so much more planting full rows instead of boxes.
What is that tarp for?
Pile compost over logs, drill logs
Yes
At first glace I thought these were rusted exhaust pipes from a car lol
Those who comment about the duration of when the logs will break down need to factor in the climate.
In warmer climate it will decompose faster than colder.
Op consider using a biodigester to speed the breakdown of these logs, they will last for a VERY long time otherwise if the bottoms of the beds are closed to the ground. Also recommend getting some leaf mulch and red wiggles for each bed to help decomp.
All wood you put in a bed is going to develop fungus as it breaks down. Except for stuff treated with huge ammounts of modern antifungals, and even that tends to go in the end.
Everyone gets anxious about fungi in the soil. It’s always there, if it isn’t, your soil is dying or just sand.
Those containers aren’t deep enough for that much material.
Youre actually doing huglekulture gardening in raised beds. And yes, you get the last laugh as this is usually very successful. Happy gardening.
Honest question, won’t the metal sheets on the laterals heat under the sun and get the soil dry quicker than the usual ?
Off topic, but may I ask what you are using as ground cover between your raised garden beds? I’m trying to figure out what to use as I have weeds and gopher holes.
Do you like to barbecue? Might be a better use for that precious apple wood.